1874 NORTHWICH are on their best FA Cup run, but Paul Bowyer has urged his players not to rest easy.

They will make their debut in the first qualifying round with a trip to higher-ranked Mossley on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.

And the co-manager is confident they can spring a surprise.

“Why stop here?” he asked.

“We’re incredibly proud to have done something this club hasn’t previously, and it’s been fantastic to see what that means to our supporters.

“But we think we can go a bit further yet.

“Mossley are favourites because they play at the level above, and for some of our young lads this will be the biggest game they’ll have played in.

“It will be interesting to see how they handle that, but the evidence so far is that they’ll thrive in those circumstances.”

Bowyer and Wayne Goodison, co-managers at 1874, were in the stand at Droylsden to watch the Lilywhites lose a Northern Premier League fixture on Monday.

They sit 14th in the First Division North table as a result.

However a 2-0 win at Glossop in the previous round is proof of their capability, according to Bowyer.

He also saw that strength first-hand during a chastening 4-0 friendly defeat at Seel Park earlier this summer.

He said: “Mossley are favourites because they play at the level above, and of course we lost heavily there in a friendly not so long ago.

“We didn’t see much that was new to us [on Monday].

“However it was a reminder of what we’ll be up against, and that’s a physically-imposing side that is direct and plays to those strengths.

“We learned a lot in defeat back in July and the styles will be contrasting on Saturday, that’s for sure.”

Mossley’s recent FA Cup record is modest, and they haven’t progressed beyond this stage since 2010.

Coincidentally they beat Glossop during that run too and only bowed out after running into Darlington – then playing in non-league’s top-flight – in the fourth qualifying round.

Bowyer added: “We’re playing with confidence, and have come up with a plan we think can work.

“Coming back from 3-1 down in the first game of the previous round against West Didsbury has reinforced the belief we have.

“It wasn’t a fluke either; we played really well.

“Winning the replay got us through, of course, but I thought we were better than them in both games.”