Catholic United’s James Paviour says he is looking for redemption in this season’s Essex Premier Cup.

Paviour’s men lifted the cup last season only to then be stripped of the title after the FA found they had played an ineligible player in the competition.

They are now preparing for a semi-final against Old Southendian on Saturday.

And Paviour, who is co-manager along with former Great Wakering Rovers favourite Dan Trenkel, says he is determined to enjoy success in the competition this time around.

“The team is in a good place and it is an important competition for us,” said Paviour, who has won three successive promotions while in charge of Catholic.

“We have a history in this cup, good and bad.

“I have been vocal about my thoughts on what happened last year and there is an element of retribution for me.

“We won the cup but the FA deemed us to have played an eligible player so we lost the cup.

“Both Trenks and I went to Southend High School for Boys so we know the DNA of these guys and it adds spice.

“They are in the league below us but this is a local derby and they have nothing to lose.

“It’s clichéd but we are worried about games getting called off at the moment so just want to play.”

Catholic still have 11 games to play in the Olympian Premier Division, with eight games in hand.

And they are also in the last four of the Anagram Records Trophy - the first year Catholic have ever competed in the tournament.

And Paviour says he is hopeful of a strong end to the campaign.

“Historically, every cup game has been our biggest in seasons past but this year every game feels like a cup final - the Olympian Premier League is very strong,” he said.

“Officially, we are only halfway through our league season and we still have 11 games to go so we need to make sure we keep it up and give it our all.”