Match Preview

Nathan Haslam is relishing a "massive game for Whitby Town" ahead of Saturday's Emirates FA Cup clash away at Chelmsford City (kick-off 3pm).

The Seasiders travel to the Melbourne Stadium aiming to reach the First Round Proper of the competition for the first time since 2003 when they were rewarded with a trip to Hartlepool United.

Town have so far seen off Goole, Prescot Cables and Morpeth Town in the FA Cup this season, but Haslam is expecting a much tougher test against Chelmsford who come into Saturday's match on the back of a 3-0 victory over Weston-super-Mare.

The Blues' manager told whitbytownfc.com: "It's up to us as a management team to get the lads mentally prepared for it. We're going to embrace the occasion.

"We're going to go toe to toe with a team in the league above. On paper they've got more quality than us, they're in the league above, but my lads have got nothing to fear.

"They showed that they were able to compete with the leaders in our league last weekend so we'll go to Chelmsford and hopefully our performance will be enough for us to advance to the next round."

Given the National League South status of Saturday's opponents and City's home advantage, Whitby could be in for a difficult afternoon in Essex.

But Haslam believes that if his charges can perform to a high standard like they have done for the majority of the 2023/24 season so far, there is no reason why they can't also provide stern opposition for the hosts.

The Town boss added: "We've got to approach the game in the right way and not really worry about the opposition. We'll go and play our own game and see if we can exploit them.

"They'll have their home crowd behind them and I'm sure they won't want a replay up at Whitby.

"We're going for the win, it's as simple as that, and we need to be positive, playing on the front foot to do that. We'll play with lots of courage and aggression. It's a game that we're looking forward to."