HALL Road Rangers boss Martin Thacker admits the reserves’ run in the ERCFA Senior Cup is turning into a fairytale.

Thacker’s own first team were knocked out in the early stages, but Darren Wilson’s second string are still going strong.

They secured a semi-final spot with a 1-0 giant-killing over a youthful Hull City side on Monday, a match watched by Tigers boss Nick Barmby.

Now just one game away from the KC Stadium final, Thacker says the reserves are putting pressure on his first team regulars.

“This is a massive achievement,” he told the Mail.

“If somebody had told me at the start of the season our reserves would be in the semi-finals, I wouldn’t have believed them.

“We entered both our first and reserve teams this season, but the first team got knocked out earlier in the competition.

“Some of the first-team players were jealous watching on from the sidelines on Monday and this might give some of them a kick up the backside.

“Some of our reserves have probably never even been to watch a game at the KC Stadium, but now they are closing in on the fairytale of actually playing there.

“It doesn’t get much better than that for them. If they do get there, they’ll deserve it.”

Jeffrey Gawthorpe’s only goal of the game secured the victory over City, but keeper Mike Burley – one of the first team players not cup-tied for the latter rounds – saved a penalty to play a big part himself.

Thacker admits a few of the players who performed so heroically against City may now come into contention for selection for Saturday’s crunch game against basement-side Selby.

And he says the victory should do a lot for confidence and unity at the NCEL Premier Division club.

“They really played well and this showed they can make the step up and maybe have a decent non-league

career,” said Thacker, who led the first team to the final last season.

“There has been a divide between the first team and the reserves.

“It’s like two separate teams, but hopefully now this will pull us all together.

“We pinch their players when we have injuries so it’s good for them to have their moment in the spotlight.

“The players who beat Hull City will take that memory to their grave.

“They were watched by Nick Barmby, Kevin Kilbane and Andy Dawson.

“So they were taking it seriously, even though it was a young City side.”

* ERCFA Senior Cup semi-finals: Westella & Willerby v Brid Town, Hall Road Res v Brid Sports Club. Ties played on March 20 & 27 at Roy West Ground.