PAUL Cox’s planning for Barrow AFC’s FA Cup first round clash is already under way.

The Bluebirds boss is set to take in the fourth qualifying round replay between Hemel Hempstead Town and Taunton Town tonight, with the winner hosting the Bluebirds in the next stage.

Last night’s draw paired AFC with one of the two lower-league sides – Taunton playing their football in Southern League Division One South and West and Hemel a level below their prospective opponents in Vanarama National League South.

Hemel are a former club of Barrow defender Moussa Diarra, with Cox set to speak to his back-four colossus about the club, as well as taking in the replay match-up this evening to learn all about two clubs who are in large parts a mystery to the AFC boss.

“We’ll talk to Moussa and see what he has to say seeing as he has played at Hemel,” said Cox. “I’m sure, as well, that between myself, Simmo (assistant boss Gary Simpson) and (chief scout) Paul Ogden, we’ll get down and view a game.

“They have the replay, so that might well be the best time to wander down and have a look for ourselves.

“One thing is for sure, we will do our homework and from day one now, we will make sure that we approach the game with the right mentality.”

While Barrow were defeating Tranmere Rovers 2-1 on Saturday through goals from Richie Bennett and Paul Turnbull, Taunton and Hemel drew 0-0 in their first match, forcing the replay at Hemel.

Cox knows both sides will fancy their chances as giant-killers against high-flying National League side Barrow on November 5/6, and admits he would have preferred a tie at Holker Street.

“Firstly, we would have liked to have played at home,” he said. “It’s a draw like I thought it would be at this stage, where we are going to have to work extremely hard to progress through to the next round.

“I have been in Taunton and Hemel Hempstead’s position, where you all of a sudden become a giant-killer. We’ll do our due diligence, we’ll do our homework, and we’ll go into it focused and level-headed to try and get through to the next round.”

He added: “I was down at Torquay last year, which is right on Taunton’s doorstep, but we are going to have to do our homework on both of them.

“Whoever we played, whether it had been a Football League club, or a team below us, we were always going to look at the game and think about it positively, but in no way go into it with a fragile mind-set.

“I think it’s the beauty of the cup – we’re playing a team who are below us in the league pyramid whichever we play, but if we had been drawn against a team in a higher league, we knew we would fancy our chances just as they will.

“The way we approach the game, our mind-set between now and then, is going to be key.”

Draw in full: Sheffield United v Leyton Orient, Millwall v Southend , Dagenham & Redbridge v FC Halifax Town, Merstham v Oxford United, Taunton/Hemel Hempstead v Barrow, Southport v Fleetwood, Yeovil v Solihull Moors, Stockport County v Torquay/Woking, Dartford v Sutton United, Walsall v Macclesfield, Port Vale v Stevenage, Northampton v Harrow Borough/Margate, Cambridge United v Dover Athletic, Westfields v York/Curzon Ashton, MK Dons v Spennymoor Town, Gillingham v Brackley Town, Alfreton/Gateshead v Newport, Portsmouth v Wycombe, Maidstone United v Rochdale, Bury v AFC Wimbledon, St Albans City v Carlisle, Boreham Wood v Notts County, Mansfield v Plymouth, Braintree Town v Eastbourne Borough, Hartlepool v Wrexham/Stamford, Bolton v Grimsby, Bradford v Accrington, Oldham v Doncaster, Eastleigh v Swindon, Shrewsbury v Barnet, Morecambe v Coventry, Crawley v Bristol Rovers, Whitehawk v Stourbridge, Colchester v Chesterfield, Lincoln City/Guiseley v Altrincham, Exeter v Luton, Charlton v Scunthorpe, Cheltenham v Crewe, Peterborough v Chesham, Blackpool v Kidderminster.