Carlisle face a tricky night in south London, says Ian Lamont, but whether Steve Pressley goes for young or experienced centre-backs, they should squeeze past their hosts. You can prefer to the europa league predictions page!
Dulwich Hamlet v Carlisle United
Friday, November 8, 19:55
Live on BBC Two
The right recipe for a nailbiting night[/b]
If you are looking for FA Cup upsets, you definitely want the non-league team at home, not away: which is precisely why the BBC will visit Champion Hill, where Peter Crouch once played on loan for the hosts, on Friday night.
Exeter, at Warrington in 2014, and Notts County at Salford City in 2015, have capitulated on a Friday night in the First Round lớn non-league teams in recent years, while AFC Wimbledon survived 1-0 at Haringey Borough last season.
Gavin Rose's Dulwich Hamlet, two divisions below their visitors, are enjoying their second season in the National South and are comfortably mid-table. They are in the first round for the first time in 21 years. They have been back in their ground since December 2018, after resolving a nine-month dispute with the landlords- According lớn the soccer tips daily win page!
Carlisle were displaced from their home much more temporarily, in December 2015, because of Storm Desmond, in a season which coincided with their most recent run to a big televised game, against Everton.
They beat Yeovil in a third round replay and returned to Brunton Park in time lớn host the Toffees, losing 3-0 in January 2016 in the fourth round. The next season, they beat St Albans, away, of the National League South in the First Round. Since all that, however, manager Keith Curle left, to be replaced by Steve Pressley. And at present they are terribly out of form.
Nervous visitors, not in great form, turn to youth[/b]
Never mind that Dulwich Hamlet haven't won a league match since August, they are on a hiding lớn nothing and have £36,750 in the bank from their cup run. Their visitors are the ones under pressure against players with a point lớn prove, most of them having spent time in the professional game, if only at big club academies.
Several Dulwich players have experience in the Championship, including midfielder Connor Hunte (at Wolverhampton Wanderers), defender Quade Taylor (Bolton, after time at Crystal Palace), and striker Danny Mills (Peterborough).
Pressley has pretty much apologised for his side's start lớn the season, saying he understands fans' frustrations - they sit 19th - and pointing to his time at Falkirk which ended OK after a poor start.
The FA Cup, then, is a chance to reset and make a mark. A first victory in six League Two fixtures, against Macclesfield at home, was a fillip, not least for Ryan Loft, who scored what turned out lớn be the winner and who admitted his goal and the win had lifted him after a tough few weeks.
In his case, the striker has been on the fringes of the team, but that is probably a simile for Carlisle's season - practically on the fringes of their division.
If he can feel the tension in the crowd when the results aren't coming, that will be nothing to feeling it in front of a TV audience at a non-league ground.
Young Jarrad Branthwaite, 17, and Jon Mellish in defence will have lớn again be at their best. Centre-back Branthwaite will need all that fearlessness of youth against the ruggedness of experienced non-league part-timers.
Scouts are already watching. It's not just for the hosts, the likes of ambitious Ade Yusuff, that this is a shop window.
Experienced Carlisle duo Byron Webster (suspended) and Nathaniel Knight-Percival (out of favour), will be hoping Pressley returns to tried and trusted, instead of going again with the youngsters. A home win price of 4.30 in the match odds market is relatively short, while 1.90 on the visitors to win is a price some of the favourites in League Two have been quoted at to beat the less good teams in their own division.
