Hednesford Town boss Rob Smith has reacted to The Pitmen’s FA Cup First Round draw with a mixture of delight and excitement as his high-flying Skrill North team face League One Crawley Town a week on Saturday, in their first appearance in the competition proper for several years.

The Pitmen supporters, so important to their team’s campaign so far, were obviously dreaming of pulling a big boy in the shape of Wolves, Walsall or Sheffield United, but the next best thing was a home draw against a team over which they can harbour realistic hopes of recording a shock victory.

‘I think it’s a great draw. To be at home was important for me and to draw a team in the upper places of League One exceeded my expectations.

‘All the players and management are very excited about testing themselves against a quality side and I’m very proud of the lads for achieving what we set out to do at the start of the season. It’s been a rollercoaster ride so far and when the squad and some of our supporters convened at Keys Park for the draw it was a great atmosphere.’

The match is unlikely to be chosen for live television coverage, but a crowd of over 2000 is expected at Keys Park so any supporters keen to attend are requested to get to the ground early as The Pitmen look to cause a real shock in this year’s tournament, ranking alongside their famous Cup exploits of yesteryear.

Match arrangements will be announced as soon as possible via the Club’s official website and other usual media