Big day for Supermarine

It's almost as if they've become the number one team in Swindon for the week, ahead of their League One neighbours, with unprecedented media coverage. BBC Wiltshire breakfast programme presenter Graham Mack has been featuring the game all week and tomorrow afternoon the station's football programme will come live from Colchester's Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Manager Mark Collier has had the problems with the media this week and admitted it had been difficult dealing with the frenzy ahead of the tie. He admitted that he'd tried to keep it as normal as possible and said: "We've just had to get on with it. Obviously the phone keeps ringing but once we're on the training ground we concentrate on that.

"It's not normal for us to be training in front of TV cameras and the national press like we did on Wednesday. We had the BBC, ITV, local newspapers, The Sun, everyone was there. There were people everywhere. People couldn't warm up and have a stretch without a camera pointing at them.

"But we just trained as we normally do and now we are all looking forward to Saturday."

Supermarine have won two and lost one since their triumph over Eastwood Town. They beat Evesham United and Tiverton Town (the club managed by Chris Vinnicombe) but lost to Lowestoft Town last time out a week ago.

They now face a Colchester side who are currently sixth in League One but they too go into the game after a defeat, surprisingly going down 2-0 to Barnet at home on Tuesday.

There's a Burnley link of course at Colchester who are managed by our former assistant manager John Ward and he's got the difficult task of ensuring his players are ready for a game that they are expected to win easily.

"They are coming for a massive day for them, but we know we have to be prepared," said Ward. "Their manager has worked in a professional environment at Swindon Town and a lot of their lads have a Football League background.

"We have watched them in their last three games, we have been thorough and we also have a video of them to watch ahead of Saturday's game. We will give them every respect, the same as we do for any league game we might play."

Supermarine are our team and that's a burden they must carry as they go into this tough game. Since the competition started the Clarets Mad team has managed to lose in all but one of the seven previous rounds with only Warrington Town, who beat Parkside in the First Round Qualifying, recording a win.