‘We must have belief’ - Hednesford boss King previews mammoth FA Cup tie

Saturday will mark the NPL West Division side’s eighth game in the competition this season, having entered the draw in the extra preliminary round.

Standing between them and the first round proper are a Gateshead side who are, when taking into consideration the regionalisation of the qualifying round draws, statistically the second-highest ranked team that the Pitmen could face at this stage, behind York City.

King says a glamour tie against Step 1 opposition has increased the excitement levels leading up to Saturday’s fixture - and insists his side will be more than up for the fight.

“There’s always going to be excitement,” he said.

“I love an FA Cup run, and I’ve had a few good ones in my career so I know how important it is to the club.

“It helps get the fanbase up and gets a lot of local interest too.”

With 81 places separating Hednesford and Gateshead in the football pyramid, the NPL side will be keen to spring an upset in front of the BBC Sport cameras.

The broadcaster have chosen the fixture as their televised game of the round, with kick-off at Keys Park set for 3:30pm. 

King believes his side have enough big-game experience to knock out higher-league opposition and extend their fairytale run in the competition. 

“We’ve got a lot of players who have had cup runs, so they know exactly what the game means. We’ve gone far as a management team too.

“I haven’t allowed the lads to talk about the cup when there’s been league games coming thick and fast, so no one has been getting carried away.

“We’ve got to go into it with the belief we can win. I’ve never approached a game thinking we weren’t going to win. It’s a tough draw, but one that we’ll relish.”

Ultimately, playing Gateshead at this in the FA Cup at this stage means more to Hednesford than merely having the chance to cause an FA Cup scalp.

Since the arrival of owners Craig and Amanda Gwilt, the club have been looking to improve steadily, both on and off the pitch.

And with National League giants next on the agenda, King believes that Saturday’s cup tie is another step in the right direction towards where the club wants to be.

He added: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it will take time for us to get where we want to be.

“We’re trying to build a club from the bottom. New owners have come in, and they’ve been fantastic, as have the people around the club.

“The fan base is growing and we’ve had crowds as large as 2,500 this season, so everything is positively going in the right direction.

On the challenge ahead, King said: “For the guys to come through seven games to get to this stage, I hope they’re proud of themselves.

“It’s a mammoth task, and to have a TV game helps recognise that the club is going in the right direction.”

Saturday’s game will be available to watch via BBC iPlayer, the red button and BBC Sport website on tablet, phone and desktop, with the winners moving into the first round proper.

Photo credit: Hednesford Town