The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 3 January 2009
The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough FC
Winning clubs will receive £75,000 from The FA
Barrow have put their festive plans on hold this year as they look to overcome Premier League side Middlesbrough in TheFA.com's Road to Wembley Third Round tie on Saturday.
The Cumbrian side beat Brentford 2-1 in the last round of The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON to book a lucrative match against Gareth Southgate's men this weekend.
Skipper Paul Jones says his teammates are determined to leave the Riverside with a result. "We are quietly confident we can get something there," Jones said.
"There will be no drinking or partying before then. This year there is an extra important reason to stay at the top of our game.
"But if we win at Middlebrough I am pretty sure there will be a drink or two to celebrate."
The fixture is what The FA Cup is all about, pitting the part-timers versus the professionals but Jones is not overawed by his side's trip to the north-east and believes the game offers Barrow's players the chance to attract interest from bigger clubs.
It's also a big day for the Barrow fans, who will turn up to Teesside in their droves with over 7,000 away fans expected, which would be a record away support at the Riverside.
Jones added: "This is a shop window for a lot of the lads. We have some real quality players who have been let go from clubs for whatever reason so this is their chance to prove they are good enough.
"We will go to Middlebrough and give a good account of ourselves, I can guarantee that. Anything else would be a huge bonus but we think we can certainly get a result.
"The match is definitely starting to play on our minds. We have some league games before then that we need to concentrate on but there is no doubt the lads are already starting to think about that match."
Click here for to look back on TheFA.com's Road to Wembley or check out the full Third Round fixture list for this weekend.