FA Cup: Taunton Town's captain on juggling work and a tie with MK Dons

Taunton Town beat Somerset rivals Yeovil over two legs to reach the FA Cup first round

Taunton Town's captain says he is not able to travel on the team coach to Saturday's FA Cup first-round tie with MK Dons as he cannot get out of work in time.

Nick Grimes might be about to play the biggest match of his life so far but he has to hitch a ride with his parents to get there.

"I can't get away from work in time to make the bus to be with all the boys so I've got to get my mum and dad to drive me up," Grimes told BBC Points West.

"They're staying in a hotel already in Milton Keynes so it's not like I'm asking them to go too far out of their way to delay their journey by a couple of hours to take me with them.

"Hopefully I'll make the evening meal with the boys, if not just a little bit after and I'll sneak in late."

This is only the third time in Taunton Town's history that they have made the FA Cup first round, the last coming during the 2016-17 season.

The club ply their trade in the sixth tier, the National League South, where they are currently 16th, and beat Somerset rivals Yeovil Town in a replay to set up the tie with their League One opponents.

"This is what you play in non-league football for. This is what we give up our time to do, these small opportunities that don't come round very often and we'll try and give it our all," centre-back Grimes said.

'We're not going there for a stadium tour'

Taunton-born wing-back Ollie Chamberlain, like team-mate Grimes, has never played against opposition from the EFL or in a ground as big as Stadium MK which has a capacity of 30,500.

The 28-year-old has been with the club since 2012 and played in their last FA Cup first-round appearance six years ago against Barrow, who were then in the National League.

"I've grown up in Taunton, I've been here all my life and playing for your home town in a massive occasion like this - probably its biggest ever - it's just a special occasion and one I'm looking forward to," Chamberlain said.

"FA Cup - there's always that one surprise. Luckily for us this year we got to the first round and long may it continue."

Head of football Rob Dray joined Taunton in 2016 and oversaw their promotion to the National League South last season, the first time they had been as high as the sixth tier.

"As much as we want to enjoy it and it's a massive thing, we still want to not go up there for a stadium tour. We want to give a really good account of ourselves," Dray added.

"As long as they can say to us at the end of the game, Taunton have been here today, we'll remember this one.

"Everything is stacked against us, we're massive underdogs, it's the FA Cup. We'll see. But we'll enjoy the whole process of it."