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Gainsborough fans’ expectations are high for Sunday’s home FA Cup tie accrington On the rise, but there will be no optimistic announcements from no-nonsense boss Russ Wilcox.
Trinity reached the second round last season for the first time since 1952 and hopes are high that the seventh-tier club can repeat the feat by lining up their Sky Bet. league two Opponent at Cal Group Stadium.
Last season’s historic cup run was halted with a close 1–0 defeat Harrogate and 64-year-old former scunthorpe Defender and manager Wilcox prefers not to beat the drum blindly.
He told the PA news agency: “We’ll make sure we don’t get too carried away with all this. We’re three leagues below them and they’re full-time and train every day.”
“So it’s a really big challenge for us, but we’re not afraid of it. We respect them massively because they’re a League Two team, but we’ll give it a good go.”
Trinity reached the first round for the second consecutive season after winning their fourth qualifying round replay 3–1 earlier this month. National League The Hartlepool side also defeated Corby Town, Rushall Olympic and Dunston along the way.
“We have to be at our maximum potential and hopefully give Accrington a break,” said Wilcox, whose side are fifth in the Northern Premier League, 56 places below John Doolan’s Accrington.
“I don’t want to blow it too much and say we’re going to do this and that because we’re playing against a League Two team who have a really good, experienced manager and a very experienced assistant manager (Ged Brannon) as well.
“They’ve both been around the block and know what the game is about. So we’re under no illusions about how difficult the task is.
“But it’s 11 versus 11 and strange things happen in football. We’re hoping Sunday will be one of those days.”
Trinity supporters have become accustomed to such days during their last two FA Cup campaigns.
Last season a memorable 4–0 win in a fourth qualifying round replay at Lincolnshire rivals Boston gave Gainsborough local bragging rights.
Wilcox’s team then made a spectacular comeback from 3-0 down at Hednesford to secure a place in the second round draw for the first time in 72 years.
Gainsborough defender Will Lancaster’s last-ditch 30-yard thunderbolt sent the contest into extra time and, with the score locked at 4–4 after 120 minutes, Holy Blues held on to win 5–4 on penalties.
Wilcox said that the revenue from last season’s cup heroics enabled the club to finance the summer contracts of defender Adam Crooks and striker Jonny Margate, while the competition appears to bring out the best in their current squad.
“We’re generally underdogs and you get an extra 10-20 percent from the players,” Wilcox said.
“They will run through a brick wall against Accrington. We have to do it every game, but it adds a bit of an edge to them.
“Getting to the first round is a big achievement and we’ve done it two years in a row. To get to the second round again would be special.”