FA Cup Preliminary Round: Newark & Sherwood aim for upset against AFC Rushden & Diamonds

Manager Romaine Graham fancies Newark & Sherwood’s chances of pulling off an FA Cup upset this weekend.

The Highwaymen host AFC Rushden & Diamonds in a preliminary round tie on Saturday (3pm).

A big crowd is expected at Dickens Road, where Newark groundshare with Harrowby United.

The tie has captured the imagination of home fans while Rushden, who play a level above Newark in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division, are well-supported.

History is on Newark’s side - they beat Rushden 5-0 in a first qualifying round tie four years ago - but the visitors are favourites as the higher-division club.

Graham, however, sees an opportunity to progress.

“I’m feeling confident,” he said. “It’s down at our place and we try and make that a bit of a fortress.

“They’re in the league above and we’ve got to pit our wits against them.

“We’ll be up for it, no doubt about that, and there’s no reason why we can’t win that game.

“When you’re playing a team in a higher league, you have to pay them the respect.

“If it’s a team in our league I’m probably a bit more offensive but I’ll probably be slightly more conservative and look to build our way into the game.

“We’re playing at Harrowby at the minute, and we’ve not played too many games there, so this will be the biggest crowd we’ve had.

“There’s going to be extra planning going into the day and we’ll have to get a few more volunteers in to help out.”

Newark & Sherwood are without skipper Jamie Goddard, who’s away, but Graham knows they can overcome his absence.

“It’s always good to have your captain but it’s a chance for my team to prove themselves and I’m confident they will do that,” he said.

It’s Graham’s first season as a manager in the FA Cup but he reached the penultimate qualifying round as a player with Mickleover Sports a decade ago.

They were beaten Blyth Spartans, who went on to reach the third round proper before losing to Birmingham City.

“The FA Cup’s always special,” said Graham. “Even the early rounds are rewarding as a club.”