Excitement for Wessex League clubs as FA Cup gets under way

AFC Portchester, Horndean, Moneyfields and Fareham Town all do battle in the oldest competition in the world of football.

And the prestige in which the Cup is held was only too apparent as the clubs looked ahead to their extra-preliminary round fixtures.

Portchester head to fellow Wessex League premier division side Fawley on Sunday (3pm) with assistant boss Steve Johnson dreaming of a long run in the competition.

He said: ‘The Cup gives great kudos to the club if we are successful.

‘The dream is to reach that first round and draw a league club – that has to be the aspiration.

‘We need to be at our best because if we aren’t then our dream could be over before it has even started.’

Moneyfields host division one side Christchurch tomorrow (3pm) with boss Dave Carter keen to see his side progress.

He said: ‘It’s the biggest cup competition in the world.

‘All of the lads are looking forward to it – these are special days for clubs like us.

‘We won’t be in it for long so we want to get as far as we can in it and stay in it for as long as we can!’

Horndean manager Michael Birmingham believes his players can make a name for themselves in the Cup – if they can first get past Bashley tomorrow (3pm).

He said: ‘The good thing about the FA Cup is that it is all about the players – it can change them completely.

‘You can stop waking up at five o’clock in the morning to go and lay a whole load of bricks if you have success in this competition because the spotlight is on you.

‘But Bashley are a big side – it wasn’t too long ago they were playing in the Southern League premier division.

‘And if we don’t work hard then unfortunately it could be an early exit for us.’

Finally, Fareham Town travel to Bradford Town tomorrow (3pm) looking to bounce back from their 2-1 opening-day league defeat at home to Newport IOW.