FA Vase hero Mark Blake is about to do something his old Dell buddy Matt Le Tissier never did - take centre stage at Birmingham City.

Le Tiss, an apprentice with Blake at Southampton in the 1980s, admitted: "St Andrews is one of the places I never played at during my career because Birmingham weren't in the top flight. It's one of the grounds I'd love to have played on."

Defender Blake doubles up as player and joint assistant manager of Wessex League champions Winchester, who next Sunday (3pm) will be bidding to become Hampshire's first ever FA Vase winners against Eastern Counties top dogs AFC Sudbury.

He and Le Tiss posed with the glittering trophy at the South Winchester Golf Club yesterday having just flown back from playing in a pro-am tournament together on the greens and fairways of Enniscorthy, Ireland.

The ex-Saints very nearly missed their plane and Le Tissier, who at 35 is one year Blake's junior, joked: "I beat Blakey in the race to the check-in desk, so he can't be that fit!"

Don't miss our superb 16-page FA Vase final supplement in the Pink on Saturday May 15.