Havant & Waterlooville are on the verge of FA Cup history as they make the trip to Merseyside to face Marine AFC on Sunday.
With a memorable run already under the belt having reached the 2nd round for only the second time in the clubs history, excitement around the camp is high and The Hawks are set to battle it out for a chance to play in the prestigious 3rd round of the tournament.
Since their last win in the FA Cup against Cray Valley PM, Paul Doswell’s men have been on stellar form having won both of their previous games in the National League South, scoring five goals in the process.
In the clubs last outing, they were forced to fight back from behind against Oxford City at the Draper Tools Community Stadium, but goals from Sam Magri and Tommy Wright was enough to clinch all three points.
Every season, fans up and down the country begin to believe it could be their season for a great FA Cup run, and it is a great chance for The Hawks to reminisce on their historic 2007/08 cup run.
After squeezing past York City in the first round, Havant were drawn away to Notts County where it took some late heroics from second half substitute Tony Taggart in the 87th minute to put the side into the 3rd round.
The Hawks fought their way through a then League One side Swansea City via a replay, before having the chance to face one of Europe’s elite clubs in Liverpool at the world famous Anfield.
Unfortunately, despite taking the lead twice on the day courtesy of Richard Pacquette and a Martin Skrtel own goal, Liverpool had too much firepower and avoided a major upset by a score line of five goals to two.
Now the club return to Merseyside, but this time against very different opponents in the shape of Northern Premier League North West side Marine AFC.
Despite being two steps below The Hawks in the non-league pyramid, The Mariners will be no easy task as they are also fighting to get into the 3rd round for the second time in their 126-year history.
Marine have played five league games this season and have experienced a mix in fortune having won three and losing two which sees them sit ninth in the division.
It has been a completely different story though in the FA Cup as they have already claimed a big upset in the 1st round after defeating League Two side Colchester United on penalties away from home.
It is a huge day for both clubs and the BT Sport 1 cameras will be there to capture the action for what is set up to be a mouth-watering encounter in the cup competition.
The Hawks manager, Doswell, insists that both sides will be going all out to get their names in the hat.
“I think it is a 50/50 game, anyone that knows their football, know that Marine have got players that should be playing at a higher level.
“Marine will fancy themselves to win and we fancy ourselves to get through, so the brilliant thing is that one of us is going to represent the non-league in the 3rd round and that is a great credit to either team.”
Although no fans are being permitted access to the stadium, you can catch all of the action live from the comfort of your own home through the BT Sport coverage. Make sure you keep up to date with all matchday information via the club’s digital media platforms.
By Liam Rice