Non-League Horsham are already plotting the downfall of Carlisle United in next month’s FA Cup first round tie at Brunton Park.
Intent on being giant-killers the Isthmian League side have already beaten National League side Woking in the previous round.
Awaiting the winners on November 6/7/8 week-end will be a cheque for £20,000-plus with Horsham hoping to emulate their efforts of 2007 when they reached the second round and took League One side Swansea to a replay.
Manager Dom Di Paola said: “Carlisle are struggling in League Two – they’re one off the bottom – and some of their own fans have been on Twitter telling Horsham supporters: “You’ll beat us.”
“I’m happy with the draw because your main hope is always that you are paired with a Football League side in the first round. The fact it is away from home turns it into a bigger payday.”
Di Paola is likely to have Carlisle watched when they play Northampton Town away on October 30, a week before the FA Cup-tie.
They got through on Saturday 1-0 with a superbly struck free-kick late on by Tom Kavanagh.
The manager recalled: “When we got the free-kick I was shouting that the wall wasn’t back far enough. But as it turned out, it didn’t matter because Tom scored! It was a great strike.
“The longer the game went on you felt we might get a break. Everyone played well and deserved the plaudits. We all have to enjoy it while we can.”
A spot in the first round proper of the FA Cup is a first for Di Paola, either as a player or manager, but a number of his players have tasted it before.
But he said the beauty of the FA Cup was that a veteran like Steve Metcalf, now 37, probably thought his last chance of reaching the first round had gone – but it had now arrived.
