Peterborough Sports hope to have Wembley in their sights after their fourth round FA Trophy tie at Horsham on Saturday.
A win at lower level opposition would move Sports into the last 16 of a competition which boasts a May final at England’s national stadium.
They’ve travelled to the fifth round just once before, in a season interrupted by Covid.
But Sports are taking nothing for granted against a team mid-table in the Isthmian League Premier Division, especially as they’ve lost on-loan centre-back Hayden Cann who has been recalled by parent club Lincoln City.
Sports joint-manager Michael Gash said: “We’d like to thank Hayden for all of his hard work and outstanding performances this season. Hayden came in and boosted the team, and his performances week after week have demonstrated his talent as a player.”
Horsham drew 3-3 at League One promotion contenders Barnsley in the first round of the FA Cup this season, and drew 1-1 at league leaders Hornchurch last Saturday when Sports were hampered by inclement weather.
The city team’s scheduled match at Banbury was postponed due to pitch flooding rather than simply waterlogging!
“We are basically four wins from Wembley,” Gash added. “It’s still a long way off, but if we win this game then who knows?
“It would certainly be great for the players and for the club as a whole if we could at least beat the club record.
“It’s a tough game at Horsham though. They have obviously been good in cup ties and they play on a 4G pitch, a surface we’ve struggled on this season.
“We trained on one on Saturday when our game was called off and played a friendly at Yaxley on Tuesday, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t play well on that type of pitch. We have good technical players.
We had Horsham watched last weekend. The game was not very high-quality, but it was played on a very challenging surface, so I doubt it will matter much.
“It was frustrating to have our game at Banbury called off because we had some good momentum and would have been confident, but they had a horrible day down there and there was little chance we’d play.
“We got some work into the players’ legs and we will be ready for this Saturday.”
A coachload of Sports fans will travel to West Sussex, where they may encounter a fresh face as their club seeks a midfield replacement for Oisin Gallagher, who has returned to Lincoln City after a loan spell at PIMS Park.
Sports has extended promising Posh defender Ashton Fox’s loan until the end of the season, while forward Harrison Nee has left after his short-term deal expired.
“Ashton has been fantastic for us,” Gash explained. “He has been really solid and dependable at the back, and we are thrilled to be able to keep him for the remainder of the season.
For a young man, he plays quite smartly. He learns from his mistakes swiftly.
“Harrison hasn’t been getting many minutes, so we believed it was best if he sought another club. We are fully prepared for forwards.”
Experienced centre back. Ryan Fryatt has returned to the squad after a lengthy injury break, but he lacks match fitness, so playing him instead of Cann would be a gamble.
Sports will face Farsley Celtic in a National League North fixture at PIMS Park on Tuesday, January 16 at 7.45pm.
Banbury United v Sports was surprisingly the only National League North match to be postponed last weekend, but results went the way of the city side, as far as their main aim of avoiding relegation is concerned.
There were also some midweek matches which left Sports eight points and seven places above the relegation zone. They are also eight points from the play-off places.
“It’s critical that we don’t lose focus in the league,” Sports joint boss Michael Gash said, recalling a disappointing loss at lowly Gloucester City just days after a memorable Trophy victory at Dagenham & Redbridge last month.
“The results were quite good for us when we weren’t playing ourselves, but games will come thick and quick now. We have seven games in February to start.”
Sports were grateful to local United Counties League side Yaxley who gave them such much needed practice on an artificial surface in a Tuesday night friendly.
Sports predictably won 7-0 with goals from Ben Fowkes (2), Kaine Felix (2), Mark Jones, Matt Tootle and joint manager Luke Steele.
Steele, a former professional Football League goalkeeper scored with a towering header. It’s not expected to win him a place in the Trophy line-up!
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