TV cameras arrive at Pilot Field

The television scaffold went up yesterday (Tuesday) and the cameras arrived this morning for the second round tie, which will be shown live on ESPN.

A capacity crowd of around 4,000 is set to descend on The Pilot Field after the all-ticket match sold out last weekend.

It’s the biggest game in the 118-year history of the present day Hastings United. The club has never before gone this far in the world famous competition and a trip to Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough awaits the winners.

Ryman Football League Premier Division outfit United are the lowest ranked team left in the FA Cup. The U’s have come through five rounds to get this far despite not having won a match in the competition for six years prior to this season.

Two of their wins have come against teams from one level further up the non-league pyramid and they will be gunning to make it a hat-trick against Blue Square Bet North club Harrogate, who knocked out League Two side Torquay United in round one.

Harrogate and Hastings fought out a 1-1 draw in their original meeting on a heavy North Yorkshire pitch on Saturday December 1. Jamie Crellin scored a second half equaliser for the U’s.