Distant Glover

Yeovil Town boss Mark Cooper has said his table-topping side will not be travelling to Wrexham to lie down in the FA Cup second round this weekend.

The Glovers’ boss takes on the big-spending stars of Disney+ documentary fame when they travel to the Hollywood Hills of North Wales as the underdogs in the tie against a side unbeaten on home soil since the opening day of the season and set in second place in League Two.

But, as manager of the club with the competition’s record number of League club scalps as a non-League club, you will not be surprised that Cooper is not writing off his side’s chances of a shock.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah in his pre-match press conference, he said: “Every game we have played this season apart from the two FA Cup games against (Southend United and Gateshead) from leagues above us, we have had pressure on us to win every game.

“For us there is no pressure on us we have to win because Wrexham are the favourites and the pressure is on them to win.

“We will have a nailed down game plan as to how we think we can get a result. We have been free flowing this season, we’ve scored loads of goals, won loads of games – but can we go to Wrexham for 90 minutes and do the same thing? Maybe. Stranger things have happened.

“But we know against a top team we are not going to have it all our own way and we are going to have periods where we have to fight, scrap and do all the horrible things really well.

“The FA Cup is built on dreams, shocks and we have to dream – and we are more than capable of doing that.”

The last time the two clubs faced each other at The Racecourse Ground – or STōK Cae Ras, as it’s known due to a sponsorship with a cold-brew coffee brand (just don’t ask us how you pronounce it!) – Yeovil’s relegation out of National League Premier was confirmed and Wrexham’s promotion out of it was all but assured.

That night, the Welsh side ran out 3-0 winners, but with a strong start to the National League South under their belts, they will face a very different Glovers’ side than they did back in April.

Cooper said: “It was a rudderless ship back then because no-one really knew what was going on. We had a stewardship (under SU Glovers, the consortium backed by Matt Uggla) which was trying to take over the club and were signing players that I did not have any autonomy or authority on the playing side.

“Now we have a new owner (chairman Martin Hellier), a direction, a freshness and I have a responsibility and a role where I am allowed to get on with the football side and try and sign good players and put a good team on the pitch.

“We are confident in our own strengths and what we can do on Sunday. We are under no illusions we have to play really well and Wrexham have to have two or three that are not quite at it and that is just the reality. But we are in a really good moment and enjoying our football and looking forward to the day.”

By the time the game kicks off in front of the ITVX at 3.45pm on Sunday, the draw for the Third Round will have been made with the potential of a tie against a Premier League giant up for grabs for both sides.

Yeovil have already bagged £59,375 in prize money for reaching this stage of the competition – dispatching AFC Stoneham, Didcot Town, Southend United and Gateshead on the way – and a further prize of £67,000 is up for grabs for progress to Round Three.

Cooper said: “This game is about the club, the players and what it means for us to take the club to the next level. Finance is key in any business and to get in to the Third Round and the chance of pulling an unbelievable tie against a big boy is the stuff dreams are made of and you can earn the kind of money which can change the direction of the club.”