WEYMOUTH boss Andy Mason is hoping to have a spy in place when Hinckley United entertain Histon in an FA Cup third qualifying round replay at Middlefield Lane tonight.

The Terras will meet the winners of the tie in the fourth qualifying round at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday, October 27.

Hinckley, who play in the Dr Martens Premier Division and Histon, from the Eastern League, shared six goals in a thriller at Bridge Street on Saturday.

Mason said: “Chances are we’ll have someone there on behalf of us this evening, but if we don’t, then we’ll definitely have the winners watched before we meet them in a fortnight’s time. You can never be over prepared for these sort of occasions and so the more we can find out about our opponents, the better our chances will be on the day.”

With the Nationwide Conference clubs entering the competition at this stage, the Terras player-manager described the draw as “fantastic.”

“I don’t think we could have wished for any more,” he admitted. “We’re going to be at home to a side from either our own league or the one below us and that’s much better than being drawn away to one of the strong teams from the Conference.

“That’s not to say it’s going to be easy, but realistically we’ll never get a better opportunity to reach the first round than this. The prospect of meeting a big league side and having our moment of fame on the television is a great incentive to everyone at the club, and we’ve not lost sight of the fact that there’s £20,000 on offer to the winners.”

And having already disposed of Highworth and Crawley Town en-route to the fourth qualifying round, the Terras boss doesn’t mind whether it’s Leicestershire-based Hinckley or Cambridgeshire outfit Histon next.

He explained: “Hinckley have made an okay start in the Premier Division and we were always expecting tight games when we meet them in the league. They’ve been involved in some games that have thrown up a few strange results and they’ve obviously got the ability to upset the odds.

“Histon aren’t a side I know too much about and we’ll need to do a bit of homework on them. All I do know is that they’re placed midway in the same league as Dorchester and they’re obviously no mugs if they can put three past a side like Hinckley.”

He added: “Our win over Crawley at the weekend came about because of a brilliant second-half display which followed an awful first-half and we’ve got to learn to do it for 90 minutes. But all that matters right now is that we’re through to the next round. I couldn’t be any happier with the draw and I doubt that either Hinckley or Histon will fancy travelling down to play us.”

* Weymouth’s scheduled Dr Martens Premier Division game at home to Folkestone on Saturday, October 27 will now be played on Saturday, March 9.

Full draw

Stalybridge Celtic v Runcorn FC Halton or Bedlington Terriers; Harrogate Railway v Morecambe; Telford United v Northwich Victoria; Doncaster Rovers v Emley; Boston United v Farsley Celtic or Brigg Town; Leigh RMI v Worksop Town; Barrow or Rossendale United v Chester City; Altrincham v Nuneaton Borough; Marine v Southport; Whitby Town v Scarborough; Lancaster City v Vauxhall Motors; Kings Lynn v Farnborough Town; Dover Athletic v Hereford United; Chelmsford City or Harlow Town v Bedford Town; Havant & Waterlooville v Barnet; Purfleet or Grays Athletic v Margate; Belper Town v Worcester City; Yeading v Aylesbury United; Hayes v Yeovil Town; Hucknall Town v Cambridge City; Woking v Newport County; Folkestone Invicta v Welling United; Merthyr Tydfil or Mangotsfield United v Lewes; Stevenage Borough v Kettering Town; Burton Albion v Gravesend & Northfleet; Fisher Athletic v Forest Green Rovers; Aldershot Town v Hendon or Hitchin Town; Billericay Town v Tiverton Town; Basingstoke Town v Dagenham & Redbridge; Weymouth v Histon or Hinckley United; Tamworth v Cirencester Town; Canvey Island v Stafford Rangers. Ties to be played Saturday, 27th October.

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