Last updated at 11:54, Thursday, 18 October 2012

Workington captain David Hewson is desperate to beat Mansfield and secure a plum FA Cup draw after injury ended his dream at Bury five years ago.

Dave Hewson

Hewson was stretchered off, and replaced by boss Darren Edmondson after breaking a metatarsal during a crunching collision 10 minutes into the Gigg Lane clash in 2007.

Leaving the pitch to applause from all corners of the ground did not help the utility man, who spent the remaining 80 minutes receiving treatment on his snapped bone, and 10 weeks on the sidelines.

He said: “To get to the first round of the FA Cup is what semi-professional footballers dream of, and for my day at Bury to end less than 10 minutes into the game was heartbreaking.

“My friends, family and an army of supporters were there that day, and to leave the action so early was just awful. That is why I am desperate to lead Workington out at one of the big grounds in round one. I want my FA Cup moment, because Bury does not count for me.”

Hewson knows just 90 minutes against Blue Square Bet Premier side Mansfield stand in his way.

The Stags travel to Workington for the fourth qualifying round on Saturday, and Hewson said: “Getting to round one is not just important to myself, but this football club. It would be great if we could enjoy a massive pay day at one of the big League One teams. But Mansfield will be an extremely tough team to beat. Professional clubs always are, because they train full-time and spend hours working on things that semi-professional clubs can’t because we have other jobs.

“The amazing thing about the FA Cup is that it puts everyone on an even keel, and if Mansfield have an off day, and we’re at 100 per cent, then we can cause an upset.”

First published at 11:29, Thursday, 18 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk