THE IN-form White Tigers set out on the Emirates FA Cup trial on Saturday with a second qualifying round home tie with AFC Portchester (kick-off 3.00pm).
We go into the game on the back of five consecutive victories that have thrust us into second place in the Vanarama National League South table.
Meanwhile our visitors have beaten Christchurch (5-1), Amesbury Town (3-1) and Dorchester Town (1-0) to get to this stage of the competition.
They sit eighth in the Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division table with four wins and two defeats from their six League games to date. Their last game saw them register a resounding 7-0 victory at Newport (IoW).
This is a competition that we are long overdue a good run in,” admitted manager, Lee Hodges. “We have an opportunity to progress on Saturday and to do that we need to make sure that we are professional and approach the game in the right way.
“Our visitors will come here with nothing to lose. They will be able to play with freedom and, as favourites, all of the pressure will be on us.
“They showed what they are capable of by beating Dorchester in the previous round, so I am expecting a tough encounter.
“As I say, our record in the FA Cup is not great and recent seasons have showed us that we simply can’t just turn up when we take on lower level opponents. We will treat this like a League game and give AFC Portchester the respect that they deserve.”