ON Saturday they will be at their determined best as their teams clash in the first round of the FA Trophy, but managers Anthony Johnson and Alan Lord will be the friendliest as well as the fiercest of rivals thanks to an enduring association that was forged at Atherton Collieries more than a decade ago.

The setting will be the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium where Johnson’s upwardly mobile Ramsbottom United will stage the biggest game in their history when they take on Lord’s Stockport County, the fallen giants of Conference North who were playing in the Football League as recently as May 2011.

It is a tie that pitches the young and ambitious Rams co-manager against the wily old campaigner he credits with being the biggest influence on his managerial career.

And mutual respect does not go even close to describing their feelings as they approach the duel.

Lord, the 65-year-old Hatters boss who signed midfielder Johnson in one of his three spells managing Atherton Collieries, says the 32-year-old former striker he refers to affectionately as Jonno “epitomises everything I ever wanted in a player” while Johnson cannot speak too highly of “Lordy” who he says “taught me everything I know”.

They might be a generation apart in terms of managerial experience but the two adversaries are cut from the same cloth, which makes this weekend’s tie one for both sides to savour.

“I can’t say I spotted it at when he was playing but it’s not surprised me to see Jonno succeed in the management game,” Lord said, recalling their days together at Alder.

“He’s a very determined young man, has a great strength of character and if you want someone who is as honest as the day is long, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in my dressing.

“As a player he epitomised everything I ever wanted – 100 per cent, straight as can be.

“He’s a similar person to myself. What you saw was what you got and he’s instilled many of his own principles in his team.

“I’ve seen them play and they are full of character and endeavour, what you might technically put down as a very combative team. Make no mistake, we’ll need the crash helmets and body armour on Saturday – and that’s just for in the dugouts!”

Johnson, who as co-manager with Bernard Morley since the start of the 2009-10 season has guided Ramsbottom through two promotions from the North West Counties League to sixth in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division, believes his team is capable of playing at least two levels higher. But for all his ambition, he admits to being humbled by the testimonials from his old boss.

“It’s nice and very humbling to hear that from someone like Lordy and from a club like Stockport,” he said. “He was the first manager I played under at semi-professional level and was probably the biggest influence in my career as a manager – a good man and a top football manager.

“He taught me everything I know and I’m looking forward to locking horns with him.”

Johnson added: “It shows how far the football club has come in a very short space of time to be playing against a team like Stockport County. I’m actually a Bury fan and I can remember in the nineties watching them play Stockport when they were a Second Division side – the Championship now.

“And as big a club as they are, it shows what a good job Lordy is doing there because playing Stockport County in that league is every other team’s cup final. Everybody wants to beat them.

“For us, this was a dream draw. As a one-off game it’s probably the biggest game in the club’s history, based purely on who we are playing – a dream come true for the club and the team who not long ago was playing in front of crowds of 50 or 60.

“That’s changed now but I still want to take the team further. Believe it or not, we have 10 players, who have played more than 100 games for the club and that’s unusual in non-league. And they’re not all old players either, seven of them are 24 or under.

“There’s probably a ceiling as to how high we can go as a club but I believe we can achieve a couple more promotions. We’ll keep pushing and see how high we can go.”

In the short term Johnson would settle for a victory over his old mentor in front of a bumper crowd swelled by Stockport’s travelling support while Lord aims to keep their close relationship on the back burner until the final whistle.

“I don’t ever want to lose any game and there will be a lot of eyeballing between the dugouts,” he added with the determination of a seasoned campaigner.

“But afterwards, irrespective of the result, either way, there will be nothing better than enjoying a pint with each other.”