Forest Green Rovers make the long journey to the north-east of England for their first round tie in the FA Cup against Scarborough Athletic.
The Rovers are on the back of three wins out of their last four in all competitions, having beaten Walsall in the Papa John’s Trophy and then league wins against Colchester United and Crawley Town.
Head coach David Horseman has said ahead of this weekend’s game: “Obviously we all love the FA Cup, but there are a couple which I will not name names, but there are a couple that they just cannot play.
“I cannot afford to lose them for the Tranmere game which there would be a high risk with not loads but just a couple so that will not be risked as much as I am desperate to win the game and then we have a squad for a reason that they need to step up and it is a big opportunity on Saturday for some to stake a claim in the team.”
The Gloucestershire-based side have had a pretty good record in the first round of the FA Cup since their debut season in the English Football League in 2017/18, with three wins and three losses at this stage.
Of course, a draw on Saturday would take the game to a replay.
On the potential of a replay, Horseman said: “We could do without a replay and with the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Tuesday, the fixture list is brutal at this level and we have enough to win the game in 90 minutes in the first round. What we have to do is make sure that we show them the respect they deserve because they are a good team, a really good club and have got a good manager.”
Last season’s first round saw the Rovers defeat then Northern Premier League side South Shields 2-0, with a brace from Connor Wickham in the 28th and 96th minute, including his emphatic halfway line goal.
It is the first time in Scarborough Athletic’s history that they have reached the first round of this incredibly famous trophy, with their best run previously being back in 2017/18 when they were eventually knocked out by Hyde United in the fourth qualifying round.
The Seadogs have already played multiple games to reach this stage of the competition, with their second qualifying round game at Farsley Celtic leading to a replay after a 1-1 draw which they then won 3-0.
Their third qualifying round game against Darlington saw them win 2-1 in 90 minutes. Then finally their fourth qualifying round game against Oxford City saw them draw the first game 2-2, they then won the replay 3-2 in dramatic fashion after a late winner from Lewis Maloney.
