It’s been a while, but Emirates FA Cup fever has finally got a hold on Spalding United.
The Tulips have toiled in the showpiece competition in recent years, but boss Chris Rawlinson admits that he and his side are excited by Saturday’s trip to lower-graded Brantham Athletic (3pm).
Spalding and their fans are taking a coach to Suffolk for the First Round Qualifying clash in a bid to ramp up the feelgood factor.
However, Tulips chief Rawlinson admits that Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division side Brantham, who are currently on a 17-game unbeaten streak stretching back to last season, will be a tough nut to crack.
And, after a start to the season that has seen them win just one match so far, he’s hoping that the magic of the cup will help spark an upturn in their fortunes.
“We’re not too down on ourselves,” said Rawlinson. “The defeat to Marske (2-0 last weekend) was hard to take at the time.
“But they are a good side and we have to move on.
“There’s no better game to head into than an FA Cup tie on the road – and we’re all looking forward to taking a coach trip over to Brantham. It’s not something we’ve done in my time here.
“That’s the magic of the cup really, doing something different to the norm. I’m excited by the game.
“Obviously Brantham are a step below us, but we know only too well how strong sides from Step Five can be – just look at the UCL.
“They’re on a very good run and we have to respect that. But we’ll both know very little about each other, so I’ll just be telling the lads to go out and play their own game.
“Brantham will have our full respect, going on that kind of unbeaten run at their level is no mean feat. We’ll be going there to win, but we’ve also got that added safety net of a replay should we draw.
“We’d love a good cup run and we’ll go there to win. There’s no reason why our form can’t pick up – a few wins will make the start we’ve had seem a lot better – it’s just emphasised by the fact we’re at the start of the season.”
Should the FA Cup clash end in a draw, Spalding’s Evo-Stik League East Division game at Loughborough Dynamo on Tuesday night (7.45pm) will likely be postponed, with the replay instead taking place at the Sir Halley. The Tulips will be without the banned Leon Mettam and the unavailable Danny Brooks for the clash, but Jack Fixter could return.
The winners of the tie will bank £6,000 in FA prize money.
- Spalding under-18s lost 3-2 at home to Bourne Town under-18s in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday.
