As we prepare for the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round replay this evening against Solihull Moors, former Ossett Town defender Mark Ryan is ideally placed to cast his views having experienced a good FA Cup run as well as being in the side when the two teams met in the FA Trophy in 2011/12.

Ryan spent the majority of his career in Ossett, playing for ourselves and Albion where he also coached and was assistant manager.

Whilst he is no longer involved in semi-professional football he does manage a successful football and sporting provision at Barnsley College which develops athletes and footballers. We have recently had a student sign for Burnley which is a testament to his hard work and the input from staff at the college and his coaches at Penistone Church.

Ryan feels the Ossett Town side he played in massively underachieved, he says “we had some really good characters in the squad and the changing room was class, but with the players in the squad we should have done a lot better”.

“The highlight was the FA Trophy that year. We beat Stocksbridge Park Steels and Barwell to set up a game with tonight’s FA Cup opponents, Sollihul, then in the Conference North”.

“We drew 2-2 at their place, Lee Garside equalised in the last minute from the penalty spot, Niall O’Brien scoring our other goal. In the replay we were unfortunate to not go through, we got a penalty in this game too but didn’t score which would have put us in the driving seat as we were did really well that night. It wasn’t meant to be though as they grabbed a winner from a set piece in the last minute”.

“I used to love playing in the FA Cup, it was an opportunity to play at different grounds as well as teams at a higher level, The FA Cup is prestigious and everyone wants to play in the competition. My best run in the competition was for Ossett Albion, we reached the third qualifying round where we drew with Scarborough. The replay at the McCain Stadium ended in defeat but we should have been four up at half time!”

“Looking at tonight’s game, the prize of Wycombe Wanderers is exciting and will be a motivation for both sides. However, there is a game to be won first and that has to be the whole focus, all your energy and focus has to be in this 90 minutes”.

“My message to the current Ossett Town side is as a squad it is essential to listen to the instructions from the management and go about the game as you do week in week out to give you the best chance of playing in the First Round. Blacky and Norbs will have their game plan and it is essential the lads follow it, don’t leave anything on the pitch at the end of the game and match them, but most of all relax and enjoy the occasion”.

Mark still gets his football fix outside of work “my little boy is obsessed with the game, I love watching him play as well as taking in games when I can”.