Kettering boss plays mind games with Doncaster Rovers as World snooker champion backs upset

The Poppies, who ply their trade in the seventh tier of English football, pulled off one of the shocks of the first round when they dumped out League One Northampton. And they are now plotting the downfall of Grant McCann's side on Sunday (12pm kick-off).

"We know it's not a normal game, but you just try and treat it as a normal one and keep your feet on the floor," said their manager Richard Lavery.

"For me, like it was with the Northampton game, this is a win-win situation. We are not expected to win the match, so the pressure is all on Doncaster Rovers.

"It happened against Northampton, we have turned up and put a shift in and on the day I thought we were the better team. I will back my players to the hilt, I have got some good players in that changing room and they are good lads.

"We are going well in the league and we have momentum going into this game, so we can go out there with confidence.

"Whatever happens we will give a good account of ourselves, and hopefully we can pull off another upset. If we do get through on Sunday then, yeah the place will be jumping."

Meanwhile, World Snooker Champion Kyren Wilson has backed his hometown team to come good. Wilson was a ball boy at the club's old Rockingham Road when he was a youngster.

Despite having plenty of commitments, he still keeps a track on the club's results. "I've lived in Kettering all of my life, I was born in Kettering and all of my family are from here," he told the BBC.

"They always have good numbers watching them no matter where they play, they've got good FA Cup history, they are top of the most goals scored in the FA Cup and the likes of (former managers) Gazza (Paul Gascoigne), Ron Atkinson, big high-profile people coming to the club (in the past) - and it's looking good for the league as well.

"Hopefully promising times are ahead for the Poppies."