Curzon counting the days until FA Cup clash

With the FA Cup fixture against Stockton Town at the Tameside Stadium just three days away, Curzon Ashton can look ahead to the clash with optimism after a great start to the season.

Steve Cunningham's side have won their previous three fixtures in the National League North, scoring seven and conceding just two in the process. The results leave the Nash third in the table and three points below leaders AFC Fylde.

Cunningham has assembled a fresh side in his own image, and one that has certainly caught the eye in the opening stages of the season. Saturday's encounter against Stockton provides the club with a chance to progress in the FA Cup and pick up a prize fund of £3,375. Curzon enter the competition at this stage - the second qualifying round - and will be hoping to take their first step towards the potential of a lucrative clash in the first round against a Football League outfit.

In 2016 the club, under former boss John Flanagan, reached the second round against AFC Wimbledon - a game that was shown live on BT Sport and accrued more than £70,00 in tv appearance money alone. Whilst teams don't budget for a good FA Cup run, the potential of winning prize money from each round can work wonders for a club, with Hyde United another example from Tameside who, after reaching the first round against MK Dons in 2017, earned £29,425 in prize money for battling through five qualifying rounds, before earning an additional £100,000 in TV revenue, sponsorship and gate receipts from the game on BBC.

Cunningham himself has fond memories of the FA Cup during his time with former club Colne. The Reds reached the fourth qualifying round and bowed out at National League Gateshead in a 5-0 defeat in 2019.

Cunningham spoke to Curzon's media team following last weekend's 2-1 win at Gloucester City. Here's the interview courtesy of The Nash TV.