Hednesford boss Phil Starbuck insists his side will prepare for next Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Rushall the same as they for higher league Alfreton to allay fears of an upset.
The Pitmen caused one of the shocks of the second qualifying round when they overcame Nicky Law’s uncompromising Derbyshire outfit on Tuesday night in a replay to set up the intriguing Dales Lane clash.
Starbuck’s side will be highly fancied to see off the Pics, who play two leagues below them in the Southern League Midlands division.
But the Keys Park chief isn’t expecting an easy ride.
“The tie will bring a lot of interest locally, but from our point of view it’s going to be a really hard match and we’re going to have to show the same resolve as we did against Alfreton because there’s always the potential of it being a banana skin,” said Starbuck.
“We’re expected to win and the onus is on us to win, but that doesn’t always happen.
“They will have a good day out and they will have the same mentality as we had going to Alfreton - I went there not expecting to come away without getting a result, and that’s something we have to address.
“So I won’t be treating any less than any other game and we won’t be treating them lightly.”
Mario Pedro scored the last minute winner against Alfreton to guarantee his place for today’s clash with Ossett - and Starbuck revealed he saw it coming.
“Going into time added-on, I turned to the bench and said: ‘We’re going to go up the other end and score’ and that’s exactly what happened.
“Since I’ve had five texts from lads asking me to pick their Lottery numbers.”
Meanwhile Starbuck has welcomed Mark Patterson to Keys Park by declaring he’s ‘the new Jimmy Mullen’.
The 42-year-old was appointed as the Pitmen’s assistant boss this week to succeed Mullen, who has joined Walsall full-time coaching and scouting.
Starbuck played with Patterson at Sheffield United in the early 1990s before they teamed up in management at Leigh RMI and he is convinced he will have the same galvanising affect as the Geordie.
Patterson, 42, who managed Scarborough last season, played over 600 games in all four divisions for Blackburn, Preston, Bolton, the Blades, Blackpool and Southend in a 20-year career.
The Lancastrian missed the Alfreton replay as he had to pick his daughter up from Spain, where she lives.
But he attended the first tie and is itching to get cracking.
“He can’t wait to start,” said Starbuck.
“Scarborough have dropped down the divisions but that was nothing to do with him - that was all off the pitch.
“He knows the game inside out - we’re not getting some Mickey Mouse character.
“He’s played at the highest levels and has vast amounts of experience and will bring the same good dimension to our dressing room we got with Jimmy.
“He’s a fun-loving character but he has a superb work ethic and is very professional so the lads will enjoy him.”
Starbuck went into today’s game against Ossett battling a host of casualties, with Ross Adams (ankle and knee), Tom Marshall (tonsillitis), Danny Blair (ill), Dominic Heath (ankle), Ross Dyer (medial knee ligaments) and Gary Sucharewycz (knee) carrying knocks.
Heath, Blair, Dyer and Sucharewcyz missed the game, but Starbuck was delighted with the character shown by Marshall, who battled through the replay.
“He did fantastically well to play through with tonsillitis and showed a lot of courage and character because his energy had been zapped,” he said.
Share this article:
What are these?