Royston Town boss Steve Castle admitted his excitement ahead of the rising Crows’ trip to fallen giants Hereford on Saturday.

The Crows will play in front of up to 3400 fans at the Evo-Stik Southern Premier League leaders’ famous Edgar Street ground on Saturday.

They could expect 13 times Garden Walk’s 260 strong average attendance to flood through the turnstiles when Royston, playing at their highest ever position in English football, take on the club associated with league football and FA Cup upsets.

Castle said: “It’s very exciting for everyone involved.

“They’re a big club with a fan-base equivalent to a league club, which is the direction they’re heading (back) to.

“They were a good outfit last year when we played them (in the Champions Cup), which was a bit of a celebration for both clubs when we played for a trophy.

“Saturday will have more intensity, they’ve got King’s Lynn snapping at their heels for the title.”

In their previous 315-mile round-trip to the Welsh border, the Crows lost 5-4 in a shoot-out to decide the Southern League Champions Cup last April - a competition for the winners of the Division One East, Royston, and Division One South and West, Hereford.

The defeat came after the historic league club, Hereford United, had folded in 2014 after demotions, relegations and financial turmoil, before the ‘phoenix club,’ Hereford FC, were founded later that year.

While the Bulls are favourites for the division title, Castle, who in his playing days scored at Edgar Street, having featured there for Leyton Orient, Peterborough United and Plymouth Argyle, is still fighting Slough Town for a play-off spot.

The Orient legend said: “It’s very difficult for us to get into it but it’s not out of our range yet and we’ll keep going for it.

“Slough shouldn’t lose the required amount of games for us to get in but you never know and they’ve got a game on Friday away, if they win it puts pressure on us but we’ll keep trying.”