“I'LL be there to support you and I'll have my fingers crossed.”

Mike Bacon

“I'LL be there to support you and I'll have my fingers crossed.”

That was the message to the players of Leiston Football Club today from former Ipswich defender and current Wigan star Titus Bramble, as Leiston tonight embark - certainly financially - on the biggest game in their history, an FA Cup first round replay tie at Fleetwood.

Victory for the Ridgeons League side will see them get a bumper home second round tie against either Brighton or Hartlepool, at Victory Road, as well as pick up a further £20,000 in prize money.

The stakes are high and Bramble, now based in the north-west, will be supporting the Blues from Leiston, for whom his brother Tes is in the squad.

“I'll be travelling to watch,” Titus said today.

“I wish Leiston all the very best, I really do. Every year one team goes on an unbelievable FA Cup run, let's hope it is Leiston this year.

“Football is a funny old game as they say. Who knows? If Leiston beat Fleetwood and then win their second round tie, perhaps they might get Wigan in the third round and I would be up against Tes. It's not impossible.”

That of course is a long way off as yet, but Leiston won't lack confidence against a Fleetwood side who will have to endure all the pressure upon them as home favourites.

Three rungs further up the non-league pyramid the Lancashire side may be, but Leiston won't lack confidence or support.

More than 120 Leiston fans are heading north-west to the Highbury Stadium to support Carl Chenery's side, a fantastic following considering the length of journey midweek.

Chenery will hoping his side can rise to the occasion, just as they did against Lewes in the last round and both sides are in good form right now, Fleetwood winning 2-1 at Stafford on Saturday, while Leiston kept their unbeaten sequence of matches going, winning 1-0 at home to Debenham in the FA Vase.

And Titus will be there supporting, hoping he and his brother Tes get one step closer to playing each other in this season's FA Cup.

For the first reports and reaction to tonight's game, visit this website.