BIG FA Cup nights really help make our ultimate goals more attainable.
On Friday night, my Hereford side will go up against League One Portsmouth in the first round proper, live on TV. It will be an occasion to savour for all of us.
We’ve had big days in the past – a Wembley final in the FA Trophy. As a young manager, I want more of that and I am sure the players do too. We want to be on this stage.
Portsmouth won the FA Cup in 2008 and everyone knows about Hereford’s history in the competition. Perhaps there are people out there who don’t know too much about our recent story. We’ll be beamed into their living rooms on Friday night and that is a spotlight to relish.
You can see why teams on good FA Cup runs often have a drop off in performance or results somewhere. It takes you out of the usual routine. We’ve tried to keep the lads as focused as possible – and getting three points on Tuesday night against AFC Fylde was crucial.
But it has been manic. There is a lot to get sorted. On Tuesday, all the media came down. Before that we’d kept it to a minimum but we want to shine a light on the football club – and of course the game will bring in much-needed revenue, which is great.
Tickets are already sorted. The players get a certain amount and they can buy someas well. We got last Tuesday out of the way and then we opened a platform they could log onto to purchase what they needed. Everything was done and dusted by Wednesday so they were in training on Thursday with clear minds and focused for Curzon Ashton.
We’ve got players who have been through this before so we lean on their experience. For those in this position for the first time we want them to enjoy it – it’s all motivation for more days like the one we have coming. The atmosphere inside Edgar Street will be special. It’s going to be rammed. We had 3,500 the other night and Portsmouth fans always travel well. We looked at putting in a temporary stand behind the goal. It wasn’t feasible in the end, but there will be a fans’ zone the Pompey supporters can enjoy too.
We’ll be trying to keep our preparations as normal as possible. We work hard in the week and then we get the lads in early on the day of the game.
We always go out on the pitch and go back through our gameplan. That’s where the game is played, you get a better feel for it stood out on the grass – it just heightens everything.
This is my first time as a manager in the FA Cup first round proper. I’ve got some good memories from my playing days – going up against teams like Blackburn Rovers and when I was at Kidderminster we played Sunderland away in the fourth round. We were clapped off the pitch that day.
The competition gives you incredible memories. And we all know and understand the value of it. It’s great for fans to see their team play against opposition they don’t usually play against, for the players it’s about going up against levels they are aspiring to reach.
And from a club point of view, it’s huge for finances. We talk a lot about self-sustainability and how hard covid hit our club.
For us to get a really big TV tie like Portsmouth is absolutely massive. We’ve got goals and aspirations at this football club. I’d love us to be full-time at some point in the future so we can really progress. Games and occasions like this can be part of us realising those dreams.
I’VE got a lot of admiration for Danny and Nicky Cowley in the Portsmouth dugout. Everyone remembers when they really broke through at Braintree Town with a third-place finish in the National League.
I was at Grimsby and we faced them in the play-off semi-finals, we had two really tough games against them. The next season they went to Lincoln City and we all know how well that went!
I’ve had lots of conversations with them over the years. They are meticulous in their detail and they won’t be taking us lightly. They know all about the level.
For Non-League managers, they’ve set the bar. To come right through Non-League, to manage Huddersfield Town in the Championship and now a big club in Portsmouth, is inspiration for so many like-minded managers.
They didn’t have big professional careers as players but they are students of the game.
They work tirelessly to get the right environment at a football club and have a clear identity as a team. We know it’s going to be tough.
But we will plan. I’d like to think that I am meticulous with detail as well. If we can execute the gameplan well, then we will have a chance.
