Hawks boss Doswell reflects on FA Cup second round trip to eighth tier minnows Marine

That’s despite playing two divisions lower in the non-league pyramid, and not playing any league games before the match against Hawks on Merseyside in the last weekend of this month.

Due to Marine playing in the eighth tier of English football, the Northern Premier League North West division, they have a three-week gap between their first and second round ties with only training in between.

‘That could well be an issue for them,’ said Doswell. ‘But it will only be an advantage for us if we turn up on the day.

‘I was happy with the draw.

‘I was sat at home watching the balls come out - I saw Peterborough, Mansfield, Newport and after each one I said ‘no’.

‘Then Marine’s name came out and I said to (wife) Kate ‘I wouldn’t mind that one.’

‘It’s a great draw for both clubs.

‘The best thing from our point of view is there won’t be 3,000 scousers screaming at us during a game on a narrow pitch!’

It is the second round running that Hawks have been drawn against a side from two divisions lower.

They made hard work of beating Cray Valley Paper Mills 1-0 at Westleigh Park on Sunday, playing the last half hour a man short after Godfrey Poku’s red card.

Doswell knows all too well how tough it can be playing lower division opposition in the cup.

If proof were needed, look at the 10 EFL clubs who lost to non-league opponents in the first round - a record number at that stage of the tournament.

‘They’re another side who should be playing in a higher division,’ said Doswell.

‘They have the St Lucian international right back (Josh Solomon-Davies), they have two lads on loan from Salford (Mo Touray and Alex Doyle), their manager (Neil Young) was at Chester.

‘They obviously have some good backing and it’s not just to play in the Northern Premier League.

‘I wouldn’t say we were the favourites at all. I’d say Marine would be favourites with us 50/50 at best.

‘They’ve beaten Chester and Colchester away in the cup and they beat (higher division) Stalybridge Celtic in the FA Trophy.

‘They defended well at Colchester, they kept their shape well. But we’re not going to come roaring out of the traps like Chester and Colchester did.’

There are three non-league clubs assured of a place in the third round - Marine or Hawks, Canvey Island or Boreham Wood, and Stockport County or Yeovil Town.

All six clubs will be dreaming of emulating Doswell’s achievement of taking Sutton United through to the fifth round in 2016/17.

That was one of only nine occasions in post-war FA Cup history of a non-league club reaching the last 16.

Since Hawks reached the fourth round in 2007/08, a further nine non-league clubs have got to that stage (or better) since.

But they were all National League clubs, meaning no club from the sixth tier has reached the last 32 since Shaun Gale masterminded Hawks’ run to Anfield 12 years ago.