THE season may only be getting underway for the Toolstation Northern Counties East League clubs today but the FA Cup is just over seven days away.

The extra-preliminary round has thrown up a derby tie, with Thackley having been drawn at home to Albion Sports.

The neighbours will not only be battling for bragging rights but also a cash windfall.

Dennyboys’ secretary Mark Holstead said: “The FA Cup is always a focus of attention but it will be even more so for us this season.

“Soon after the draw was made, I spoke to Jaj (Singh, Holstead’s contemporary at Albion) to see how we could make the day special.

"We came up with a couple of curtain-raisers, with under-age Albion Sports and Thackley sides playing each other.

“We want to promote Thackley as the community club that it is, and an FA Cup tie against one of our close rivals is a perfect opportunity to get young locals and their parents to come along.

“We’d like them to come along and support the club and to let them know that this club doesn’t just show the later televised rounds on the big screen in the clubhouse but that we are actually in the FA Cup.

“I’m sure that a lot of the younger locals don’t realise that but if they did they would aspire to play for us.”

It is unfortunate for the area that one of the clubs will be bowing out of the competition at the first hurdle but the clubs are determined to enjoy their derby.

Holstead said “City are away at Walsall that day, so we hope to get a decent crowd down to our ground.

"There will be a lot of interest in the tie with three ex-Thackley players now at Albion, which may play some part in spicing the game up.”