FC Halifax Town boss Adam Lakeland out to settle old scores in FA Cup

Almost three years ago, he was at the helm of Curzon Ashton - then 19th in National League North - who went mightily close to causing a big round-one replay upset at then-League One outfit Cambridge United.

Like the first instalment in Greater Manchester, it ended goalless at the Abbey Stadium, with the U's holding their nerve to triumph 4-2 on penalties. Lakeland now has a second bite of the cherry against a third-tier side on home soil in the shape of Exeter City. Progress would be personally gratifying, given previous events.

The Shaymen chief, whose side have lost once in their last 11 outings in all competitions - winning eight - told The Yorkshire Post: "To be honest, this game has a similar feel to Cambridge one when I was at Curzon.

“Obviously we were a National League North team then and we're a National League team here, so we're a little bit closer to them in the pyramid. But we also had the home tie (at Curzon) and were the underdogs, but put in a big performance and were unlucky not to progress.

“But I think we took a hell of a lot of pride out of it. It's not just the financial rewards, but the exposure you get as a club, putting them on the map."

After a strong and encouraging start to his Halifax tenure having stepped into the considerable shoes vacated by Chris Millington, Lakeland (inset) is seeking to add gloss by taking the Shaymen to the second round of the Cup for the first time since 2018-19.

The most celebrated and iconic cup moment in Calderdale will forever be that Paul Hendrie-inspired glory day in the mud against Malcolm Allison's Manchester City in round three back in January 1980.

It serves as a reminder that the world's most enduring cup competition can do wonderful things and like all non-league clubs, reaching third-round weekend early in the new year is the dream for Lakeland and Town.

The former King's Lynn and Farsley Celtic boss, who joined the club in the summer, continued: "A few people have mentioned 1980 to me.

“Games like that and victories like that, they live long in the memory of supporters of any football club and all we're trying to do now here as a group of staff and players is write our own little chapter in the history books.

“An FA Cup run and an upset against a League One outfit would be remembered for a long time.

“It will forever be a special competition for people that love football in England. I'm a Blackburn fan, so we've not done great in the FA Cup in my lifetime.

“But just as a football fan, you know the FA Cup is special. You remember watching it the live games or Match of the Day, and clubs lower down the pyramid knocking out clubs from higher up and all the upsets and jubilation that comes with that.

"I enjoyed the challenge of setting up Curzon to play a league team and we're looking forward to the challenge Exeter will pose and hopefully we can keep this little run going."