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National League club 'loving limelight' ahead of FA Cup
Image caption, Oxford City host 2021 winners Leicester City in the first round of the FA Cup on Friday

A non-league football club is gearing up for one of the biggest days in its history as it prepares to host 2021 winners Leicester City in the first round of the FA Cup.

Oxford City will welcome the foxes to the MGroup Stadium at Court Place Farm in the hopes of adding to the list of great FA Cup upsets on Friday night.

The Hoops currently sit second in National League North, with their opponents 10th in League One - a whole 64 places higher in the English football pyramid.

Justin Merritt, Oxford City's chief executive, said the club was "loving our bit in the limelight".

He said the club's staff behind the scenes had been "working tirelessly" to prepare the ground, which is about a tenth the size of Leicester's, for the game.

"We've brought in extra stands and all sorts of things like pop up hospitality areas, bars - hosting three and a half thousand people is not the norm for us," Merritt said.

The Hoops have had a good start to their National League North campaign, having won eight and drawn three of their first 14 games.

Merritt said the players were "really up for" Friday night's cup tie, and that they and the club were ready to "give a fantastic account of themselves".

"Eight times out of 10 you'd expect a team three leagues above to win with a strong squad, but there's always those two times," he said.

"We'll be giving it every single thing we can, and we're really hoping to show what a great club we are and what a great set of players and we have."

Scott Pollock of Brackley Town in action during Pre-Season Friendly match between Brackley Town and Northampton Town at St James Park on July 27, 2024 in Brackley, England.
Image caption, Hoops midfielder Scott Pollock is a boyhood Leicester City fan

Among those players is midfielder Scott Pollock, who scored the winning goal in the final qualifying round to send the Hoops into the first round proper.

Pollock is a boyhood Leicester City fan and said Friday's tie "just felt like it was meant to be".

"Obviously as a Leicester fan myself, I knew there was an option for us to get them in the next round," he said.

"I think at home we've got a good chance of going through."

The 25-year-old had unsuccessful trials at his boyhood club as a teenager, and instead found his way into the game through the Hashtag United YouTube team.

But he's now ready to get one back on the team that he still supports.

"A lot of my dad's side are from Leicester so they're all supporting them," he explained.

"It'll be quite funny when they're watching it on TV supporting me but then also supporting Leicester."

You can listen to full match commentary of Oxford City vs Leicester City on BBC Radio Oxford, with kick off at 19:45 GMT.

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