Brentwood delighted with Southend derby Trophy tie

Brentwood Town boss Keith Rowland is relishing the prospect of an all-Essex derby against Southend United after the two clubs were paired together in the third round of the FA Trophy.

Isthmian League North club Brentwood have never before reached this stage of the competition and did so by knocking out another former English Football League club, Hereford, in round two.

Rowland, who played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Coventry as well as winning 19 caps for Northern Ireland, believes the game, against a Southend team three levels higher in the non-league pyramid, is the tie of the round.

"It's almost like the old Fourth Division to the Premier League in terms of trying to win a game of football, but you never know," he told BBC Essex Sport.

"I've been in football a long time and know you can't take anything for granted.

"A lot of people thought we'd never get through this round just past but we have and we're really looking forward to it."

Southend, who sit 16th in the National League, will only have to make a 20-mile trip for the tie, which will be played between 6 and 8 December.

"We were coming back from Hereford, a four-and-a-half-hour trip, and it never entered my mind," said Rowland.

"People were talking about another away trip, and teams like Oldham - but as soon as the chairman said 'I wouldn't mind Southend at home', I thought 'that's not a bad draw'."

Unfortunately for the 53-year-old, he did not actually hear their number picked out in Monday's draw as his internet connection dropped out at the vital moment.

"It would be very difficult for us to go all the way (in the competition) so a game like this at this stage is terrific for the club, and for the people that have been at the club for a long time," he said.

Brentwood are one of only three eighth-tier teams left in the competition - along with Hadley and Sittingbourne.

The original Brentwood Town reached the third round of the FA Cup in 1969-70 but they went out of business at the end of that season.

The current club began life as Manor Athletic in the 1950s but assumed the Brentwood name after the original one became defunct, with former Tottenham and England striker Jimmy Greaves among their players for a time.

Rowland hopes the 3G astroturf pitch at the Brentwood Arena could give them an advantage against the Shrimpers and played down any possibility of the tie being moved to a venue with a larger capacity.

"The ground has just gone through a revamp in the summer," he added.

"I wouldn't want [the game] to be anywhere else apart from at the Brentwood stadium.

"That's the whole beauty of the FA Trophy - and the FA Cup really - you want a home tie, and we've got an absolutely plum tie, so on the playing side, we would be disappointed if it went anywhere else."