DARREN KELLY genuinely believes Hyde United can make history on Friday evening. With confidence but absolutely no hint of self-delusion in his voice, he calmly asserts that his team are capable of getting past MK Dons and into round two of the FA Cup.
It’s something the Tigers have never achieved since their earliest days in the 1880s. In the past, Preston, Workington, Burnley and Darlington have ended their dreams at the first-round stage. This time — Kelly says — things can be different.
“One hundred per cent we’ll be going out to win the game,” he commented. “The group of players we have believe that they can win and that’s what we’ll be trying to do. Whatever happens happens, but we certainly won’t be looking for a draw.
That, however, doesn’t mean the Tigers will be throwing caution to the winds and mounting a mad victory charge. Kelly and his backroom staff are approaching the game with all their trademark professionalism. He plans to out-think as well as outplay his League One opponents.
“We’re going to treat the tie like all our other games, which mean we’ll be looking not to concede. We’ll be organised from front to back with a solid defence and wanting to get numbers forward,” the Hyde boss continued.
“We’ve got to be prepared for whatever formation Milton Keynes adopt and be able to nullify it. They usually play 3-5-2 but they could opt for something different like 4-3-2-1.”
Some non-league clubs might find the pressure of the big occasion and Match of the Day cameras to be too much, but Kelly’s satisfied that won’t happen to Hyde United. On the contrary, he’s sure his players will draw inspiration from a Ewen Fields ground packed to the rafters with a 3,500 crowd, most of whom will be bellowing out support for the home side.
“My players won’t freeze,” predicted the Tigers manager. “They’ll be motivated by the atmosphere and will have the freedom and belief to be themselves. There’s no pressure on anyone. I just want the lads to be themselves. If they do that we’ll have a very good chance.
“At the end of the day they’ve already exceeded all expectations so I just want them to go out there, enjoy the occasion and play the game.”
However, none of this should in any way suggest that Kelly and his staff are taking MK Dons lightly, even though the League One side go into the tie only four points clear of the relegation places and without a win in their last five league games. He says the potential embarrassment of losing to a semi-professional club from level four of the non-league pyramid will be enough to keep Dons’ minds focused.
Kelly explained: “They’re going through a bit of a blip at the moment but we can rest assured their manager, Robbie Neilson, will put out the strongest team he can because they’re under a bit of pressure. The last thing they’ll want to do is lose to a club from the Northern Premier League first division north.
“We’ve had them watched several times so we’ve got a good idea of how they play. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they change things. We’ll have to make sure we’re prepared for whatever they do.”
Hyde have two injury worries: Ryan Ellison and Chris Sutherland, both of whom are troubled by hamstring problems. Kelly will have them monitored throughout the run-up to Friday evening but even if fit they may not start. He has an outline of what his starting line-up should be but he’s fully prepared to change it at the last minute if he believes he needs to.
He said: “The two lads might be okay but that would only mean they were available for selection.
“Yes, I have an idea of my team but to be honest things change. My focus will be on us first and foremost but Milton Keynes are a very good side. We have to be mindful of certain possibilities. We have to be right for the challenge.
“One thing I do know is that I have a squad who will be ready for the match. They are so full of expectation, emotion and commitment that I could play the goalkeeper up front. Everyone wants to play. They’ll do whatever it takes to get us into the next round.
“It’ll be huge for the club if we win and the club deserves the best because it’s been through some very difficult times. If we can get some smiley faces with a victory, that would be amazing.
“The Hyde supporters can be sure that when the players come off the pitch around 9.40pm they will be exhausted. They will have given absolutely everything they’ve got. Hopefully, that will be enough to get us through.”