TONY Willcox is keeping his fingers firmly crossed. The Cwmbran Town boss reckons this could be his side's year in the FAW Premier Cup and scoop a lucrative home showdown with one of Welsh football's big boys.

The Crows have been drawn in Group A of the competition - and will meet Rhyl, Afan Lido and Caersws, the side that beat them in last season's League Cup final.

But it will take a brave man to predict who will achieve the first and second place, which would guarantee them an attractive home quarter-final tie with either Second Division Cardiff City, Third Division pair Wrexham and Swansea City or League of Wales champions Barry Town.

The quartet are of an equal standing in the LoW - but it was Cwmbran who finished the lowest in last term's table.

"Hopefully we might take them by surprise," said Town manager Willcox, who knows full well that his side has under-performed in this competition in recent seasons.

"We haven't made it out of the group stages in the last two seasons - and we'll love to put that right.

"This is as good a chance as we'll ever get because the teams are all more-or-less on the same level.

"You need a little bit of luck in these competitions both in games and on the injury front and we haven't had that in recent years. Also our discipline has let us down at times. "But this year, if any team don't perform hopefully we can punish them. My aim is to attract a big crowd to an attractive quarter-final clash at Cwmbran Stadium with one of the big boys.

"That will be a major boost to the club, both on the football field and on the financial side of things."

Cwmbran avoided Group A where Newport County face difficult games against UEFA Cup hopefuls and full-time outfit TNS, who finished second in the LoW, Bangor City, who finished third, and two tricky ties against Connah's Quay Nomads.

Rhyl apart, Town also steer clear to long trips to North Wales as Afan Lido is near Port Talbot and Caersws, near Newtown in mid Wales.

"There's not that much travelling," said Willcox. "So we're generally happy with the draw."

Teams get £6,500 for being invited to play in the FAW Premier Cup and they are awarded an extra £15,000 for reaching the quarter-finals - the eventual winner bags £100,000.

Cwmbran boss Willcox - whose side started pre-season training last week - remains on the hunt for an experinced player, preferibly a defender, to bolster his squad.

Crows' home Cwmbran Stadium, which has undergone a £5.6 million redevelopment, will be officially opened tomorrow - in plently of time for their opening LoW game at home to Aberystwyth on August 17.