Doncaster Rovers vs Kidderminster Harriers FA Cup first-round preview, Digi Mart USA News: Doncaster Rovers have been warned to expect a fully committed Kidderminster Harriers side when they travel to Aggborough for their FA Cup first-round tie. Kidderminster manager Paul Wootton believes his side have nothing to fear against League One opposition, describing the encounter as a ‘complete free hit’ as they prepare to take on Grant McCann’s men.
“We’re a million miles away from League One. It is a big jump, but we’re a professional football club, so there’s no excuses fitness-wise or organisational-wise,” Wootton said.
“We’re a full-time club and it’s an FA Cup game, isn’t it? And it’s at home, which is the biggest mileage we’ve got, and the fans will be bang up for it, I’m sure.”
Wootton has already begun his preparations for the meeting with Rovers and is familiar with Grant McCann, having faced him several times during his playing career. His focus is firmly on trying to produce an upset, and he insists his players should approach the occasion without feeling the pressure.
“We’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. It’s a complete free hit for us and we’re looking forward to it,” he added.
“There’s no pressure. We try to give them no pressure in a league game as well.
What’s the worst that can happen? You go out and play, you work hard, you’re as committed as you possibly can be and what will be, will be.
“Usually, there’s a shock somewhere, isn’t there? So why not here?
Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything.”
The Harriers boss also underlined the importance of the FA Cup, describing it as the greatest cup competition in the world. “It’s still a great chance for us to ultimately make some money, put a smile on people’s faces and test ourselves against higher opposition,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to it. I hope we get a good crowd and hope we give them a good day.”
Rovers will be looking to avoid any kind of upset as they target a second win in a row after a much-needed 4-1 win over Rochdale to secure their passage to the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy. McCann’s men have progressed beyond the first round in each of his seasons in charge of the club in the past, with their earliest exit coming in the second round against Peterborough United in 2024.
However, they’ll be wary of the threat posed by non-league opposition after the disappointment of crashing out of the competition to King’s Lynn at home during the 2022/23 campaign, a year before McCann’s return to DN4.
McCann said: “When you play these games, you have to be mentally right for them. You have to be ready to do battle, because they’ll be trying their best to cause an upset, for sure.
And we’ve got to be right.
“We’ve got to make sure we pick the right team that’s ready to run and ready to fight and pick up second balls and all of that. But what they are is a decent football team.
“I’ve seen a few of their games now. They want to play.
They play in the right way. They’ve got some decent players at the top end of the pitch.
“And if you’re not right, they can hurt you. So, yeah, we’ve done our work on them.
We’re hoping now we can go and get ourselves into the next round.”
