Local derby in the FA Cup favours Hungerford

The Crusaders will host Wantage Town in the FA Cup on September 22

HUNGERFORD Town manager Ian Herring was delighted after his side drew Wantage Town in the second qualifying round of this year’s FA Cup.

Just 14 miles separate the two teams, who will meet at Bulpit Lane on Saturday, September 22 and Wantage will be looking to upset the odds.

They currently sit top of the Hellenic League Premier Division after five wins and one draw from their first six league games.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better draw,” said Herring, pictured. “But they’re flying in their league and they’ll come to us thinking that they can cause an upset.

“It’s a home draw, but we can’t look ahead to that as we have a big game in the league this weekend.”

The Crusaders host Torquay United in the National League South on Saturday, aiming to get back to winning ways after losing 4-1 to Bath City last time out.

Herring said: “It was disappointing and conceding four goals away from home again is not good, to say the least.

“On the whole, I felt we started the game well and in the first 20 minutes I feel we shaded it.

“But unfortunately we gave them a penalty and then conceded two more in quick succession and it gave us a mountain to climb.”

Torquay have suffered a difficult start to the National League South having fallen from League 2 in 2014, but Herring believes that it shows just how much Hungerford have developed over the years.

He said: “Whoever we play is always going to be big, especially this one. It shows how far we have come as a club to be playing Torquay.

“They might have struggled in adapting to life in this league and they’ll be coming to a ground some of their players haven’t seen before.

“Hopefully we can make that count in our favour and get the three points.”

The Crusaders will be without striker Harvey Bradbury who has had his loan spell at Bulpit Lane cut short by Oxford United.

Bradbury was due to remain with the Crusaders for the 2018/19 season, but Oxford made the decision last week to end his time with Hungerford.

Herring said: “I received a call off them saying that they’d be calling him back to go to a club higher up and it turns out it’s a club in our league.

“It’s disappointing because I feel that he was in a good place with his development – we were both enjoying it.

“It’s disappointing to lose him, not only as a player, but as a person, and I’d like to thank his efforts for coming to our club because he approached it very well for a loan signing.”