Chairman Lee Carter believes victory at Southend tonight would be the greatest FA Cup win any Telford side has ever achieved.
The old Telford United had many memorable successes in the competition, notably in the 1980s under Stan Storton.
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The club reached the fifth round in 1985 and also got as far as the fourth round in 2004 – the season when they eventually went bust.
But Carter suggests it would trump the lot should they overcome the odds to win this evening’s first round replay at Roots Hall.
“This would be the biggest victory ever, and we’d have done it the old-fashioned way – with guts, determination and spirit,” said Carter.
“Perhaps when we beat Brentford and Crewe (on the way to the fourth round) four years ago, it was success that was bought, with all the money that Andy Shaw invested in the team.
“Ever since the Southend game I’ve had people saying they hadn’t seen the like at Telford in 25 years.”
There is a raft of replays taking place tonight, with the Conference leagues represented by Altrincham, Grays and Droylsden as well as the Bucks.
“There’s four non-League clubs playing and one of us will cause a shock,” Carter insisted. “There’s no reason why it can’t be us.
“I think we can do it and I’m not just saying that. We’ve got good players with fire in their bellies, we’ve got supporters with fire in their bellies, too.
“We’re going down there to give it a good go.
“We’ve sold around 250 tickets and, with people turning up on the night, we’re hoping to have up to 300 there.
“I think that’s an absolutely superb effort, really brilliant. There’s lots of bigger clubs than us who wouldn’t take that many to Southend on a Tuesday night and we’re very proud of our fans.”
Victory tonight would see Telford pocket £20,000 in prizemoney, though they will get a share of the gate receipts in any case.
“It’s a bonus for us and it’s come at just the right time because a lot of people are starting to feel the pinch,” added Carter.
“This will make life a little bit more comfortable for us.”
By Chris Hudson
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