Bernard McNally on AFC Telford v Hednesford

The clubs both enjoy a rich Cup heritage – the Bucks are one of only nine non-league teams to reach the fifth round while Hednesford nearly emulated them.

Former Shrewsbury, West Brom and Northern Ireland international McNally thought his time playing at the big grounds had passed until the Pitmen drew Middlesbrough in 1996.

They had put Telford out on the way, 2-0 at Keys Park, and McNally believes they could repeat the trick, with Hednesford standing above the Bucks on top of the league.

McNally said: "It's going to be a plum tie, I think there could even be about 4,000 people there. It's going to be a big event and, with cup games, they are all on the day.

"At the moment, I think Hednesford might just edge it, with the players they have got and the start they have had. They have got a wealth of talent, so they might just pull it off.

"Maybe Telford like it that way, they can play as the underdog because of where they are in the league. It could go both ways, so it's going to be interesting."

Both teams now reside in the Skrill Conference North, but Hednesford were in non-league's top flight when they went to Middlesbrough in the fourth round.

They led for 12 minutes and then kept the scores at 1-1 for over an hour before losing 3-2 at the Riverside Stadium, with McNally playing six minutes as a late substitute.

He said: "The Middlesbrough game just tips it for me, we almost came away with something and it was great to be involved it. I had a bit of an ankle injury at the time.

"I managed to get a few minutes on the pitch, I was coming towards the end of my career at the time and went to Telford after that, but I was on the edge by then."

After a short spell playing for the old Telford United, McNally became the first manager of the reformed 'AFC' version in 2004, later managing Hednesford for a year.

He said: "I have got great friends at both clubs and I will be looking for the result after the game."