HYTHE HEROES: We’re all willing, just this once, to spend the Friday night in - skipper Dave Cook

Wednesday 03rd November 2010

DAVE COOK says he will be the proudest man alive when he leads out his Hythe Town team-mates in the club’s first ever FA Cup First Round tie on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Reachfields Stadium outfit have won six games to make it through to this stage of the competition and lock horns with Npower League Two strugglers Hereford United at Edgar Street.

At least 300 fans will flock to Hereford to watch their heroes battle it out and become the first Kent League side to play in the FA Cup First Round for 53 years.

Hereford came away from Stockport County with a 5-0 away win last Saturday - forcing Hythe manager Scott Porter to travel to Edgar Street to watch the Bulls’ 2-2 draw with Aldershot Town last night.

Hereford haven’t won a home game this season but go into the game sitting third from bottom in League Two - 99 places above Hythe who presently sit in eighth place in the Safety Net Associates Kent League table, with games in hand on every side above them.

Hythe maybe the lowest ranked side left in the FA Cup, they are certainly creating plenty of nationwide media coverage.

“We’ve had time for it to sink in,” Cook, 26, told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, following a hard day’s graft as a bricklayer.

“This week has been absolutely crazy really. Every day we’ve had something going on. What did we have? We have had The Sun and The FA Cup there Sunday, where we had our photoshoots and bits and pieces like that and a couple of the boys had Sky Sports News down the ground today and Scott had The Times for a photo shoot so it feels a bit mental really.”

When asked whether he feels like a professional footballer this week, the midfielder said: “If this is what it feels like I wouldn’t mind some more of it. You could say yes, but I don’t get paid as much money as them!”

The magic of the FA Cup has made semi-professional footballers go down in FA Cup folklore. Ronnie Radford’s screamer helped then Southern League Hereford United dump top-flight Newcastle United out of the FA Cup Third Round back in 1972.

Hythe boss Porter revealed Radford, now 67, has been invited to attend Saturday’s game - but Cook wants to knock Radford off the pedestal and become the new giant-killer on the block.

He said: “Well, I did hear about that yesterday about that Radford bloke that done that. Hopefully we can do the same thing. We’re going to go there with a game plan and hopefully we will pressure them enough and hopefully they might make a mistake.

“We’ve got to start bright, get in their faces and hopefully we can either get a result or get a draw and bring them back to Reachfields.”

When asked about leading out the side in front of over two thousand fans and television cameras, Cook replied, “It will be unreal. It is something you dream off as a kid. I’d be proud as anything to go out there with all the boys’. We’ve got to keep our nerve really and believe we deserve to be there and we deserve a place in the FA Cup.”

This will be the club’s seventh FA Cup tie - this all seemed to be a dream when Bookham were defeated 4-0 in the Extra Preliminary Round back on 14 August.

But Hythe took Blue Square Bet South giants Woking to two games before bowing out at Kingfield Stadium in the Second Qualifying Round last season - the sign of things to come.

Cook added: “When we first started out we felt we wouldn’t top what we did in our games against Woking. This year we’ve topped it and it’s been unreal what we’ve achieved and what we’ve done, putting little Hythe Town on the map really.

“It’s crazy. I’m lost for words really because you don’t ever think a Kent League team, part-time, we all do our day jobs and train twice a week and we’re going to play against people who get paid just for kicking a ball about and they’re training day in and day out and this is their livelihood really.

“They’ve got a lot to lose but hopefully they’ll be a bit blasé about this game on Saturday and hopefully they underestimate us.

“We’re going in as massive underdogs. We should never win. We’re up against a team five league’s above us. You really shouldn’t win on paper, but you never know. It’s a one-off game so anything can happen!”

Porter will issue a rallying cry to his troops before kick-off - the kind of team-talk that knocked out higher league sides Concord Rangers (Ryman Premier League) and Staines Town (Blue Square Bet South) in the last two qualifying rounds.

“Scott’s team talks are usually quite good and they do get us up for the game, hopefully we get another one of them” hoped Cook.

“Just talking about it through the week (to friends and reporters) it just gives you goosebumps even now. I think adrenalin’s going to be a big, key part of it.

“My friends can’t stop going on about it, especially my wife, she loves it! She goes to work up in Cannon Street in London and there’s people in her office that have heard Hythe Town are in the FA Cup and I think she’s milking it a little bit!

“I heard yesterday at training we’ve got three coaches going up and my friends are going up in a couple of mini-buses. Roughly about 300 fans are going, which I don’t think is that bad considering how far it is away for people from (my home town) Ashford and Hythe, it’s a long, old journey.”

With eight goals already to his name from midfield, there is banter in the Hythe camp as to who is going to score the winning goal on Saturday.

“It’s funny you should say that,” said Cook. “Me, Pat Kingwell and Ronnie Dolan, after training yesterday were talking about it and they keep dreaming they’re going to score the winning goal and things like that and I had to nip that in the bud. I’m going to get that one! It will be nice to get another goal.”

Kent League sides have waited 53 years to get this far - but it doesn’t have to end at Edgar Street on Saturday.

“It is unreal sometimes you have to take a step back and you’ve just made history - 53 years - it’s crazy that little Hythe Town have actually got into playing against all the big boys,” added Cook.

The Hythe squad are travelling up to Hereford to stay at a hotel within five minutes of the ground - and it’s a Friday night in for the Kent League heroes.

“We’ve been summoned to a curfew so a couple of the boys are taking their play stations and x-boxes so we’ve got something to do,” revealed Cook.

“I’m sure Scott, Clive (Cook) and Denty (Nick Dent) will be at the bottom of the stars to make sure no-one sneaks out!

“All the boys know it will be the biggest game in their careers, except for a couple of the youngsters who might get further. We’re all willing, just this once, to spend the Friday night in!”

Looking forward to the game, Cook knows his team mates must protect goalkeeper Kieran Mann for as long as possible.

“The first 20 minutes is going to be a big part of it and the last 20 where the fitness comes into it with them being full-time.”

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this game.

Visit Hythe Town’s website: www.hythetownfc.co.uk

Hereford United v Hythe Town

FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) First Round

Saturday 6th November 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Edgar Street, Hereford, Herefordshire HR4 9JU