Halstead Town manager Mark Benterman wants his team to make full use of their home advantage to keep their FA Vase dreams going.

If the Humbugs beat St Margaretsbury in their second qualifying round tie at the Milbank Stadium today (kick-off 3pm) it will be the first time in 21 years that they will have progressed into the first round proper of the national competition.

Having seen considerable success in other cup competitions this year, Benterman is targeting further joy in the Vase and knows their home ground and fans can be a big factor for them.

He said: “We want to make our home a fortress as much as possible and that includes the cup games.

“We have had some fantastic games at the Milbank Stadium this year and we have to make sure we keep it like that.

“You want to take full advantage of being at home as everyone looks out for a home draw in any cup competition.

“We’ve got that so we have to make sure we use it.

“The players look forward to playing in front of bigger crowds as they’ve had tastes of it against sides like Newmarket and Sudbury this year.

“They’re enjoying it and long may it continue.

“What we’re seeing is a more determined group of players this year.

“Our team talks are becoming less frantic as they are taking care of things themselves and when you may be lucky to have one or two leaders in a group, we feel we have 15 in our dressing room.”

Halstead head into the Vase tie on the back of a 4-0 win against Team Bury last weekend in their only Thurlow Nunn League division one game in September and Benterman hopes his team can transform their form back into a knockout competition.

He added: “We have players in Julian Simon-Parson and Chris Bryan who made it through to the Vase semi-finals (with Bowers and Pitsea) last year and their experience is rubbing off on the other guys. They now want to go on that journey with us and be a part of what we’re trying to do.

“If we can beat St Margaretsbury, it would be the first time in 21 years that the club had been in the first round proper of the Vase.

“We have already made it further in the FA Cup than the club had been in 12 years so to do go on in the Vase would be great as it continues to prove that we are going in the right direction.”

However, Benterman expects to be missing some key members of his squad as Jordan Hutchings, James Murray, Lewis Cunliffe and Marcus Warren are all absent through long-standing personal commitments.

Midfielder Jake Brown, though, has rearranged holiday plans to make sure he will be available for the Vase game and Benterman said he had strengthened his squad with the signing of right-sided utility player Josh Dalziel from Thurlow Nunn League premier division side Stanway Rovers.

The Humbugs boss said he was also looking to make another forward addition as it was looking likely that striker Joe O’Hare would be leaving to go to university.