FA Cup: Kevin Horlock hopes Needham Market can upset the odds against Burton Albion
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Kevin Horlock rejoined Needham Market in 2020 after a spell as Colchester United Under-23s boss
Needham Market boss Kevin Horlock knows all about big occasions.
It is hard to imagine Manchester City were once in the third tier of English football - but that was the situation back in 1998-99.
They were 2-0 down to Gillingham at Wembley in front of 76,000 fans in that season's Second Division play-off final when Horlock's 90th-minute goal sparked a comeback which saw Joe Royle's City win on penalties to secure promotion.
There will not be anywhere near 70,000 people at Burton Albion on Saturday, but for the Marketmen, their first appearance in the first round of the FA Cup, and up against League One opposition, will be just as momentous an occasion.
"This group of players are really special, we've got some really talented lads, young players as well that will hopefully go on and experience this again. We'll go into it as underdogs, of course, but we've nothing to lose," said Horlock, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday.
"It's probably a good draw for them, at home against a team at our level, but I don't think they should underestimate us," he told BBC Look East.
"It will be tough, we'll probably need them to have an off day and be at our best, but that can happen. The FA Cup is renowned for upsets."
The former Northern Ireland international's own playing career included lengthy spells at Swindon - where he played under Glenn Hoddle - and Manchester City before he returned to West Ham, where he had started out at youth level, and later moved to Suffolk to join Ipswich Town.
"The crazy thing is that when I was a season-ticket holder at Ipswich, I was watching him," said striker Luke Ingram, whose goal gave seventh-tier Needham Market victory over National League side Maidstone United in the final qualifying round.
Kevin Horlock in FA Cup action for Manchester City against Liverpool in 2003
As a player, the best cup run Horlock enjoyed came with Swindon, who, as a third-tier side, were just 13 minutes away from a place in the quarter-finals when they took on top-flight Southampton in February 1996.
They beat Cambridge United, Cardiff City, Woking and Oldham Athletic before Horlock's goal put them ahead against Saints at the County Ground, but the game ended 1-1 and Swindon were beaten 2-0 in a replay 11 days later.
"Right foot - a bit of a collector's item. It looked like a good finish but it was more luck than judgment. I'll take one of them from my lads on Saturday," Horlock recalled.
"That's as far as I got (in the cup) but it's just a really special competition. I'm buzzing that the lads here at Needham Market are going to experience that."
Marketmen 'aspire' to follow Burton's example
The Marketmen are currently eighth in Southern League Premier Division Central, three places below Coalville Town, who have their own chance to become cup giant-killers when they take on Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
And despite the town having a population of only about 4,500, it is clearly a club on the up, with their women's team also having reached the first round of their FA Cup for the first time.
Needham Market were only two games from Wembley last season when they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy - their victims including National League clubs Yeovil and Wealdstone - but lost to Stockport County, who are now back in the English Football League.
And Burton's example, having risen from non-league football to the Championship, before being relegated to League One in 2018, is one the club are keen to follow.
Operations and academy director Rob Peace, who is also chair of the Suffolk County Schools' Football Association, was born in Burton and he can see a parallel.
"My dad's side of the family still live in Burton-upon-Trent and the villages and towns around that area. On a personal level, I'm really looking forward to the match," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"When I was younger, they (Burton) were very much a non-league team, in the Conference, and they've gone up the ranks, all the way up to the Championship.
"That's something we at Needham aspire to do at a lesser level, trying to get up to the National League."
Kevin Horlock celebrates after Needham Market beat Yeovil on penalties in last season's FA Trophy
Last season, AFC Sudbury put Suffolk non-league football on the map by reaching the first round before losing 4-0 to Colchester United - but Needham Market are hoping to go one better against a Burton side that are bottom of the table, with only three wins from 17 league games.
"There's a buzz around the club, you don't get many opportunities (at our level) to play League One sides in a competitive game," said Peace.
"To play in the FA Cup, I don't know how many of the squad have done that previously, there may be one or two, but they are all really excited. We have confidence in the squad, if they do their job, they can potentially get the win."
'People just want to play' for Horlock
Needham Market have not won since beating Maidstone - they have lost one and drawn two since then.
And for all the ability in the squad - and Ingram believes one or two could "easily step up" to League One level - Peace knows Horlock's influence will be crucial to the outcome of the tie against Burton.
"Kevin's experience as a footballer in the Premier League and at international level gives him that background knowledge and experience, but people just want to play for him," he said.
"He's a very modest, unassuming individual, so he doesn't preach about his playing days. I know how much the first-team role, alongside the academy, means to him.
"He puts a lot of effort into it, he knows he's judged on that and he and the first team lads are doing a great job."
Horlock relies a lot on his assistant, Tom Rothery, who has a Uefa B coaching badge, and is meticulous in his assessment in his analysis of opposition teams.
"We'll go there and know exactly what to expect. I'm lucky to have him. He leaves no stone unturned," he said.
Last month, Horlock expressed the view that reaching the first round with Needham Market was "up there" with his biggest achievements as a player and wants to bring more success to what he believes is an "unbelievable club".
He added: "We just want to keep on improving, we've got a CEO that backs us completely, we've got an academy established that's producing good young players, and year on year we just want to progress.
"Last year it was the Trophy, this year we've got to the FA Cup first round and we want to improve our league position as we go on, and hopefully get promoted.
"I'm so proud to be manager of this football club and the group of players I've got.
"We don't always get it right, we have ups and downs like any other team but they work hard and always give their best. You can't ask for more."
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- Published17 October 2022
