Looking On The Down Side...

Well here it is - the biggest game of the season.

I could qualify that by adding "so far" as if we win, the tie in the next round automatically becomes the biggest game and so on and so on. I could but I won't.

The reason why is because doing so would in some way suggest that I'm confident that we can get a positive result, and once that happens it automatically puts a hex on things. If you don't believe me you only have to look back at the previews for last seasons matches and see how many we lost after I'd predicted a win.

I'm a jinx and that's why I'm allowing my innate pessimism to come to the fore when I say that I'm not in the slightest bit confident of picking up a positive result in this game, even after taking into account our win at Kendal and the tremendous fightback that took place against Bamber Bridge in midweek.

The identity of the team we're facing certainly helps me to build the doom and gloom as well. Curzon Ashton are a side who've somehow become our bogey side over recent seasons. Not too long ago them beating us would be considered a shock but times have changed and now it's us beating them that would raise the odd eyebrow.

In fact it's been five years since we last beat them and that, in an enormous dollop of coincidence, was in the FA Cup. And if you're looking for good omens ahead of Saturday's game (not that I am for aforementioned reasons), it's in this competition that you'll find them. We've met Curzon in the FA Cup on three previous occasions (five in total if you include replays) and the Blues have failed to get the better of us in any of them.

And on that relatively upbeat note (compared to the rest of the post) I'll end the preview. Not before saying though that while, I'm being negative for purely superstitious reasons, I really do hope we are looking forward to the draw for the next round on Monday.

So good luck to those pulling on the white shirts at Ice Station Zebra tomorrow and let's get behind them and show our hosts why, despite their comparative success over recent years, they've still got reason to be jealous of us.

If on the off chance though you want to read a proper preview then I suggest you do so by clicking here.