Mackenzie Ready For A Cup Run

Chris Mackenzie knows Corby Town might not have a better chance to make it to the first round proper of the FA Cup than the one they have tomorrow. The Steelmen, of the Blue Square Bet North, face Zamaretto League side Salisbury City in the fourth qualifying round with the possibility of a tie against sides like Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton Athletic awaiting the winners. And like everyone else at the club, Mackenzie can't wait for the game.

"I'm really looking forward to it, there's a lot at stake in terms of the first round proper and if we can play well tomorrow, we can start to think about that," he said.

"I don't know how Corby have gone in the FA Cup since I last played for them back in the early 90s but anyone can see this is an great opportunity."

Had this tie come up 12 months ago, Mackenzie and his team-mates might have had plenty of worry about as the Whites sat in the top half of the Blue Square Bet Premier.

But demotion, due to financial issues, into the Zamaretto League, means they are not the force they were with players like Matt Tubbs no longer involved.

But they are still fourth in the Zamaretto League Premier Division and Mackenzie acknowledged the Steelmen can't take anything for granted.

However, he also knows that the Steelmen will go into the tie with confidence after successive wins over Worcester City in the last round of the cup and Gainsborough Trinity in the league last weekend.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination," he continued.

"But we've got a home draw, our home form has been good and I don't think Salisbury, with respect to them, are anything to be scared of."

Mackenzie knows all about the glamour of the cup having been in goal for Hereford United against Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur back in third round in 1996.

"We took them to a replay although we should have won the first game because we missed a penalty that would have made it 2-1 to us," he recalled.

"My biggest memory is playing at White Hart Lane in the replay, even though we lost.

"Then at Telford in 2004 we beat Crewe Alexandra and then we played Millwall in the fourth round, and that was the year they went on to reach the final, so I've got plenty of cup experience."

Mackenzie would love to enjoy days like those with Corby.

However, for the moment he'll settle for putting right what went wrong back in 1992 when he was in the Steelmen side beaten 2-1 at this stage by Kettering Town.

"It was a great atmosphere, I think there were over 1,000 at the game with more Corby fans than Kettering fans but unfortunately we lost," he recalled.

"So I'm looking to better that and for all the lads at the club, the FA Cup remains a great experience.

"It's great to be having a run like this in my first season back at the club.

"I came back to be part of something and with the new ground and the progress being made off the field, I can see that we are going places.

"We're going well in the league and getting to the first round of the cup could be another piece in that jigsaw.

"It's all to play for and anything could happen so there's no reason why we can't aim to go further still and maybe play another Premier League club