After last year’s heroic FA Cup run to the third round and a home tie with Blackburn Rovers Blyth Spartans are preparing to continue this year’s challenge.
2009 sees the club’s 100th anniversary of taking part in the competition and a third qualifying round tie at either Hyde United or Salford City awaits the Spartans.
The game will take place next Saturday if the match between Hyde and Salford is resolved this Tuesday. If it is drawn the replay will be on Saturday – meaning that Blyth will have to travel to take on the victors the following midweek.
Spartans manager Mick Tait doesn’t think that his side’s 3-0 win at Hyde in the league earlier this season, should it be they who progress, will make any difference.
“That only gives us a slight psychological advantage,” he suggested. “An FA Cup tie will be entirely different especially when you think that we were outplayed in the first half of the league game.
“If it turned out we were playing Salford that too wouldn’t be easy. We will need to apply ourselves properly whoever we play.”
Should any supporters wish to travel to the game, details of the Supporters Club travel are included in SpartansFans section of this website.