A piece of history
By Connor Murphy
Comment
Alty are celebrating after securing a tie against Millwall but will they still be celebrating come Saturday?
AFTER years of FA Cup nightmares, Alty's First Round tie against 2004 finalists Millwall has finally got the club dreaming again - and manager Graham Heathcote isn't ready to wake up just yet.
Considering it is the first time the Robins have reached this stage in the competition for six years, that in itself is an achievement.
But Heathcote has his sights set higher.
As a member of possibly the club's greatest ever team - a side that reached the FA Cup Third Round for four straight years between 1979 and 1982 - he knows nothing is impossible in the Cup and is now looking for the current team to create their own piece of history.
He told SAM Sport: "I have so many great memories from the Cup it's hard to choose a best one.
"But what I will say of the memories I have got is that you have to get through these stages, you have to get past a league club to really make history.
"There are possibilites, as this club has shown in the past, but you have to overcome some real difficulties before you can realise them.
"I don't tell my players this is a dream, it's not a dream. The history of the FA Cup is littered with upsets so it's reality, you just have to have the belief that you can do it while also giving Millwall the respect they deserve.
"No matter what I say the players have to have that belief themselves and the desire to want to achieve what I would like them to achieve. You have to reach the heights that maybe you are only capable of reaching only once or twice a year.
"It's not hard to give the players a feeling of our Cup tradition, I just tell them the truth.
"It's possible to achieve a victory in a one-off situation. I understand there are various things that can go their way on a day and if they don't believe me then I don't know who they'll listen to.
"There will always be some upsets and people will always want to see upsets because that's what makes the Cup great."
Graham Heathcote
"You have to create your own piece of FA Cup history and want to become a part of Alty's history so people will say in years to come he played in that game'."
Despite his positive approach to the game, however, Heathcote is under no illusions about the magnitude of the task ahead.
He believes it is now harder than ever before to cause an upset in the FA Cup and knows his side will have to be right on top of their game if they are to stand any chance of beating Millwall.
"It's a massive gulf between league teams and their non-league counterparts nowadays," he said.
"The days when pitches were great levellers are gone and when they come here they aren't going to be worried about the pitch. It's much more difficult to cause an upset these days.
"It's more difficult but I believe there will always be some upsets and people will always want to see upsets because that's what makes the Cup great, the belief that you can achieve the unachievable.
"If we had a Cup run the whole town would be buzzing and the finances would be boosted.
"Every penny we make from this is a massive bonus because we don't budget for the FA Cup and the possibilities are unbelievable. You just have to look at Burton a couple of seasons ago.
"But we can't get carried away with the game and the situation. The players will have to do their bit and the supporters will have to get behind them even before they've gone out on the pitch."
4:38pm today
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A piece of history
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