City net Olympic challenge

9:42am Tuesday 16th October 2007

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YORK City boss Billy McEwan has insisted his team will not underestimate FA Cup fourth qualifying round opponents Rushall Olympic.

The Minstermen will play host to the Southern League first division outfit at KitKat Crescent a week on Saturday after the two clubs were paired together in yesterday's draw.

Elsewhere in the draw, there's an all-Harrogate battle with Harrogate Railway Athletic entertaing neighbours Harrogate Town.

Villagers Rushall, whose Dales Lane ground lies in the northern suburbs of Walsall, will be bidding to reach the competition's first round proper for the first-ever time having already progressed further than at any other stage in their 114-year history.

With City entertaining Torquay United in a Setanta-televised clash on Sunday night, McEwan will take the opportunity to watch Olympic in FA Trophy action at Mossley this weekend.

Having watched his side narrowly defeat Northern League side Newcastle Benfield at the same stage of the FA Cup last season when Clayton Donaldson scored the only goal from the penalty spot, McEwan will be taking nothing for granted against a team who play their football three divisions below the Minstermen.

He said: "It's nice to be drawn at home as we've been at Gainsborough Trinity and Newcastle Benfield the last two seasons but it will be Rushall's cup final. They have fought their way through to this stage and had four games to get here.

"From their point of view, they have now pulled out a big one coming to an ex-Football League stadium. They will be up for it big time but we won't under-estimate them.

"We will show them respect, do our homework and will be treating the match like any other because it's a big game for us as well. We want to be in that draw for the first round."

McEwan has never encountered Rushall before in his career and has not crossed swords with their manager Paul Holleran or any of their four former Football League professionals in the past.

Goalkeeper Mark Gayle, 37, once spent a month on loan at Liverpool from Crewe in 1994 and also played for Leicester, Blackpool, Walsall, Birmingham, Hereford, Chesterfield and Luton.

Defender Lee Barrow has tuned out for City's former Conference neighbours Scarborough and Torquay in the past, while assistant player-manager Chris Brindley counts Wolves and Kidderminster as past employers.

Striker Gary Birch, meanwhile, is currently on loan from AFC Telford having previously plied his trade at Walsall, Exeter, Barnsley, Kidderminster and Lincoln City.

Birch and fellow frontman Sean Dowdall have scored four goals in Rushall's four FA Cup ties this season.

The Pics have been drawn at home in each of their previous games, seeing off preliminary round opponents Boldmere St Michaels 3-0 before despatching Atherstone Town 4-1, Sutton Coldfield Town 2-0 and Hednesford Town 2-0.

Crowds have steadily risen from 101 to 362 during the historic cup run with Birch and Dowdall both on target to sink Northern League visitors Hednesford on Saturday.

In the league, Rushall are eighth but can move to within a point of leaders Leamington by winning their two games in hand.

Rushall's biggest claim to fame remains their transfer of defender Zat Knight to Fulham for 30 tracksuits in 1999.

England international Knight left Craven Cottage for Aston Villa this summer in a £3.5million deal.