The first round “proper” of the FA Cup is about to get under way, with Warrington Rylands face FC Ossett on Saturday.

Rylands come into this match after having three points snatched away at Matlock Town after a last-minute equalizer from the hosts.

They lock horns for the first time, with Osset United taking part in their first ever FA trophy, first round-proper game.

Will Russ scored his first goal of the season for Rylands on Tuesday night and will be looking to double his tally, if the match comes too soon for starting marksman Ntumba Massanka.

Rylands will be without top scorer, Jake Burton, who has been side lined since his brace at the end of August against Thackley, which has contributed to the Blues’ struggles for victories.

Despite a disappointing start to the season that sees them sitting 19th in the table—just six months after being knocked out of the playoffs by Marine—Rylands now can shift their focus away from ;league action.

FC Ossett, currently in the ninth tier of English football, travel down from West Yorkshire in hopes of improving their own league form, sitting rock bottom with no wins in four matches.

The Black Birds will be bolstered by the addition of defender Josh Askew, who joined from Bradford Park Avenue last week and played nearly 80 minutes in his debut on Tuesday.

A strong following is expected to make the journey down the M62 for a massive game for the club.

This match offers Rylands a chance to show their class against a team two tiers below them. Ossett have shown their resilience in the FA Trophy this season, eliminating three teams from tier seven: Bradford Park Avenue, Stalybridge Celtic, and Prescot Cables—who previously defeated Rylands 1-0 back in August.

Wembley may be a distant dream, but Rylands at least hope to progress deeper into the competition and potentially face some of the bigger clubs in non-league football.

This FA Trophy match will mark Ossett caretaker manager Ryan Qualter’s second game in charge, following the resignation of former manager Dave Wild last week.

Rylands boss Neil Reynolds believes it will be a “harder game than Macclesfield and Matlock put together.” He has emphasized the importance of approaching every game with a winning mindset and has praised the group of players at his disposal.

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