Leese confident Poppies can pass tricky FA Cup test at Hullbridge Sports

Southern League Premier Division outfit Poppies travel to take on the Essex Senior League side as favourites to progress through the first qualifying round, but Leese is well aware the tie is fraught with danger.

The Kettering boss accepts Hullbridge will 'fancy it' as they eye a big scalp, but insists the Poppies, who are without a league win so far this season, can claim their first competitive victory of the campaign this weekend.

"Hullbridge will be looking at us and thinking it is time to make a name for themselves," Leese told the poppiesmedia YouTube channel.

"We have done our homework, we know what we are going into and we need to prepare for that, which we will do.

"But it is going to be tough and I just hope the supporters can get down and give us their support on Saturday because we are going to need it. It is going to be a difficult afternoon, and we need that backing.

"Hullbridge have added some players that I know well, and they will fancy it, but we will be ready."

Leese was left unhappy with his team's performance in Monday's 1-1 draw with St Ives at Latimer Park, but was also relieved to escape with a point thanks to Tyrone Lewthwaite's equalising goal with the last kick of the game.

"It was a bit of a stalemate, and I was really disappointed with the second-half performance," said Leese.

"We have this tendency to go flat after half-time, which never seems to help us, and we were particularly flat (on Monday). Again we conceded a goal which is avoidable, like most of them are, but to our credit we got back into it.

"St Ives are a good, solid, organised outfit, and you are not going to get any straightforward games in this league.

"We kept at it and I thing we threw four up front at the end there, with Kelvin Langmead going in there to try and get something, and thanks to that fighting spirit we have got something in the end.

"We have stuck at it, something has gone for us, and let that be the turning point."