A CLEVELAND Police inspector is keeping his fingers crossed as he prepares to take his football team to their second big match in seven days.

Last weekend, the hopes of a thousand fans of Marske United Football Club were dashed when a last minute equaliser by opponents Bedlington Terriers prevented the seaside town from reaching the semi-finals of the FA Vase Trophy.

At the helm of the club is Inspector Charlie Bell, a former professional player with Middlesbrough and Mansfield, who is now preparing for the biggest match of his managerial career.

The quarter-final is the furthest the Northern League team has ever reached in the competition and, following a dramatic game at Marske last week, the team will now replay at Bedlington this afternoon.

If the team progresses as far as the final, the game will be held at Villa Park, home of Birmingham team Aston Villa.

Insp Bell, 42, joined the police in Nottingham and began playing non-league football with Marske when he returned to Teesside.

Insp Bell said 400 Marske supporters were travelling to Bedlington for today's game, and he thinks his team is in with a good chance.

"We have just got to go there and be positive. We can't think we have missed our chance - we must think of it as a one-off cup tie with eleven men against eleven.

"We showed last week that we can match them, and there is no reason why we can't do it again.