FA Cup Preview: Crewe v Ebbsfleet

With Crewe boss Steve Holland under immense pressure a defeat against Ebbsfleet United could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Whoever followed Dario Gradi into the Gresty Road hot seat was going to have a tough job and with the Railwaymen currently entrenched in the relegation zone, the natives are restless. With ten defeats in 15 League Two games and no win since September, Holland admits the omens aren't good ahead of United's visit.

"We're ripe for an upset next week. And if I was their manager looking at the state of affairs I would be telling my players this is a great opportunity," admitted the Crewe coach.

"We've got to guard against that and that will be the message to the players all week long. We've already got some footage of Ebbsfleet which the players will go through.

"The board are being very supportive as always, but that faith won't last forever and I know that. We've got to try to see whether we can bring one or two players in to try to strengthen us a little bit. That would give us a better chance of getting out of it.

"The spirit of the team is intact, which is quite clear, and we've got some decent players which is also quite clear. With a break or two, and a bit of confidence, it might quickly look a lot better than it is, which is what we've got to keep holding on to."

However, if Holland is looking for sympathy from Ebbsfleet then he will be sorely disappointed. They had endured a poor run of form in the Blue Square Premeir but finally turned that round by beatign Woking in the final qualifying round and manager Liam Daish is looking to pile on the agony for Holland.

"We can go there and we'll be the underdogs but the players will be up for it," he said. "It's something new for the club since I've been here. Again we've done it the hard way but we've done it in the end and we'll enjoy it and have a go at it.

"It's a chance for the lads to hopefully, give a good impression of Conference football. We'll compete, have a real go and try and express ourselves against a team that are two divisions above us. You never know what can happen."

CLARKY'S VERDICT: A home win for Crewe will buy Holland some breathing space as Ebbsfleet's dream of an upset is extinguished.