First round proper is our FA Cup final, says Corby boss Mills

Gary Mills has described the first round proper as “our FA Cup final” as Corby Town prepare for the big kick-off this weekend.

And the Steelmen boss would love nothing more than to see his squad reach their own version of the Emirates FA Cup showpiece and bag themselves a big tie should they get there.

However, as Mills himself concedes, there is a long way to go before that can happen but it all starts at Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division side Mildenhall Town in the preliminary round tomorrow (Saturday).

The Steelmen have been showing good form during pre-season since the experienced Mills arrived as the new manager at Steel Park and they claimed an eye-catching 4-3 success at Southern League Premier Central side Coalville Town last Saturday.

Now Mills is hoping his team can hit the ground running against lower-ranked opposition in the FA Cup before they kick-off the new Southern League Division One Central campaign with a home clash against Aylesbury United next weekend.

“The FA Cup is a fantastic competition,” Mills said.

“I think this is the earliest I have ever started in it but that can be a good thing if you get on a run.

Mildenhall have already played a round to get through but I just want to see us starting the game well and getting into a stride.

“What comes with the FA Cup is a chance to make some money at the club, which helps you going forward and it’s a chance for us as a club to get to the stage where we could play a Football League side.

“I know that’s a long way off but it happens and our aim has got to be the first round proper, that’s our FA Cup final.

“Let’s see what progression we can make in the competition."