CHIPPENHAM Town hero Joe Hanks wants his teammates to embrace the fact the Bluebirds are just 90 minutes away from meeting a cluster of World Cup stars.

National League South Chippenham are preparing to face League One Burton Albion in the FA Cup second round on Sunday at the Pirelli Stadium and will be hoping to repeat their first-round shock victory over the Brewers’ divisional peers, Lincoln City.

Hanks was the match-winner against the Imps but looks set to miss out on the second-round tie due to an ankle injury sustained against Hastings United in the FA Trophy last weekend.

The midfielder echoed his manager’s comments about needing a hero to stand up, and stated the fact that he and his teammates could be rubbing shoulders with a host of World Cup superstars should be motivation enough to claim a surprise win against struggling Albion.

Hanks said: “The night before these games, every non-league player goes to bed thinking they’re going to score the winning goal in the FA Cup to send your team through. For me, that came true.

“It was a really, really special day and one I’ll always remember. Hopefully, one of the other lads can do the same on Sunday.

“You never know, we’re 90 minutes away from playing these guys on the TV who are at the World Cup for real.

“Anything can happen in the FA Cup. There’s always one team at our level who gets through to the later rounds, so why can’t it be us?”

Hanks’ manager, Gary Horgan is hoping to mastermind another victory over League One opposition, having made a mockery of the 73 places that separated Lincoln and Chippenham last time.

It is still 71 places on this occasion, but Horgan says his team has total belief that lightning can strike twice.

He said: “We know we can definitely compete, and we say this every week – we know we can compete against anybody. I think you have to have that self-belief.

“We’ve done it once, and most people would have said that nine times out of 10 Lincoln would have won the first game. We’re hoping lightning does strike twice in that respect.

“Burton probably bring a little bit more physicality that what Lincoln did, but we’re confident we can nullify their threats.

“This game will ask a different set of questions of us, but we’ve done it already against League One opposition, so why can’t we do it again – hopefully, lightning does strike twice.”