South Shields target more special FA Cup moments when they take on Stockport County

Tickets remain on sale for the second qualifying round tie, which will see the Mariners attempt to bridge a one-division gap against the National League North side.

Shields reached the fourth qualifying round of last season’s competition, beating National League North teams Darlington and York City along the way.

Last year’s experience has given joint manager Fenton added confidence that Shields can go on another fine run in the country’s premier cup competition.

He said: “Stockport are a big club with a terrific history, and we’re looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic game of football.

“There’s certainly a buzz around the dressing room leading into this match.

“All the players are eager to show, as they did last year, that they can compete against a team from a higher league.

“We have to draw on that experience from last season against York City and Darlington, and make sure we get up to similar levels to cause Stockport some problems.”

More than 1,000 tickets have already been sold to home supporters for Saturday’s match.

Fenton knows the difference those fans can make.

He added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming another fantastic crowd to this game.

“We hope that the South Shields supporters are as vocal as normal and give us that much-needed 12th man to spur the lads onto a positive result.”

Tickets are still on sale for the 3pm kick-off, priced at £10 for adults, £8 for students and over-65s, and £3 for under-16s.

The match is all-ticket and they can be bought by visiting www.southshieldsfc.co.uk at any time, or by visiting Mariners Park between 10am and 6pm on weekdays.

Lee Mason is back in contention for Shields after making his first appearance of the season as a substitute in Tuesday’s League Cup tie against Morpeth Town.

The Mariners will be without the injured Barrie Smith and Anthony Callaghan, though.