Exclusive: Horsham FC gear up for ‘biggest game the club ever had’ as Barnsley target FA Cup revenge

The seventh-tier side are now preparing to host the Tykes in a much-anticipated replay – one which the club’s chairman has hailed as the ‘biggest’ fixture the club has ever had.

Horsham currently compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division and enjoyed their best ever FA Cup run back in 2007/08 when they reached the second round.

The club are now just one win away from matching that run and bagging a second-round trip to Sutton United.

When asked whether this is the biggest match the club has been involved in, Horsham chairman Kevin Borrett told Planet Sport: “I would say yes. We obviously had Swansea for a replay back in 2007. They were division one leaders at the time.

“I think this will be a slightly bigger crowd than that. It was also a 3-3 draw whereas when we played Swansea, the game was at home and it was a 1-1 draw and penalties.

“I do think on balance, this is the biggest game the club has ever had.”

Horsham, understandably, have been priced as heavy underdogs for the match. However, with Barnsley facing a long trip down south and coming into the match on the back of a 3-0 hammering at Derby, there’s certainly room for optimism.

“I think we have to go into the game believing we can get something out of it,” Borrett added.

“But equally, let’s be honest, they’re 98 places above us. If you look at the stats in the draw in terms of possession, shots on target, Barnsley could’ve won that game, but they didn’t.

“Equally, they come down, they’re going to have to play in an unfamiliar ground, they’re going to have to play on a 4G pitch that they’re not used to. They’re going to face fans, a wall of noise, that’s only two and a half metres from the pitch.

“It’s going to be a very different environment, one that few professional players would have endured.

“Now it might mean that they raise their game, but on the other hand, who knows? It might put them off their game.”

Fans can watch the encounter on ITV 4, with the match kicking off at 7.30pm GMT.