PR: Whitley Bay vs North Ferriby (FA Cup)

North Ferriby begin their Emirates FA Cup adventure on Saturday with a trip to Northern League side Whitley Bay in the Extra Preliminary Round. The Villagers are the sole Northern Counties East League Division One representatives in this season’s competition. 

The club are delighted to be in the competition after missing out on not being put in last season and they will be looking for a decent cup run. This is something which manager Chris Bolder is happy with and go into the tie on the back of a great win last weekend. 

“We were delighted when we received news of us being in this seasons competition as everyone at non-league level like everyone else loves the magic of the FA Cup,” said Bolder. 

“It is a tough draw but we are looking for a good cup run starting on Saturday at Whitley Bay but we know it’s going to be tough. They will be a strong side, a club steeped in history, so we know they will be tough and uncompromising like all Northern League clubs. 

“That said we have a squad of players who are resilient and are used to going to difficult places, as we did in the FA Vase last year, and getting results. We have a similar squad this season and in pre-season and in our opening game at Shirebrook last weekend we came up with a great result.” 

There is a major boost for the Villagers as skipper Niall Tilsley is back from a one-match suspension he served last weekend. On the downside, Iwan Heeley is struggling with a heel injury while Joel Shortland is unavailable. 

Bolder has a healthy squad apart from Heely and Shortland and the good thing for Ferriby is they can name seven substitutes on Saturday. Victory in this round will then see a trip back to the North East with West Allotment Celtic or Billingham Town.