Ian Culverhouse says his King’s Lynn Town team got the best possible draw in the second round of the FA Cup.

The Linnets’ reward for their shock win at Port Vale on Saturday is a trip to League One Portsmouth, who won the competition as recently as 2008.

“Unbelievable,” said the Linnets boss. “We couldn’t have wished for any bigger, could we? No disrespect to the other teams in there but I think they are probably the biggest draw we could have had – an amazing draw for us, it really is.”

The National League Linnets showed no fear when they stepped out at promotion-chasing Vale on Saturday, holding firm in the face of some intense second-half pressure before clinching the win with a goal from teenager Sonny Carey nine minutes from the end of normal time. The players soaked up all the atmosphere - despite the lack of fans - and experience of being underdogs against a league club, and Culverhouse will hope for a repeat.

“Walking out there again, a real proper old stadium and a fantastic old football club, walking on to that pitch and looking around will bring chills down their spine and hopefully we can rise to the occasion again and put in a performance that the town will be proud of,” he said.

Pompey are seventh in League One – just as Port Vale were seventh in League Two – and beat Ipswich Town on Saturday to reach the second round. There were ‘easier’ draws out there, but Culverhouse is happy to test himself against Kenny Jackett and Co.

“It would probably only be easier on paper because there have been so many shocks in this round it is frightening,” said Culverhouse. “The so-called lesser teams like ourselves have pulled one out, we have done really well for ourselves and I think whatever tie we had got would have been a hard game. I think any tie you go into at this stage is going to be a hard one.

“You look at Oxford City last night – they were superb against Northampton and rightly so won the game - it is just on that one-off game we are rising to the occasion at the moment at our level. It speaks volumes of the quality in non-league football at the moment.”

Second round ties will be played on the weekend of November 30 with £25,500 for the winners, and £8,500 for losers.