Can Burgess Hill Town pull off an FA Cup upset?

Burgess Hill Town boss Ian Chapman feels his side have the ability to cause a cup upset, as they make the trip to division-above Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday.
Ian ChapmanIan Chapman
Ian Chapman

Hill’s FA Cup second qualifying round opponents are riding high in the National League South, currently sitting third in the table after a 2-0 away win over Truro City at the weekend.

Chapman has conceded that his side will go into the tie as underdogs but feels that their past history against bigger teams will stand them in good stead.

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SEE ALSO Title-winning Burgess Hill cricketer Martyn Box makes professional debut for Barnet FC | Wormull appointment has given Burgess Hill Town a huge boost | Pope strike does it for Burgess Hill Town in FA CupHe said: “We’re under no pressure on Saturday. They’re obviously massive favourites but we’ve turned over sides in the past.

Ian ChapmanIan Chapman
Ian Chapman

“Last year we beat Wealdstone, a couple of years back we beat Sutton, as well as Aldershot in the FA Trophy so we have got tradition in turning sides over in leagues above us. We know it’s going to be very difficult.

“They’re a really good side in the league above and they’re up near the top so it’s a day where we are the underdogs. Do we think we can get a result?

“Of course we do. We’ll do everything we can to get a result but it will be very difficult.

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“It’s a nice cup tie for the club and hopefully we can put on a really good show.”

The Hillians beat Folkestone Invicta 1-0 away from home in the previous round thanks to a Ben Pope goal, and Hill netted £6,000 in prize money in the process.

Chapman feels that the FA Cup massively benefits teams like Burgess Hill’s financially and that a chance to boost the coffers will be another incentive for his side to cause a cup shock.

He added: “The FA Cup is a brilliant competition but it also means a few quid for the club. A lot of clubs at our standard will rely on the FA Cup to try and get a few quid through winning cup ties.

“If you can get your rewards by getting good results and get through to the next round, it’s massive financially for the club as well as for the players.”