Hartley Wintney may have already shown they have the potential to be giantkillers on their way to the third round qualifying of the Emirates FA Cup, but manager Anthony Millerick admits they will be up against it to pull off a repeat performance this weekend.
Having defied the odds to beat first Banbury United, then Fleet and Merthyr in recent weeks, the Row are gearing up for what they hope will be a classic Emirates FA Cup upset against Eastbourne Borough – a side three leagues and 61 places above them in the league pyramid.
Millerick’s side have a perfect record in the Combined Counties League Premier Division so far this season, with seven wins from as many games, but he knows this will be their toughest test yet.
Eastbourne Borough v Hartley Wintney
The Emirates FA Cup
Third round qualifying
3pm, Saturday 10 October
Priory Lane, Eastbourne Borough FC
Winning club will receive £7,500 from FA prize fund
And with the club’s fans joining them on the bus to Eastbourne and several car-loads also making the journey, Millerick is hoping his side can get the rub of the green on Saturday.
“Going into October being 100 per cent in the league, you can’t ask any more from your players as a manager,” he said.
“We’ve played a number of teams one and two leagues above us in pre-season and beaten them, so of course we are always confident going into The FA Cup.
“We knew the draw, but we’ve done fantastically to beat Banbury, Fleet and Merthyr. We had decent scout reports, but we haven’t had to ride our luck yet – it’s no fluke we are where we are.
“So of course we’re confident and excited going into this one. They will definitely be the toughest game of the season so far, but it’s a tremendous occasion for the club.
“We want to make sure we’re not another statistic”
Eastbourne boss Tommy Widdrington on the prospect of a giantkilling
“We were keen to play a big National League side away from home, and we hold absolutely no fear. We’re not stupid or boastful, and we know we’ll be up against it as they will have a lot of quality.
“Individually, of course, they are going to be better than us. But all that goes out the window in the Cup, and the only thing we can control is how we perform.
“We need all 11 players to have brilliant and influential games, we need them to underestimate us, and we need a slice of luck too.”
Eastbourne boss Tommy Widdrington insists his side cannot afford to take the minnows lightly as they look to take the next step towards the first round proper.
Arsenal have won The FA Cup for the past two years
The Sports have lost just twice in their last 11 games, and despite the potential to slip up on Saturday, Widdrington is adamant his players will be ready to do a professional job.
“We are standing on a banana skin with this game and I understand that,” said the former Grimsby Town midfielder.
“They’ve got nothing to lose as we are expected to win the game – but you’ve still got to win it and make sure your name is in the hat come 5pm on Saturday.
“The lads only have to look back at previous years in The FA Cup when bigger clubs than ourselves have fallen to much smaller clubs. We just want to make sure we’re not another statistic.
“Without being disrespectful to the players we’ll be coming up against, we should have slightly more quality – but that goes out the window in a cup game.
“It’s 90 minutes, and if we win more of the battles we’ll win the game. It’s in black and white for my lads; they know what’s expected of them.”
