Cray Valley boss Kevin Watson praises ‘sleeping giant’ Hawks and FA Cup rival Paul Doswell

That's the verdict of Cray Valley PM manager Kevin Watson as he prepares to take his team to Westleigh Park for a massive FA Cup first round clash.

It promises to be an intriguing tie with Hawks sitting two divisions above their Isthmian League South East opponents, who have previously never reached this stage of the competition.

Cray can take confidence from dumping out National League side Maidenhead on their run to the first round proper, although Watson is under no illusions of the size of task his team face on Sunday.

It's a club that he believes has the capabilities to be competing in the National League and above.

The Hawks enjoyed a one-season stay in the fifth tier under Lee Bradbury in 2018/19, but Watson is adamant it's only a matter of time before they get back to that level.

‘I’ve got no doubt that promotion will be on the horizon for them,’ said Watson.

‘I don’t dispute that because they appear to do things the right way.

‘It’s a big club, it’s a bit of a sleeping giant.

‘They’re well resourced, they’ve recruited well, so it’ll be interesting in the future to see how much progress they make.'

Watson also has a lot of time for Hawks boss Paul Doswell.

Watson has always been impressed by the way Doswell 'carries himself' and feels he goes about things 'the right way'.

‘You’re aware of other managers and you’re aware of what other managers are doing,' added Watson.

'Whenever I’ve heard him be interviewed, or I’ve seen him on the touchline or anything like that, I think he comes across well.

‘I wouldn’t say that lightly, managers don’t.

‘He’s an articulate bloke, he’s an experienced manager, he appears to do things the right way and he’s had success at his current club and previous clubs.

‘He did extremely well last season before it all stopped.

‘When he was at Sutton they had good cup runs.'