FA Cup: Horsham want to make history at Sutton in second round
- Published
Horsham originally went out of the FA Cup at the first-round stage with defeat by Barnsley
Horsham captain Jack Brivio says the "glory of the FA Cup" has overtaken the club's priorities for the season.
Horsham, who are also in the FA Trophy and targeting league promotion, travel to Sutton United in the second round.
The Hornets, ninth in Isthmian League Premier Division, were reinstated in the FA Cup after Barnsley's expulsion and have never reached round three.
"It would be nice to do all three but the glory of the FA Cup is taking top spot," Brivio told BBC Radio Sussex.
"Having the opportunity to play in this round is just amazing for us players, for the club, its history.
"You don't get opportunities like this too often and we have to make the most of it on the day because this is once in a lifetime stuff that we are involved in now."
Brivio said the players found out on the club's Whatsapp group that they were back in the tournament after Barnsley fielded an ineligible player in their 3-0 first-round replay win. in Sussex.
It was Horsham manager Dominic Di Paulo that sent the players a message asking "what are we all doing on 2 December?"
Midfielder Brivio, who will also lead his side against AFC Totten in the FA Trophy third round, added the prospect of a first appearance for the club in the FA Cup third round was thrilling for all involved.
"We've been given an opportunity to go the the promised land of the third round and we will give it our all," Brivio said.
"It's stuff you dream of as a kid playing against these teams in these iconic stadiums.
Horsham fans travelled in good numbers to Barnsley in the first round
"We are not getting too ahead of ourselves knowing we have a tough fixture coming but it's tough to hold it in sometimes knowing what the prize would be.
"It would just be an amazing feeling if we were able to do that. It will be a tough ask but we can dream.
"This feels like the biggest game we are involved in right now. You don't get this opportunity very often especially to go out in the first round and then to come back in it.
"For the profile of the club, the third round would be an unbelievable achievement and something we are keen on."
Horsham's hosts Sutton are bottom of League Two having only won three of their 20 games this season.
Brivio, who was part of the Horsham side beaten by Carlisle United in the first round two years ago, said he and and team-mates would not be fooled by Sutton's struggles.
"We know what a good side Sutton are and they have had a good couple of seasons in League Two," Brivio added.
"They are probably not at the end of the table that they expect to be right now but we know quite a few of their players and they are really top players.
"I'm sure their league form will turn and they will have better results.
"It will be a different game to the Barnsley game - probably a bit more physical and we have got to expect a tough game."
Brivio added the fact Barnsley's players and fans missed out on a place in the second round was not something that was lost on Horsham after their fond experiences in the first round.
"Barnsley were amazing with us and especially when we went up there - their fans were great," he said.
"It's gutting for them and their players - they won the game. It's bittersweet in that way."
Sutton themselves have a rich FA Cup history, including beating Leeds and AFC Wimbledon on the way to losing to Arsenal in the fifth round in 2017.
The south Londoners' first moment of glory came in 1989 when they beat then top-flight Coventry City in the third round.
"We've had some unbelievable runs over the years. That is the beauty of the FA Cup - it keeps capturing the imagination," Sutton chairman Bruce Elliott told BBC Radio Surrey.