Maidstone United winger Bobby-Joe Taylor on prospect of drawing a big Football League club in FA Cup
Published: 00:00, 26 October 2015
Maidstone winger Bobby-Joe Taylor fears no one in Monday night’s FA Cup first-round draw.
Possible opponents for Stones, who are ball No.79, don’t come any bigger than Sheffield United (No.39) and Coventry (No.14), while 2013 winners Wigan Athletic (No.45) and League 1 leaders Gillingham (No.21) are other numbers to look out for.
The draw starts at 7pm on BBC2 and will be shown at the Gallagher Stadium.
Taylor reached the fourth round with Cambridge last season and was on the bench for their replay at Manchester United.
The 20-year-old turned down a new contract at the League 2 club to drop into the National League with Maidstone.
He sees little difference between the levels and reckons Stones, who beat Stevenage last season, will give anyone a game.
Taylor said: “If I’m being completely honest I wouldn’t say there’s a massive difference.
“The main difference when you step up is the strikers are a lot more clinical but so far we’ve had a good defensive record.
“Give a lot of credit to the back five for that, including Lee Worgan, but also to the team who’ve worked hard.
“This cup is full of surprises so whatever draw we get - whether it’s big or small - we’ll approach it how we normally do.
“We won’t fear anything. You just have to enjoy these experiences and these moments and hopefully we can have a successful run.”
Taylor came off the bench to clinch a 2-0 win at Southern League Chippenham in the final qualifying round on Saturday.
He added: “With the standard of football you get at this level - no disrespect - we were thinking it was going to be a bit of a fight.
“It was nice to get a goal but I’m really pleased for the boys and the team to go into the hat for the first round proper.”
Read more from Bobby-Joe Taylor in Friday’s Kent Messenger
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Craig Tucker