FA Cup 1st round: FC United host Dean Saunders’ Chesterfield

Ex-Liverpool star Saunders wary of FC United

Spireites boss and former Liverpool player Dean Saunders is certainly wary of his side’s upcoming opposition, who are on a bad run of six straight league losses.

“I’ve been the manager of a Conference team playing the bigger teams and you can beat them,” he said. “The players believe they can beat them, on a one-off game.

“The lower down you go, the less consistent the players are. But that doesn’t mean they can’t put in a nine out of ten performance.”

In terms of scorers for FC United, they may not have a many familiar names as Salford, although do have Ryan Giggs’ brother Rhodri as a coach, Tom Greaves (11/4) and Rory Patterson (3/1) top the anytime market.

Former Red Devil Ebanks-Blake to lead line for visitors

Meanwhile, for visitors Chesterfield, they have their very own former Man Utd academy graduate in Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who has netted six times this season. He is odds-on at 10/11 to strike anytime again, and a more enticing 7/2 to break the deadlock.

It would not be the first time that FC United will have reached the FA Cup second round, if they can beat Chesterfield, as they knocked out Rochdale back in 2010/11. But the Derbyshire side have made it past their last five ties with non-league opposition.

A draw at 10/3, to enforce a replay, is a tempting price to take for FC United, who have been managed by Karl Marginson since they were created 10 years ago.

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Coral’s top tip: No less than four non-league teams have upset much higher oppositions this term, and Salford are 10/3 chances to get a draw against League outfit Chesterfield