Liam King: I’d love to face Wayne Rooney with Halifax Town
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Despite his status as Non-League royalty, F.C. Halifax Town skipper Liam King is remaining grounded ahead of the Shaymen’s hotly-anticipated Emirates FA Cup Second Round tie at Eastleigh.
“This isn’t a wind-up is it?”, he asks when Ladbrokes News call the 28-year-old for a chat. But we’re every bit as serious as Halifax’s push for a Third Round spot in the world’s oldest cup competition.
Having beaten high-flying National League side Dagenham & Redbridge in the First Round, the Halifax skipper is full of confidence as the Shaymen head to Hampshire this weekend, telling us:
“The victory over Dagenham was a great result. They were a tough test but winning a game like that breeds huge confidence.”
And the former FA Trophy winner is a keen believer in the power of cup football, claiming: “we’re the underdogs, but anything can happen in this competition – that’s the magic of the Emirates FA Cup. And we absolutely have the quality to create our own piece of history.”
But one thing the former North Ferriby United man doesn’t want to dwell on is the club’s current four-game winless run on the road.
“We need to focus on getting the basics right, and keep our mind on the 90 minutes. It’s important to forget about the struggles we’ve had on the road in recent weeks”, he explains.
Having chalked up 18 goals for Ferriby last season, the Rainworth native is determined to boost his tally this term at Silverlake Stadium on Sunday, stating:
“I’ll do what I can to get forward as I need to get back to goalscoring ways. I’ve not been getting as many as previously in recent times.”
However, the modest maestro is keen to point to prolific teammate Tom Denton as a potential difference-maker in this crunch clash.
“Our biggest goal threat is Tom Denton, who is absolutely prolific”, King claims. He adds: “Tom has scored some really crucial goals for us, so there’s every reason to believe he can find the net yet again this weekend.”
If Halifax can progress, it’s fair to say King has a pretty good idea of which tie he’d like the Third Round draw to throw up.
“My dream tie is Manchester United away”, the skipper admits. “The club has an incredible history and I’d love to face Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford for Halifax!”
Will we see Wazza strutting his stuff at the Shay in the next round? Watch this space…
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
