Sights set on promotion: But first, Rob Webb’s Windsor & Eton have the FA Vase Fourth Round to negotiate

Windsor & Eton are back in FA Vase action on Saturday with a Fourth Round tie at home to Fisher FC.

Rob Webb was appointed manager of the Royalists in September after the departure of Matt Angell, stepping up from his role as assistant boss, a role he also occupied at Eversley & California under Angell.

The interview focuses on the Vase, but also marks out first conversation, so we cover his first months in charge, expectations for this season and whether Wembley is on his mind.

Fisher Saturday then, what do you know about them?

We know they were a good football inside. They’re playing a 4G pitch. They played Fleet Town in the last round. We obviously had a game ourselves so we didn’t get to watch them, but we’ve got the footage, which is great for us because otherwise we don’t have a clue how they play. We’ve managed to have a look at them and see what they can do. They’re a really energetic, ball playing side. They will move the ball fast, they’re a very good side.

You’ve been in a job that we caught in the months now. How are you finding things?

Managing is very different to being the Assistant Manager. Although I did feel like I was doing a lot of heavy lifting in the Assistant role, it was still surprising how much more there is to do as a manager. From managing the staff, to players, to managing all the things in non-league football needs to be managed. But you know what, for me, I just love it. I love being at the forefront of it. I love dealing with the players every day, speaking to the players every day as individuals, not just as a group. I really do enjoy the day-to-day, and the managing the group and making the decisions. I think that I’m made for this kind of role. It just takes up a lot of your time!

Unlike a lot of club’s at this level, because of the history of the club and the people involved, there’s an expectation, a pressure at the club that probably doesn’t happen elsewhere at this level?

Agreed. But to be honest with you, I don’t feel the pressure of it that greatly if I’m honest. I just really enjoy it. I think the enjoyment takes away the pressure. Of course, there is an expectation, we have a fantastic following. If it’s not a midweek game, we’ll get a minimum 300 to home games. It’s a good following and then there’s the youth and everything. There is an expectation, the club’s amazing with a brilliant history.

The players recognise the expectations here. They work even harder as a result because they know that expectations are high. It’s not a negative, it’s not a pressure thing for them. They take it in their stripe and I do think we’ve picked players that we know can do that. They turn it into a positive and it pushes them that extra percent. We get a little bit more out of them as a result. For me personally, I enjoy it. I relish that expectation. I think that if you’re an ambitious person, you want to work in a club that is like that. And obviously the club in its previous form had its good Vase runs, and the club that previously inhabited Stag Meadow had good Vase runs.

Wembley is still four games away and I assume you won’t have your sites set on it just yet, but how important is the FA Vase to the club?

Winning in general is important to the club. For me it is as a manager, I really take I don’t take losing very well and I suppose any manager will tell you the same. In terms of the Vase itself, if you look at the likes of Ascot United, that win really put them on the map, and that’s what the FA Vase does.

The further you go, the more exposure you’re getting. In terms of this club’s expectations, there’s no expectation to go on and win it, but at the same time it’s lovely to have a run, isn’t it. For the players as well, they’re excited. Of course they get a little bit carried away. We, as a management team try to take every game as it comes, you can’t get to far ahead of yourself and we’ve also got 20 Combined Counties League games left. Our priority is to get promoted and if we can get to the play-offs that would be the minimum target for us. The Vase isn’t a distraction because it’s not a distraction, but it obviously does affect our fixtures in the league.

We’ve put ourselves in a really strong position for a top five finish. We’ll have a lot of games to play and that is something to manage later on when we have tired legs and whatnot, but you know we have a fantastic squad and they’re very, very dedicated to their fitness outside of football, which is something that, unlike previous squads I’ve had, they have been dedicated but not this dedicated.

This is another level of dedication, which I’m really proud of from them. The fixture congestion is going to come into play for sure, but that’s part and parcel of being successful. We’re still in the Vase and the League Cup.

If you want to be successful, you’ve got to play the games. That’s part of it at this level as well, because every club will have that.

Windsor & Eton as club is obviously striving towards trying to get a 4G pitch as well, which would be amazing for the community, amazing not just the first team, but the rest of the youth and community, just to have those games and no disruptions and training on the pitch.

Our youth teams are training on what they can get. They’re not training at one place. It’s a bit here and everywhere. It’d be brilliant to bring the whole youth and the senior section together in one place. The level of support you then can generate for our senior team’s grows and it’s easier for the likes of me to go watch the youth teams developing and the players coming through. Fingers crossed the club can get the planning and the permissions over the line, and everything else and you need to make that happen at some stage.

Last season’s run to the FA Vase Third Round had the abandoned game against VCD Athletic where you were winning comfortably, but ultimately lost the rearranged game. Does that fire you up a little bit?

I do have a little bit of stress from that. The less I say about that. I mean, it’s pretty difficult when you see a player that refuses to be removed from the pitch when you’re 3-0 up. That is a really hard one to take and then obviously to get knocked out when they came to our place. Do you know what though? On the day, to give them some credit, we had someone sent off early doors and they deserved it on the day when they came to our place. But that game should never have happened, so it’s firing me up a little bit to do better even better. We’ve gone one round better than we did last year. It’s one of those things, you’ve just got to take it unfortunately on the chin.

To finish off, what’s your history with Windsor?

I played against Windsor and at Stag Meadow a couple of times for Farnham Town. It was always well attended, I remember really well. The away changing rooms were not the best. Tight. The shower was small, it’s all in one place and you could see someone if they’re on the toilet.

But when you get out of the changing rooms onto the pitch, the atmosphere, the energy, you know the pitch is just incredible. I remember always thinking I would love to play here.

When I was Eversley before with Matt Angel, as his assistant, I would say that we had frequent chats about Windsor all the time. Then it was Windsor FC but both of us recognised what a brilliant setup it was and we’d love to be a part something like that. When we left Eversley, we didn’t have a job to go to but we went for the job here as the new club was forming at Step 7, taking a step backwards to go forwards.

I can’t praise the chairman, Mark Cooper enough. He’s a phenomenal person. The way he drives the club forward with Paul Mitchell as co-Chairmen. They’re both absolutely amazing. So very supportive and I can’t thank them enough for everything that they do, and not just because I’ve got the job. Whether I was here or not, it would be the same. I can tell the consistency and how they operate, they’re really about the community. They’re really about the club. It’s just so inspiring to work for a club like this.

The full 2025/26 FA Vase Fourth Round ties are:

• Droylsden v Sherwood Colliery
• South Liverpool v Winsford United
• Chadderton v North Shields
• West Didsbury & Chorlton v Nelson
• Coventry United v Oadby Town
• Bilston Town v Gresley Rovers
• Heather St Johns v Gornal Athletic
• Benfleet v Punjab United
• Cockfosters v Crawley Down Gatwick
• Great Yarmouth Town v Haywards Heath Town
• Harpenden Town v Whitstable Town
• Hallen v Hythe & Dibden
• Barnstaple Town v AFC Stoneham
• Downton v Slimbridge AFC
• Windsor & Eton vs Fisher
• Reading City vs Lymore Gardens

Each winning team will receive £1,875 from the FA Prize Fund, with £600 going to the losers. The Fifth Round will be played on February 7th and the Sixth Round on February 28th.

The semi-finals are over two legs, on March 28th and April 4th. The final is at Wembley on Sunday, May 17th.