Hereford United will be thrust into the national spotlight again this Saturday, aiming to knock big-spending Second Division leaders Wigan Athletic out of the FA Cup at Edgar Street.

United manager Graham Turner and his Nationwide Conference side will be aiming to pull off one of the upsets of the first round in front of the Sky Television cameras when the match kicks off at 5.35pm.

Although United have struggled on home soil this season, Turner is hoping that, boosted by their biggest attendance of the season and a carnival atmosphere, including a pre-match parade of a Hereford bull, his side will continue their proud FA Cup giant-killing tradition.

Turner said: "We know that Wigan are well organised and work hard, and they are not at the top of the Second Division by accident. But it's a cup tie and, if Wigan play below their best and we play out of our skins, there may be a chance of an upset."

He added: "The atmosphere has not been too good at Edgar Street of late but we are the underdogs and the crowd always appreciates this and, hopefully, they will get fully behind us. I can't say that we can go out there with nothing to lose, because if you lose in the FA Cup it is always a painful experience, whoever it's against. But the players can go out and give it their best shot."

Skipper Ian Wright, the scorer in last season's thrilling BBC-televised 1-0 first-round triumph over Wrexham, said: "Too many times this season, the luck has gone against us. We are definitely owed some luck."

Hereford have no suspensions to worry about, but striker John Grant is still unavailable while recovering from injury.

Surprisingly, the Latics lost their 16-match unbeaten record on Tuesday when they crashed to a 1-0 home defeat against Conference side Doncaster Rovers in the LDV Vans Trophy.

Wigan boss Paul Jewell, the former Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday manager, said: "We can rest assured that Hereford will be right up for the game on Saturday. We have had them watched and we are paying them all the respect we can. But I tend not to focus on the opposition, it's about our performance on the day."

Both sides will pick up £100,000 for the tie being screened live on Sky Sports 2, with the winners receiving an extra £20,000, plus a place in the second round. Sky's match commentators will be Rob Hawthorne and former Wolves and Leicester boss Brian Little, with former United cup hero Ricky George a studio guest.

l If the match is drawn, the replay will be at the JJB Stadium, Wigan, on Tuesday, November 26, kick-off 7.45pm.