It could well be a battle of the strikers when Hungerford Town take on Forest Green Rovers in the FA Youth Cup, and Crusaders manager Gary Clifford has faith in his starlets to get the job done.
Hungerford have looked imperious in the Cup so far this season, keeping two clean sheets and scoring a whopping 10 goals in their ties with Thatcham Town and Binfield.
But so have their opponents Forest Green, who swept aside Ashton & Backwell United 5-0 in the last round with two goals each for Welsh strike duo Giancarlo Gabbiadini and Jordan Islip.
Forest Green Rovers v Hungerford Town
FA Youth Cup
Third round qualifying
The New Lawn
7.30pm Tuesday 20 October
£3 adults, £1 juniors
And with a first round tie at Yeovil at stake, Clifford is backing his side to shrug off their underdogs tag and progress.
“We've had a solid start to the season, and in a few of the performances earlier on we were making a few naive errors which we seem to be cutting out in the FA Youth Cup,” he said.
“Doing well in the Cup is always huge for us. We've got a lot of boys who have missed out on earning scholarships at clubs, and this is almost a shop window for them to try and attract some interest from big teams.
“Our centre forward Conor Lynch unfortunately picked up a knock in the last FA Youth Cup game, so he's in a race to be fit. He scored 25 goals for us last season and has got another five already this term, so he’s started really well.
“Then we’ve also got Matt Berry-Hargreaves at centre-back, who is very solid indeed and is getting experience with the first team too. He is only 16 but has played a couple of times for the first team and done really well.
“They will both be really important but everyone will need to play well to beat Forest Green. We are under no illusions that it will be a big challenge for us.
“But with it being a Cup game and us being the underdogs, it maybe favours us a little bit. You’d always rather go into the games without that expectation on your shoulders.”
Forest Green boss Scott Bartlett could also lose his star man, as Gabbiadini – nephew of former Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Derby man Marco – is facing a late fitness test.
Alongside former Swansea City youngster Islip, Gabbiadini has bagged 20 goals already this season, but even if he is without the 16-year-old Bartlett is confident his side can cope.
“Giancarlo has done exceptionally well for us already for a first year,” he said.
“But he’s had a niggle over the last week or so, and has had England trials so it might be better for him to start on the bench.
“He’s got the headlines for us at the moment, but we have five or six strikers capable of putting the ball in the back of the net and I believe in them.
“The goals have come right the way through the team as well so far this season. We look like a different side to last year with a bit more pace.
“We look sharp on the counter-attack, and this is a much bigger occasion for the boys than a usual game.
“There’s more of a crowd, more expectation and a little bit of pressure on us to get through because of how well our first team are doing. But I don’t mind that at all.”
