FA Cup: Alvechurch return to Gloucestershire looking to make Forest Green their second scalp

Danny Waldron's first-round double fired Alvechurch to victory at Cheltenham

Non-league Alvechurch made a few sparks fly when they won at League One Cheltenham on Bonfire Night.

And the seventh-tier side will head back to Gloucestershire on Saturday looking to do the same to Forest Green.

Having caused the shock of the FA Cup first round, Alverchurch boss Ian Long believes they can add another scalp in round two.

"The lads have had one eye on the Forest Green game," Long told BBC Sport.

"We've lost both our games since beating Cheltenham, in the FA Trophy last week (4-3 at Suffolk side Leiston) and one in the league the week before too (2-1 at Hitchin).

"We've tried hard to focus their minds, but I don't think the lads quite took it on board," said Long.

"It's given them their 15 minutes of fame with the television cameras. I've never seen so many cameras at our games and training sessions.

"It's exciting and new for them but I just hope they concentrate on the game on Saturday, forget what's gone before and perform like they showed they are capable of at Cheltenham."

It is only 25 miles south from Cheltenham to Nailsworth, home to Forest Green, still one of the English Football League's newest teams, since being promoted from the National League in 2016. Long sees it as a well-trodden road.

"There are a lot of similarities to the Cheltenham game," he pointed out.

"With them being local rivals to Forest Green, both of them having come from non-league - and both now struggling in their respective league (Forest Green are bottom of League One, eight points behind 18th-placed Cheltenham).

"The bookies have still got us as big underdogs, but we're underdogs most weeks in our own league so we're used to that. We like fighting the odds.

"And we've done our homework, like we did with Cheltenham, and we'll go with a game plan."

If the game goes to Long's plan, it would earn Church a repeat visit of their only previous trip to the third round, back in the days of power cuts and three-day weeks in 1973-74, when they beat Exeter City and fellow non-league side Kings Lynn, before bowing out 4-2 at Bradford City.

"We're a small village club," he said. "But, if you go and draw one of those big clubs away from home, in terms of gate receipts and TV rights, it could be a game changer for this club."

Church defender Ash Carter will swap his day job with a local plant hire firm for the job of trying to keep the Forest Green frontline quiet.

And, after what his side did 20 miles away at Whaddon Road in the previous round, he is pretty sure that Forest Green will not make the mistake of underestimating them.

"I don't think they'll be allowed to," he told BBC Midlands Today. "But we're not going there to make up the numbers."

Alvechurch defender Ash Carter also works for a local plant hire firm between matches

Despite having to survive a frantic final half-hour or so at Cheltenham, Carter also has confidence in his side to keep a tight ship.

"It was a roller coaster at Cheltenham," he added. "In the space of four minutes, we'd gone 2-0 up, then they'd got it back to 2-1 and from then it was just a case of weathering the storm. But I always had that feeling we were going to win.

"We then got attacked by a load of kids for pictures at the end. And I don't think we got in the changing room for 25 minutes after the game. But it was a great feeling."

Alvechurch's FA Cup winning run so far . . .

1st Qualifying Round: Mickleover (a) 3-2

2nd Qualifying Round: Harborough Town (h) 4-0

3rd Qualifying Round: Nuneaton (h) 4-0

4th Qualifying Round: Worksop (h) 3-2

First round proper: Cheltenham (a) 2-1

Waldron's winning double at Cheltenham

A key man so far in Church's cup run has been striker Danny Waldron, with six goals so far in his five games - two in the first qualifying round win at Mickleover, two more in the 4-0 second round over Harborough Town, then his two biggest and best to date to knock out Cheltenham.

His six goals would have earned him the trophy for finishing FA Cup top scorer in each of the past four seasons - and it may still be enough to earn him a trip to the final in May.

But he is still four short of the record, set by Ian Wright (10 in eight games for Arsenal in 1992-93). And, if that is to come under threat, then the Church are not finished yet.

Danny Waldron scored his first goal for Alvechurch in the 16th minute at Cheltenham

Waldron then doubled Church's lead five minutes into the second half

Ian Long and Ash Carter were talking to BBC Midlands Today's Dan Pallett

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