SUNDERLAND away would be the preferred tie in the first round of the FA Cup for some Darlington fans as well as club officials eyeing a pay day, and having been impressed when visiting the Stadium of Light several years ago Jamaican midfielder Omar Holness feels the same.

Quakers are in the hat for the draw, to be made at 7pm live on BBC2 this evening, after beating Tamworth 3-0 in the fourth qualifying round on Saturday, a game in which Holness, 25, scored the second goal of the day.

It was his second strike for the club, Tyrone O’Neill maintaining his own good form by chipping in with the other two goals.

It was the team’s fifth win in a row and means Quakers will be in the draw for the first round to be played the weekend of November 9 with winning sides netting £36,000 from the FA. Unlike the qualifying rounds, losing sides do not get prize money.

“We are getting the results and doing well. We did spectacular today, a positive away performance,” said Holness.

“It’s the beauty of the FA Cup, we’re in the first round proper and you never know what can happen next.

“I don’t mind who we get next as long as we can keep this going, although it would be good to get Sunderland in that nice stadium.

“I have been to the Stadium of Light, such a beautiful stadium. To play there would be incredible.

“I saw Sunderland against Aston Villa when I was about 16 or 17. It’s a long story! John Barnes came to Jamaica and selected two youngsters to go on trial with Sunderland and it was a spectacular experience.”

On Saturday Holness, who netted his first goal for Darlington in April against FC United of Manchester, side-footed home after good work in the build-up by Jarrett Rivers and O’Neill.

Holness added: “I saw the opening and I took it, literally took it off Ty’s foot, but I saw the opportunity and took it.

“Even after the game the manager was telling me to stay on the front foot, to attack but be smart about it.”

Darlington were backed by an enthusiastic travelling support at Tamworth, 408 of the 1,358 attendance being visiting fans according to the Staffordshire club, many of them battling through traffic delays en route.

Holness added: “These Darlo fans are just incredible. They travel, they’re loud, they’re supportive.

“I was saying to someone the other day that we’re fortunate to have these fans because when you look at other clubs that we play at they don’t get the same amount of fans we do.”

Because of Bury's expulsion from the EFL, the final team drawn will receive a bye to the second round.