Oh heck.

Not much chance of any free-flowing entertainment at the Glass World Stadium on Sunday, therefore, when the Blue Square Premier Division leaders will be attempting to spring an FA Cup surprise on Leeds United.

Or perhaps there is ...

For although Beck is to the long ball what David Beckham is to the dead ball, he is not solely responsible for Histon's style of play.

Steve Fallon, the former Cambridge United defender, is the manager of the team and he insists Histon will adopt their customary strategy of incorporating the best bits of Beck while at the same time disregarding his more "extreme" methods.

Those extremities were not simply confined to the style of football Beck employed as the manager of Cambridge United, Preston North End and Lincoln City; they also related to the extraordinary measures he adopted to secure an advantage over his opponents.

During his days in the Football League, Beck, 54, turned gamesmanship into an art form as he strove to gain even the slightest edge.

Beck would:

Reposition the away team's dug-out in order to make it harder for the visiting side's coaching staff to relay their instructions.

Order his ground staff to grow the grass longer in the corners of the pitch to help slow the ball up when his team pumped it down the channels.

Tell his ball boys to delay returning the ball to the opposition while instructing them to hand it back to his own side as quickly as possible.

Turn up the heating in the visitors' dressing room on the warmest of days in a blatant attempt to disrupt their preparations.

Beck's on-field style was no less eccentric: players were told to routinely launch the ball down the channels in an effort to win corners, throw-ins and set-pieces because Beck felt this was more scientifically likely to produce goal-scoring opportunities.

Anyone who disobeyed his strategy by committing the cardinal sin of passing the ball backwards or stroking it along the ground ran the risk of being immediately substituted.

In Beck's world, there was no room for individual flair or players thinking on their feet – only his system.

The boot-camp style of pre-match cold showers and endless whip-cracking was often despised (Steve Claridge famously punched him during a half-time interval during their days at Cambridge), but Beck still achieved notable success – especially at Cambridge, whom he led from the old Fourth Division to the brink of the Premier League.

But whereas he perceived himself as a revolutionary, the wider footballing world perceived him as a bete noire, although he has always blamed the media for his poor public image.

Fallon, who could not have been happier to talk to the press ahead of Sunday's match, insisted Histon would not try to beat Leeds with a Beck-esque bombardment but by playing the "right ball" as opposed to the long ball.

"A lot of things that John Beck has done during his career were very good and they got results, and he knows the game inside out," said Fallon.

"Some of his methods were a little bit extreme, but we're not extreme at Histon. We like to get balls in the channels, but it's all controlled. We're not just looking for set-plays and throw-ins.

"I guess there's this thing that follows John around in terms of style of football, but there's a lot more to our game than long-ball. We do try and get forward early, but we also think we can play a bit as well.

"If we get an opportunity to put the ball in the box and cross it, we do, and, although people have this idea of us being a big, physical side, we're far from that.

"I've got my own style of play, so it's a mix of the two really – my style and John's style."

Whatever the style, the results are striking. Histon have won their last seven league games and they knocked out League One opposition in the FA Cup first round when Swindon Town were dispatched 1-0 at the Glass World.

"We're really looking forward to the Leeds game and we feel we've got an outside chance," added Fallon. "We know we could easily get well turned over, but we also know we could spring a surprise.

"We watched Leeds in the first round when they beat Northampton and they're obviously a very, very good team.

"But we might get them on an off day and that's what we're hoping for."

Fallon's priority is to get Histon into the Football League, having already overseen four promotions. When he took charge in 1999, the club were in the Eastern Counties League (level 9) but have climbed to within a whisker of League Two.

"It's an achievement how far we've come, but it's credit to a lot of people on-and-off the field," he said. "The league remains our bread and butter, but the match against Leeds will be a great experience."

FIVE FACTS ABOUT HISTON

They are based three miles north of Cambridge in the twin villages of Histon and Impington.

They have twice previously reached the FA Cup second round – in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Their ground has been passed fit for Football League status should they win promotion from the Blue Square Premier.

Their leading scorer is Jack Midson, who has netted eight League goals and two in the FA Cup.

They are nicknamed "The Stutes" after their previous name of Histon Institute.