Smith has Bluebirds in sights
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Your support makes all the difference.Danny Smith, who has earned the right to call himself an FA Cup hero, is still pinching himself after his last-gasp winner against Port Vale created history for non-league Chasetown.
The Staffordshire side currently in the fourth tier of non-league football in the British Gas First Division Midlands knocked League One Port Vale out of the competition on Tuesday night with Smith heading in the only goal of the game in the 89th minute.
The victory earned a home third-round match against Cardiff City on 5 January and Smith, 20, who was a second-half substitute at Church Street, was still reeling from his brilliant late diving header.
"When I scored the goal, it was just pure euphoria, but I can't really remember it to be honest, it's all just a blur. I had to watch the replay this morning and see what my reaction was.
"When I saw it on the TV, I was amazed and I couldn't be happier. To score the winning goal to put us through is just unbelievable," he said. "We obviously had a huge celebration last night and I am still feeling on top of the world."
While the latest FA Cup giant-killing act may have raised a few eyebrows, Smith insists he was in no doubt the minnows could pull off the result and is now relishing the chance to pit his wits against the Bluebirds, who sit 138 places above Chasetown in the football pyramid.
"Port Vale thought they could come down here and just win, but I bet when they got here they saw the pitch and didn't really fancy it," Smith said. "I felt we had a really good chance when we got them to a replay. It was a different game at Port Vale to the one last night but we played well and got the result.
"Cardiff will be another test, and I can't wait to play against the likes of Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who have both played in World Cups it's going to be brilliant."
The match is scheduled to take place at Chasetown's 2,000-capacity Scholars Ground, and the Football Association are set to meet with local police to determine whether the organisation's safety requirements can be met.
Venues in the surrounding area include Wolves' Molineux and Walsall's Bescot Stadium but both those grounds are already hosting third-round ties.
The Blue Square Premier team Burton Albion could be another option, with the Pirelli Stadium available and capable of accommodating the game after hosting Manchester United two years ago.
Smith, however, is in no doubt as to where the tie should be held. "It must be here. If we get Cardiff down to Chasetown, we have a better chance of pulling off another result," he said.
Club secretary, John Richards, said: "At this moment in time, we haven't heard anything from the FA. As the official rules stand, we play the home games at home, and we are preparing to accommodate Cardiff. We will have a better chance of winning if we play here, logic will tell you that, and we intend to win every game we play. We're not thinking of an alternative venue unless a decision is made."
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