Dean Cox and Robbie Blake relishing big Sussex derby in FA Cup

Robbie Blake's men hit the road for a mouth-watering Sussex derby clash in the first qualifying round of the Cup and former Brighton and Hove Albion ace Cox, who joined the Hillians on a three-year contract in the summer from Lancing, says he appreciates that his side may be considered underdogs.

But he is adamant his squad possesses enough strengths and qualities to make life difficult for the Nye Camp outfit. His side came through to this round after beating Erith Town in a replay -- a game Blake watched to get the lowdown on the Isthmian League South East division opponents.

But Cox -- who saw his side beat former outfit Lancing 1-0 last week -- admits he hasn't had the chance to catch the Rocks live in action, although he has studied videos of their games.

Cox, who played one league game for Bognor on loan from the Seagulls in 2006, said: "Obviously they are a league above us in the Isthmian premier and so we know we are in for a challenge and are the underdogs but we are hoping for some magic of the cup.

"We brought in 14 new players in the summer and they have been bedding in and I can see there is more to come from us. We were also lucky enough to bring in forward Rob O'Toole from Whitehawk and I would say he can be our danger man.

"One way or another, we're looking forward to playing in front of a big crowd for what is a big game in Sussex football, to enjoy the occasion -- and you never know, we hope we can have a good day on the pitch too."

Blake says he was impressed with the Hillians when he watched them at Erith Town. He added: "They have plenty of strengths and also have a great team unity and Dean has got them playing so we are under no illusions that it's going to be tough test.

"The cup is special and we want to go as far as we can in the competition so we will be at it, you can count on it. It's a Sussex derby as well, so the fans will ask that we are on our game. We are really looking forward to it, it should be a great day!”