Adam Lakeland insists the pressure is all on his former employers when he heads to Curzon Ashton for the first time as King’s Lynn Town manager.

A Curzon team that still bears many of the hallmarks of Lakeland’s reign is going great guns in National League North, sitting just a point behind leaders Scunthorpe, while Lynn are four places and three points behind in sixth.

It will be Lakeland’s first return to Tameside Stadium – and his first chance to right the wrongs of two home defeats since he switched allegiance.

A place in the first round proper of the FA Cup rather than three points is on offer to the winners – but little changes from Lakeland’s perspective.

“It's just another game, regardless of who we play,” he said. “We'd rather be in it and I've said to the players all along, we're not going to win the FA Cup – if we do that, then we'll all be kings, won't we?

“But when the moment comes that we leave the competition, we've got to make sure that we do it having fought right until the end. And they did that on Saturday and Tuesday (against Worksop) and we've earned our right to be in the next game.

“It's obviously coincidental that it's against Curzon and everybody will naturally build that up. People think that I'm trying to play some kind of mind games because I'm saying that the pressure’s on them, but I genuinely believe that.

“You can’t for all these years ask for respect and then turn it down when it comes your way. They’re an established team in this league, they've been given a group of players that are used to winning week in week out. They've added. Bobby Jones, Luke Griffiths, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and that's made them a better team going into this season and this is a team that got to the play-offs last year.

“So I'm not playing any mind games. I genuinely believe they are one of the best teams in this league and they're a team that are used to getting results week in, week out.

“I'm giving them the respect that they deserve. They've beaten us the last two times we've played them, and we're going up to them. So they are the favourites, unless I'm deluded. There's many reasons, and I can name more and more.

“We certainly won't underestimate the challenge ahead of us. It's a game of football and we'll be going up there to win it, but we know it is going to be tough.”

Lynn head to Curzon in rude health – the home defeat to Curzon last month was their only reverse in eight league and cup games and having disposed of Worksop over two games they completed the week with a come-from-behind league win over Darlington, who hadn’t conceded a goal in six games.

Lakeland has some team selection issues: Kian Ronan is on international duty with Gibraltar while last weekend’s match winner Ross Crane is suspended.

Central defender Kyle McFadden missed that game with a knee injury and is a doubt, as is assistant manager and Curzon old boy Sam Walker, who has a troublesome calf. Striker Jonny Margetts remains sidelined with a back injury.

Fin Whiteley is back in training so will be included.