Cup kings pay tribute to their Green Army

With their FA Cup Third Round clash against Birmingham City already making headlines around the world on Friday, the players of EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Blyth Spartans have been thanking their fans for their support along the way to one of the biggest games in the club's history.

Ahead of hosting the Championship giants at Croft Park on Saturday and flying the flag for the EVO-STIK NPL as the lowest ranked team left in the world's oldest cup competition, full-back Alex Nicholson led the tributes to Premier Division club's famous Green Army and urged them to roar them on.

As well as turning out in force at Croft Park for the first round proper win over Altrincham, supporters have followed the Premier Division's Spartans since they started out on the road at Darlington in September.

Trips to Mickleover, Skelmersdale, Leek and Hartlepool's Victoria Park for their now famous 2-1 giant-killing followed and the Welsh Under 19 international said: "The fans have been great home and away all season. As a player when you can hear your supporters getting behind you it gives you a huge boost so we will need them to do just that again on Saturday which I am sure they will.

"Obviously, playing international football was great but this is by far the biggest game I’ve played in. After all, it is the FA Cup and that beats anything really. It’s what you watch when you are growing up and it’s great to be able to play in it."

If this season’s FA Cup run has been a dream for supporters then midfielder Daniel Hawkins has assured them that his team mates are experiencing exactly the same emotions. Hawkins, who joined Spartans during the summer from Bishop Auckland and is a former Middlesbrough academy man, reckons the cup run has now gone beyond his wildest dreams.

He said: "It has been a great season so far and hopefully it will continue to be that way. I never expected to be playing in the FA Cup as I have never played in it before. I use to just watch the Cup on TV and never could have imagined that I would be playing in the first round never mind the third round.

"Hartlepool has to be the most memorable part of the season so far. Being part of a team that turned around a 1-0 deficit and win the game was amazing. No one could believe what we have achieved but I am sure it will be the biggest game of my life and I hope I can help the team in any way and who knows, may be in the hat for the fourth round.

"We have to go into the match believing we can win. It is our home ground and we don’t let anyone turn up and just walk over us. We all will be fighting through the whole game and each and everyone of us will give our best."

The second round win at Hartlepool saw defender Nathan Buddle put one over on the club who released him 18 months ago and on Friday he revealed that it hasn't been long since he got over the shock.

He added: "I said at the time that I had never been so satisfied after a game as I was after the Hartlepool game. It took some getting over and it took a while. Even after the Third Round draw when we were paired with Birmingham I couldn’t believe what had happened.

"There is no doubt whatsoever that we are the massive underdogs but we will go out and give it our all, then who knows what might happen on the day. It is eleven against eleven and anything can happen on the day."

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