At the recent draw, the Bears were matched up with Southern Highlands premiers Yerrinbool Bargo SC for the round two clash on March 13.

"We decided to nominate the club for the FFA Cup for the first time after seeing the buzz around Bomaderry's memorable run last season," Bears coach Alex Dicker said.

"Obviously Callala has been also involved the past couple of seasons but Bomaderry, who were a special side with a special coach, showed what teams from the Shoalhaven can do - so we wanted to try our hands at it."

The match between the Bears and Yerrinbool will kickoff at 7pm at Ison Park - which Dicker admits should provide a strong platform for the 2019 season.

"We are stoked to be able to host the game and give all our fans a taste of the FFA Cup," he said.

"We actually played Yerrinbool during the pre-season last year and drew with them 1-all, so we know it's going to be a tough match."

To prepare for this match and the upcoming Shoalhaven Football seasom, Dicker's side recently drew with the Eurobodalla 1-all in a pre-season trial at Moruya.

"It was a good hit-out at Moruya, with us being unlucky not to win the match," he said.

"We dominated possession for the majority of the match but just couldn't convert our chances.

"Overall, I think the boys have gone to another level this season - building on the foundations we put in place last year [which was Dicker's first year at the helm]."

Dicker puts this continued improvement down to him constantly challenging his players to improve every time they set foot on the pitch.

"We have tweaked our style a little this season, to suit our possession heavy focus," he said.

"After doing some research of my own, I have implemented fresh drills and a new style that suits our players and can continue to better both myself and the boys, to get the club where we want to be."

In saying that, Dicker admits a deep run in the FFA Cup can springboard his side into achieving their goal of a semi-final spot in 2019.

"Trial matches are fine but actual competition, especially this early in the season, is priceless and it'll force the boys to once again step up their games," he said.

"We saw how positively the experience benefited Bomadery last year - hopefully the boys can start to believe int themselves as much as I do.

"This season is a stepping stone from last year and this FFA Cup experience should help us get closer to achieving our vision - in my opinion, United should always be playing finals football, end of story."

In other FFA Cup news, reigning Bolden Blackmore Shield winners Gerringong will travel to the Central Coast to battle Woy Woy FC in round three on Wednesday, March 27 - the same day South Coast Flame will host the winner of the Bankstown RSL Dragons and Fernhill clash.