ByDanny Caro, Danny Caro
Oldham Athletic chairman Simon Corney says it feels like he has won the lottery after his club pulled Liverpool out of the hat for the second time in 13 months in the FA Cup.
Victory over Nottingham Forest set up a fourth round clash against the Reds at Boundary Park at the end of the month.
Beaten 5-1 by Liverpool last season, Corney believes that home advantage can help his team record a famous cup upset.
He said: "It’s great for the fans to bring a club like Liverpool to Oldham because I think we’ve got a chance, I really do. Liverpool’s eyes are on the Premier League and although I’m not expecting to win, anything is possible in a one-off game.
"It would have been more lucrative to be drawn away from home, but it’s not always about the money. It’s been really tough financially this season, not just for us but all the lower league teams as all the money is directed to Premier League clubs. But it is a relief to get some extra cash coming through the turnstiles.
"It’s a struggle every year, we make a loss and when you get a run like this, to get a draw like this it’s just fantastic. It promises to be a wonderful day.
"We made in the region of £350,000 from our game at Anfield last season and with the match live on television, I hope it will bring in £250,000 this time."
Oldham captain Dean Furman produced an excellent display in the win over Forest but is likely to miss the match as he is on international duty with South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations.
He said: "It’ll be a big challenge for the lads to reach the next round. I wish I could stick around but my duty lies elsewhere."
Latics manager Paul Dickov said: "We’ll miss Dean – he’s my captain and a character."
Elsewhere in the competition, Hastings’ Bradley Goldberg scored the goal of the game but it could not stop his team from tumbling out 4-1 against Middlesbrough at the Riverside, while Nick Blackman was on target in Sheffield United’s 3-0 victory at Oxford United.