Derby dream cup tie with Worksop Town's 'Goliaths' for SJR Worksop's ‘Davids’

For SJR, who have grown from being a Sunday League outfit, this is a dream come true and Guest said: “It’s a staggering draw, not only for us but the whole town.

“We’re aware we’re massive underdogs, similar to when the likes of Accrington Stanley take on Liverpool, but what an opportunity for our players.

“During my era and the one before that we always talked about putting a Worksop XI against Worksop Town, these lads now have that chance many of us dreamed of having.

“Recently we had to cancel a midweek match against Retford United due to many players not being available and all the management team being away.“We received a backlash from this for obvious reasons, but one person on the Retford side said 'go back to Sunday League'.

“This was obviously meant to be interpreted as a derogatory comment.

“However. I saw it as a complement on how far we’ve come in three years and, yes, we were once Sunday League - and we still remain proud of that history and we’ll never forget our working class roots.

“That same little Sunday League club now has 27 teams represented by boys and girls, men and women all from this town, and it will go head to head in a David and Goliath battle against the big boys Worksop Town.

“Isn’t that what sport is all about?”

He added: “I’m especially happy for my old man. He started this club up in the 1980s to give men something to do during the miners' strike

“I just wish the likes of Kevin Stafford and Les Cane were about to witness it, just to see what their tireless work of providing affordable football for local people as created.”

Sadly, despite being drawn at home, the game will be played away.

“We’ll be receiving 37.5 per cent of the gate receipts now it’s been switched to Worksop Town ground and all the money we receive will go to our juniors to keep the cost of playing down for them,” said Guest.

“That’s the only downside in this situation. Imagine over 1,000 people down at Rockware on a Saturday afternoon, where it was originally drawn.

“We could’ve made money through food sales and programmes etc, this could’ve all been put into our junior section and help fund them for many years to come. But it is what it is. Can miracles happen? We’ll have to see.”

Club founder John ‘Gus’ Guest added: “Les Cane and myself always said if we ever won the lottery, we would help the Tigers to become a top club. But you've got Mr Whitehead now, whose input has been incredible.

“Yes they were probably drunken pipe dreams, but that's how much football in this town meant to us.

“Les would probably have gone mad knowing I'd made this known - nothing new there then!

“This fixture will probably go down in Worksop football history like, I was there, I played in that game, my son played and so on.

“That might seem a laughable statement at present but football folklore tells me different.

“The amount of lads in this town who have played for us over the years is immense, and we would like to thank you all for making this fixture possible, and would be delighted if you came along to the game.

“A big thank you to all the teams and clubs in the Worksop Sunday League for which we will always be grateful for making this occasion possible of course we will try to give it our best.”

This game will take place at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium at the end of October, but a date is yet to be confirmed.