Realist Lee Hobbs reckoned Plymouth Parkway must beat the best today in order to be the best when they take on joint FA Vase favourites Hebburn Town.
The Western League side set off on their 800-mile round-trip to the north-east on Friday morning in the face of Storm Jorge for arguably the tie of the round.
Both sides are the bookies' tips to lift the trophy at Wembley in May – and Hobbs knew they had a big hurdle to overcome on the way to glory.
“It's not the nicest of draws but the reality is you have to beat the best to get to the big one,” he told The Non-League Paper this week.
“We believe we have every chance. Home advantage will play a little part for them with a big crowd anticipated. There's no reason why we can't go all the way.
“Arguably it could have been the final but it isn't, one of us has to lose and hopefully it's them.
“Hebburn sent us 100 tickets and we've sold them. The supporters coach is full and 20 or 30 are going by plane!
“It's so exciting. We're all over the papers, on the radio, I've been doing interview after interview but I've loved every minute of it and I don't want it to end.”
Hobbs has been in charge for three-and-a-half years and took Parkway to the South West Peninsula title in 2018 before finishing second at their new level last season.
They're in the hunt for promotion again and Hobbs has no concerns the Vase will get in their way of reaching Step 4.
“It's been hectic for us as we've spent every round apart from the last one on the road,” he said. “But we're quite good away and we've won the games.
“We have 20 games to play in ten weeks but if you asked me at the start of the season would you rather be in this position or swap it for someone playing for nothing, I'd bite your hand off to be fighting for a league title and in the quarter-finals of the Vase.
“You can't fear the hindrance, you can only see it as a positive and we're loving every minute of it. We wouldn't be able to do it without the backing of the chairman and the vice chairman, Mark Russell and Gez Baggott.
“They trust me and my decisions and back me to do what I need to do. They've been so supportive with the logistics to let us prepare properly. It's a collective effort between us all.”
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper on Sunday for the latest news and action from across Non-League over the last seven days, including exclusive pictures and reports from all the Buildbase FA Vase quarter-finals.
As well as exclusive match reports and pictures from all of Saturday's fixtures in the Vanarama National League, the BetVictor-Sponsored Isthmian League, Southern League and Northern Premier League, The Non-League Paper's live coverage extends all the way to Steps 5 and 6.
Images courtesy of @PlymouthPFC/Twitter
