CHORLEY manager Jamie Vermiglio admitted that tomorrow’s FA Cup first round clash against Doncaster is the sort of game that he wishes he could be playing in.

And the Magpies boss revealed that picking the team - with or without him in it - has been one of his toughest calls since taking over from Matt Jansen in the summer as every player wants to be involved.

“This is one of those games I wish I could dust the boots off and play in,” said Vermiglio. “I would’ve been well up for this.

“Picking the team will be hard.

“Your head and your heart come in to it because no-one wants to miss this game.

“They’re all up for it. Imagine building up to this game and then finding out you’re not in the squad.”

Vermiglio said tomorrow’s clash with the League One outfit will be a chance for every player to make a name for themselves.

And he believes last season’s experience of going out to Fleetwood Town at the same stage can work to Chorley’s advantage.

“The players don’t need firing up, they know it’s a big game,” he said. “On the day, some will need to be calmed down because you can get over-hyped.

“This will be the biggest game in some of these players’ careers.

“This sort of game can change you as a club or a player, if you score the winning goal or put in a good performance then you might find you’ve got the big clubs looking at you.”

Chorley led through a Marcus Carver goal against Fleetwood last season only for the visitors to escape with a narrow 2-1 victory.

Despite the agony of defeat, that experience will help the team according to Vermiglio.

“Looking back, we should have closed that game out,” said Vermiglio who was assistant to Jansen at the time. “But we’ve got the same core squad from last year and we’re more experienced for the whole occasion now.

“The club are more prepared for it. We’re probably approaching close to 3,000 fans in the ground, but we’ll be ready for that on all fronts.”

Chorley earned the right to be in the draw for the first round as they produced a heroic comeback against Barrow after they were 2-0 down at half time.

Since that memorable game, the Magpies have lost their last four games, but Vermiglio says it is nonsense that his players have had one eye on the cup.

“It’s ridiculous to suggest that, you think about every game as a player,” he said. “From the outside in, I hear that. The boys are up for every game.”

A win for Chorley will see them progress to the second round and also secure £36,000 for the club - something that is not lost on the Magpies boss.

“We could sign a player with that and that could push us on for promotion,” he added. “We’ve attracted local youth clubs and that costs money.

“The ground needs money spending on it, a win in this game is massive both on and off the field.”

When asked about the preparation that has gone in to the game, Vermiglio added: “It’s been a big week with a lot of preparation. We watched videos of Doncaster’s recent matches. Granada reports were here last night.

“For the players, their week at work has now finished and now they focus on the game on Sunday.”

* The FA Cup first round tie at Victory Park kicks off at 12.45pm. Extended highlights will be the BBC on Sunday.