3,000-strong Harborough Town ​army set for FA Cup road trip to Reading!

Mitch Austin’s side will be backed by a huge away following as they travel to the Select Car Leasing Stadium to take on Sky Bet League One high-flyers Reading in the FA Cup second round on Sunday (ko 2pm).

It is a truly incredible turnout for a club that averages just 370 for home games in the Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central, and will ensure the trip to Berkshire is going to be a memorable one for the club, regardless of the result.

The Bees have enjoyed a brilliant run to get this far in the competition, and their reward for their efforts is a trip to one of League One’s big boys, with Reading having been a Premier League side as recently as 2013.

While the Royals were dropping into the Championship that year, Harborough Town were finishing third from bottom in the United Counties League Premier Division.

The gulf between the size of the clubs is seismic, with Reading’s average home gate this season 12,500, but Austin just wants everybody involved to have a ‘fantastic day’.

“It is fantastic, to sell 3,000 tickets is amazing,” the Bees boss told @HarbTownFC.

“I hope everyone has a fantastic day and gives us a big roar from the stands.

"Let it be a day to remember for the players, staff, fans, committee members, the football club and the people of Harborough town.”

The Bees will go into the game on a high after they ended a run of four league games without a win with a 4-1 success over Banbury United on Saturday.

Luis Rose fired them into an early lead before the visitors were reduced to 10 men with a red card for Alex Prosser.

Austin’s side went 2-0 ahead by half-time thanks to a Ben Stephens header before an Alex Morris own goal saw the deficit reduced, but Stephens netted from the spot to make it 3-1.

Josh Walsh sealed the win and the points with a fourth in stoppage time.

The victory lifts Harborough up to 14th in the table, two points and four places above the relegation zone.