"THIS is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event the town of Corsham has ever hosted.”

Corsham Town are days away from hosting an FA Vase semi-final against Ascot United – with the prize for the winners a spot in the final at Wembley Stadium.

In what is the club’s biggest game in its 130-year history, the Quarrymen will have to beat Premier Division North league leaders Ascot if they wish to fulfil every young footballer’s dream of playing at arguably the world’s most-iconic stadium.

The last Wiltshire non-league club to progress this far into the FA Vase was Highworth Town back in 2015, but they fell at the last hurdle, losing in the semi-finals to North Shields.

Corsham will be looking to one up their county rivals on April 1, and club director Joe Barker revealed just how important the fixture could be for the Town.

Barker said: “There hasn’t been a game this big in the side’s history before, it’s just such a massive occasion for the club and the town.”

Barker, who is one of six directors at the club, also admitted the amount of preparation that has taken place to handle the expected bumper crowd for the big game.

“We typically get an average of 150 to 200 people for our home games; we are looking 10 times that for the semi-final,” he said.

“We’ve had meetings with the local council, police and security firms about how we can host the event in the safest way, because that’s the most important thing.”

The ninth-tier side have set up plenty of facilities as they get ready for the tie, such as an outdoor bar and toilets, a matchday club shop, and even a hospitality section.

Although the gate receipts will be split 50-50 between the Wiltshire side and Ascot, Corsham’s director anticipates that the match could do so much for the club off the pitch as well as on it.

Barker said: “The revenue from the bar, food, merchandise, hospitality, and stuff like that is all kept by the club, so it’s huge for us.

“We get £5,500 if we win in the semis, £15,000 if we lose at Wembley, and £30,000 if we win there, on top of what we’ve already earned. That is a lot of money for a small football club like us.”

If Corsham were able to make it to Wembley, it would sign off what has already been a remarkable season for the Hellenic League Premier Division side, who are currently sat fourth in the table with promotion still firmly on the cards.

Barker hopes that his club’s current fortunes can be beneficial for the long run.

“If we can get an extra 30 to 40 people come along after the back of this game to watch us every week, that’s massive for us.

“For everyone involved with Corsham Town, it’d just be a dream come true to make it to Wembley.”