Newmarket Town to embrace underdog tag against Cambridge United in Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup semi-final

Newmarket Town will have nothing to lose and everything to gain when they host Cambridge United in the semi-finals of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup on Sunday (3pm).

With visiting United plying their trade two levels higher, the Jockeys head into the contest at the Tristel Global Stadium as big underdogs.

And Newmarket boss Kevin Parsons is hoping that his side can make the most of their ‘free hit’.

“The rules of the competition say that they can only play six players that have played 50 per cent or more of their league matches, but whoever ends up playing for them they’re going to be very good players,” he said.

“There’s no pressure on us. They play two leagues higher and so we know it’s going to be tough.

“All we can do is be at our best, hopefully we can get a little bit of luck and we can make the most of having the home advantage.

“It’s a free hit and that’s how we’ll approach it. We’ll try to do what we’ve been doing well all season because statistically it’s been one of our best seasons for some time.

“If they have an off day and we get a bit of a rub of the green then you never know what can happen.”

After a four-game winless run during January and February, Newmarket have returned to form of late with back-to-back victories without conceding.

Parsons added: “During that period we had players away and others missing with niggles and injuries. We just didn’t have that strength in depth that we needed.

“There was very little in those games but we’ve got some of our players back now and we got out of the sticky run.

“We’ve ground out a couple of wins and it’s pleasing to see us dig in because it’s not something we’ve been great at in recent seasons.”

Newmarket’s leading goalscorer Millie Docking will play for her parent club Cambridge this weekend, while the tie is set to come too soon for captain Beth Seymour (concussion).