Monday morning brought the draw for the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup with the winners progressing to the First Round Proper and the chance of drawing a league side with potential for a giant-killing. In what is the tie of the round, the part-timers from Hebburn Town, 18^th in the Northern League Division Two, go to the International Stadium to face their neighbours, Gateshead, lying 5^th in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

Hebburn’s ground may only be separated from Gateshead’s home by three and a half miles, but a massive 125 places are between the teams in the non-league pyramid. With Northern League sides rarely taking promotion to the Evo-Stik League, and Hebburn having only played seven league games this season – compared to their division leaders, Team Northumbria, who have played double that number – there is a false position about Hebburn’s place, as Radcliffe Borough found out on Saturday when Hebburn matched them and won by a scoreline of 4-2.

Reacting to the draw, one of Hebburn’s heroes at Radcliffe and a goalscorer on the day, Dean Nicholson said: “We’re all happy after Saturday and we have the belief that we can go anywhere and get a result”.

With players on the pitch who have Premier League experience, such as Jamie McClen, once of Newcastle United and scorer of an FA Cup goal against Peterborough United in 2002 and who will be returning to a former club, and Nicholson’s brother Stuart, who took to the pitch for West Bromwich Albion, mixed in with “some very good players who have huge non-league experience” then Hebburn will travel the short distance with hope.

There was talk from the Hebburn camp before the draw was made that they wanted one of the big boys in the draw such as Luton Town or Stockport County, and that they would have an away tie, but according to Nicholson there is no disappointment in drawing against their neighbours. “We wanted a top team and why not be pitted against a side that’s flying high. If [our Cup run] ends then what a way to go out” he added.

The reason for wanting the away draw came after the experience of travelling to the north-west on Friday night and “acting like a professional set-up” with a hotel and the team bonding experience that came with it. “There’s already talk of us staying together the night before the game and acting as professional as we can” said Nicholson, “And we’re definitely hoping for a big crowd. I’ve been receiving text messages all day and everyone is excited for this. We’ll have some fans there and many Gateshead fans will be expecting an easy game and their team going through. We’ll be looking to prove them wrong”.

Before Hebburn can prepare for Gateshead they have other concerns. On the evening of the draw they take on Team Northumbria and on Saturday they travel to Newcastle Benfield in the FA Vase. Nicholson explained “We will begin to prepare for Gateshead at the final whistle against Benfield. We’ve got a tough Vase game and a Northern League game to get through first, and we’re playing very good sides with promotion being our major focus this season, but once we’ve played those we will turn our preparations to Gateshead. Their [Gateshead] players are professional and will be training every day. As we’re part-time we will all have to take responsibility for our own preparation by making sure we’re relaxed before the game; that we’re eating and drinking the right things. I’m sure all of the lads will do this as we all want to stay in this competition”.

For Hebburn to have a chance of progressing they will need big performances on the day from each and every player wearing their blue and yellow shirt. But remember, FA Cup upsets aren’t just reserved for the ‘proper’ rounds when league clubs enter and Premier League sides fall. On Saturday 29 October there will be 11 men playing against 11 other men just by the banks of the River Tyne and by 5pm, whatever has happened, everyone at Hebburn Town can be proud of themselves for creating club history with their best ever FA Cup run.

Words: Andy Hudson. For more on Hebburn Town, Northern league and, currently, Spanish football, head over to Andy’s website, Gannin’ Away. And you can find Dean Nicholson on Twitter too.

FA Cup Third Qualifying round time again and the players and officials of every team can be forgiven if their thoughts start to turn to the ‘propers’.  Win this game and they are 90 minutes away from that chance to draw a fallen giant *cough* Sheffield Wednesday or even a big local league side. The words ‘spinner’ and ‘money’ must also spring to mind for the officials, the words ‘TV’ and ‘live’ for the players.

We’re a whore for the underdog here so, in a rare moment of madness, we’ve decided to take a break and have a look at the big lads at this level. Who are the teams with FA Cup previous, who will the league clubs want to get a taste of their own giant killing medicine, if that’s not a contradiction in terms?

Lancaster City.v. FC Halifax
There have been fairly regular trips to the propers for City and in fact they were prevented from adding another journey by no other side than Halifax (Town) themselves, in 4th Qualifying in 1994.  On one of the occasions they did manage it, in 1972, they lost 2-1 to Notts Co in Round 2.  As Halifax Town, the Shaymen got to the 5^th Round in 1952/53, losing 3-0 to Spurs but having beaten Stoke and Swansea on the way.  They famously beat a troubled WBA in Round 1 in 1993 and, more amusingly, a less troubled Man City 1-0 in Round 3 in 1979/80.

Whitby Town .v. Blyth Spartans
This fixture has happened twice before – in 1967/68 in the 2nd Qualifying Round Whitby won 2-1 and in 1996/97 by the same margin for a place in the propers. When there they drew 0-0 with Hull City which didn’t really set up expectation for the replay, which featured a whopping twelve goals, finishing 8-4 to Hull.  Whitby beat the aforementioned Halifax 1-0 in Round 1 in 1983/84 before losing 1-0 to Wigan.

Given Blyth Spartans are one of the great giant killers in FA Cup history, you have to wonder how Whitby managed to twice beat them. They’ve got to the propers on numerous occasions and in 1977/78 equalled a non league record and got to the 5^th round. On the way they beat Chesterfield and Stoke before drawing 1-1 with Wrexham. The replay was put centre stage at St James’ Park Newcastle and Wrexham squeaked through 2-1.

The 5^th Round is the joint furthest a non league side has got in the modern era and the draw with Wrexham made Spartans the first one to make it into the Round 6 hat. Most recently they played Blackburn in Round 3 but probably the most notable thing about Blyth’s cup exploits is that, regardless of opposition, they’ve rarely been thumped by the bigger boys, even in defeat the games have been close and they’ve often taken teams to replays.

Cray Wanderers .v. Dartford
This one is a bit of a derby, despite Cray being based in Bromley at the moment. And, despite being one of the oldest clubs in the world, Cray’s FA Cup record is virtually non existent. 4th Qualifying round the best. Dartford of Blue Square South are almost non league mainstays in the competition, making the propers over 30 times. Despite the disparity in records, given the regional nature of the early rounds and the proximity of the clubs, it means this is the 4^th meeting in the FA Cup and the previous three happened within four seasons between 1960-64. Dartford took the first 5-4, Cray won the second 1-0 and Dartford thumped Cray 5-0 in the most recent.

Hyde .v. Bradford Park Avenue.
1956/57 will long be remembered by those fans of Hyde still alive to tell the tale.  It was a festival of goals. They played 10 FA Cup games that season, both they and the opposition scored in every game, there was at least 5 goals in every game, 71 in total and an average of 7 per tie.  Three of the ten games ended in 4-4 draws, two of those against Stalybridge Celtic alone.

(Kind of) Like Halifax, Bradford Park Avenue are the odd team out in this round, on account of them being a professional league side until 1970 and having finished 9th in the top flight on one occasion.  Consequently, their best-in-article Quarter Final appearances are less surprising than everyone else’s achievements.  However, their greatest Cup successes were when they were in the old Division 2.  In 1919/20 they lost 4-1 to Chelsea in the QF after beating Forest 3-0 and Notts Co 4-3. They beat Everton in 1923/23 and again got to the quarters in 1945/46 but lost 6-0 to Brum after a 2-2 draw at home. They returned to propers in 2003/04 but got humped 5-1 by Bristol City.

Slough Town .v. Hanworth Villa
They’ve fallen on hard times and they’ve been on here a few times this season but, once, Slough Town were a force. They’ve knocked out Wycombe, Walsall and Millwall and taken Cardiff, Orient, Reading and Macclesfield to replays. In contrast Hanworth Villa are in their inaugural FA Cup season and, with patronisation not intended, they’ve already done superbly well to get this far.

Hednesford Town .v. Corby
In the halcyon days of the mid/late 90s, Hednesford were a notorious Cup side, remember their famous, epic 3-2 loss to Middlesbrough in 1996/97?  They got to at least the 1^st round for the next four seasons too.  Corby themselves had a healthy Cup record in the post war years, culminating in a Round 2 replay victory over Luton in 1965/66.  Hednesford won the only FA Cup meeting between the sides, 3-1, in 1995/96.

Solihull Moors .v. Grantham Town
This could be a record at this stage … Grantham’s first ever FA Cup game was against Clapham Rovers in 1877. One hundred and thirty four years ago. We weren’t even alive then. They lost either 1-0 or 2-0 depending on who you believe, Rovers say 2, the Gingerbreads say 1. Who knows?  Since then they’ve accounted for Bradford Park Avenue, when they were good, and they also despatched Stockport and Rochdale between the mid 60s and 70s when they got to the propers 9 times in eleven years.

Billericay Town .v. Leatherhead
Billericay will be one of the more annoyed non league sides in the FA Cup.  They’ve twice got to the propers and twice drawn non league sides. No glory tie for them. They also lost both times. Doh!  Leatherhead are right up there with the giants though. In 1974/75 they got to Round 4 beating Brighton and Colchester before facing Leicester at Filbert Street. The tanners were even 2-0 up at one point but got pegged back to lose 3-2.  They got to the propers 6 times in 7 years after that.

Lowestoft Town .v. Chelmsford
Not really quite a derby but this one’s one of the hottest tickets of the round.  Town got to the propers twice in the 60s losing to Leyton Orient and Watford by just one goal. They managed the same in the 70s against Cambridge and recently aginst Wrexham. Like their Blue Square South foes Dartford, Chelmsford City have been regular toe-treaders in the FA Cup over the years. They  got to Round 4 in 1938/39 beating Darlington and Southampton.

Maldon & Tiptree .v. Hendon
Only recently merged neither Maldon nor Tiptree have done much in the FA Cup as a unit or individually. Hendon on the other hand are from the same semi-pro minefield as Chelmsford and Dartford. The Greens famously held Newcastle to a 1-1 draw at St James in Round 3 in 1973/74 and beat Reading 2 years later and Leyton Orient in 1997/98. Not only that but the club’s now sadly forgotten Claremont Road ground was opened to some fanfare for an FA Cup tie and provided the backdrop for Hendon’s largest attendance, 9000 against Northampton in the FA Cup.

Stourbridge .v. Evesham United
For a team that first entered the FA Cup in 1896 and has entered nearly 70 times, Stourbridge only managed to get past the fourth qualifying round two years ago when they drew near neighbours Walsall. They lost 1-0 but over 2000 people turned up to watch for the first time in over 30 years. It’s a similar story for Evesham, although they hadn’t quite been trying for as long and managed it a year earlier, losing 2-0 to Torquay. The two teams have met before, though, in 1995/96 when Evesham won 3-0 after a replay.

Nantwich Town .v. Kendal Town
Nantwich have only managed this stage before, so could be on the verge of greatness.  Kendal, though, were relative regulars in the first round proper (as Netherfield) between the 40s and 60s and twice got to the second round, including their record attendance versus Grimsby of 5184.  But we’ve included them here for their what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger attitude.  In 1980/81 before the stupid (or kind, as Kendal might be more apt to say) abolition of multiple replays, they managed a whopping 6 replays against Bridlington Trinity in the FA Trophy, which nearly killed them.  The postponed games and rearrangements cost them £1800 and they had to drop down a league the following season. Won’t happen this year though. Phew.

Sutton United .v. Bognor Regis Town
Still the last non league team to dump a top flight side out of the FA Cup.  And they were the current holders to boot. Much has been written about Sutton’s win over Coventry in 1988, my god even we’ve had a bash.  Bognor Regis are not short of giant killing themselves, in their heyday of the mid/late 80s they got to Round 1 five times, beating Swansea and Exeter along the way.

This is by no means an exhaustive list so if your team is in the hat, not on this page but has got some form in the propers, please feel free to add a comment. We could go on, of course, Dover were one of our teams of the season last year and don’t get a mention, but we can sense you nodding off … so [end].

With thanks to the superb Football Club History Database. Someone please keep this going and update, if only we had time …

My prediction of “Dulwich to get to 1st Round proper and facing AFC Wimbledon. Loss.” is still on thanks to a 2-0 win over Eastbourne Town and 4-0 bashing of Horley. But, with an away game at Blue Square Bet South high flyers, Sutton United, on Saturday, this prediction maynot last much longer. We shall see.

Jamie Cutteridge didn’t fare quite so well, his prediction of  ”@therealfacup Ks will get to the first round without winning a game” proved only half right as K’s indeed failed to win a game. Their opponents, Poole, then failed to get disaqualified from the competition on account of not having done anything wrong. One down.

Caroline at the Non League Show – “@therealfacup asking what round your team will finish in this year.. I’m going Chelmsford to second round!” They’ve only just joined in of course and a home tie against fellow Blue Square Bet South side Tonbridge Angels won’t be a given, especially as Chelmsford have steadfastly refused to win a home game this season.  Still not sure whether Caroline meant 2nd Round Proper or 2nd Qualifying Round though?

The second prediction to fall by the way side is from Romford Reject “@therealfacup Romford to reach 1st Round where they narrowly lose to Luton”. *Ahem* Southend Manor 4-2 Romford.  Goodbye.

Martin Jobling‘s prediction is still on ”@therealfacup At least 2 Northern League clubs to knock out Evo-Stik teams. #FACup2011predictions“.  Dunston UTS disposed of Durham City 4-0 in the last round while Whitley Bay narrowly lost to Kendal, 1-0. Spennymoor look to beat Ashton Utd to give Martin his win while Ashington and Bedlington Terriers are still in the tournament to keep the prediction alive.

Secret Dolphin “@therealfacup @nonleagueshow ever the optimist, Poole Town to go one better than last year, 1st Round Proper.”  Well, it’s not over yet …

However, if none of those other triflings afflict you, you’ll no doubt want to be heading out on the road, with your tin foil cup, in search of some FA Cup high jinks.  Well, how about Colliers Wood?  Where?  Errr,  the A3 between Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park!  It has nice pubs, pine freshness and a reasonably priced game of early season Cup football. And, although this missive is partly directed at the many hundreds of bloggers out there, it is also a call to arms to anyone else at a loose end, who lives locally and is in search of something different. And history suggests a potential goal rush.

Colliers Wood Utd .v. Chessington & Hook Utd – £6 – Wibbandune Sports Ground
What more could you want on a summer’s day? *prays for sun* Colliers Wood have been around in one form or another for over 136 years.  You have to wonder what on earth was going on at the club because it took them 132 years to even enter the FA Cup!  Did they have a big dog ensconsed at the gate of the ground that preveneted the postman delivering important FA invites? Did the Wood not have a local newsagent so they could hear tales of this wondrous Cup taking the worlde by storme?

When the message finally got through and the old jug was revealed to them, a light seemed to go on! Improved ground facilities followed, a record 9-1 Combined Counties League win was racked up and they then squeezed 151 eager supporters in to break their league attendance record against Guildford City in 2010.

Goal Fest
These rising folk from south west London welcome to their world of adventure the much newer Chessington & Hook Utd. Two separate clubs until 1986, the merged unit have a somewhat frivolous and entertaining attitude to football in Cup matches that could perhaps persuade you to give this game a go.  In the 2nd Qualifying round of the FA Vase in 2000, they whacked in 5 [five] goals against Arundel, only to concede 8 [eight] at the other end. In the last ten years in FA Vase or Cup they’ve also shipped seven, twice shipped six and five and have probably lost count of the four-fers. But, among all that, they have also had the potency to themselves rack up four or five on half a dozen occasions.

If you fancy the game details can be found here at the  If you’re a blogger and wish to be part of any ‘organised’ shenangians of the day, just visit our  Facebook Event Page or write “Please, Mr Socrates, may I run with you in the Wood” @ the @SocratesMeetUp Twitter feed.  Actually, you don’t have to say that, just tell them you want to come. The start venue will be The Hand In Hand near Wimbledon Common from midday.

As an added bonus we’re also heading to Ascot United on Friday 19th August for their tie with Wembley FC, kick off 7:45. The actual FA Cup will be there too!

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If you’re a regular to this site you’ll know the Hamlet are our local side and we’ve written much about them, so this is pretty much the last you’ll hear of them in this piece.  Walton & Hersham on the other hand are unusual in that they are complete unknowns to us. Given our Ryman addiction in the last two years they are one of the few sides who have never turned our heads. So, we did some reading, and, of course, based it round our joy, the Old Jug, the FA Cup.

At step 4 in the football pyramid a lot of clubs have ‘their’ story of FA Cup greatness, their cup final, their defining moment.  The Swans of Walton & Hersham are no different. In fact, in the early 1970s they had more than their fair share of joy in the old jug and were rightly feared. They were a team that all 3^rd and 4^th tier clubs would gladly avoid.

Before that period of success, W&H got their first taste of the propers when they progressed through seven 1957 FA Cup games against the likes of fellow Ryman side Hastings, future winners Wimbledon and fellow giant killers Sutton United.  The 1^st Round brought Division 3 South side Southampton to Stompond but there was to be no shock yet, they lost 6-1 but had made their first mark.

It took a while for them to notch their second effort, mind, 12 years in fact.  The 1st Round saw them eventually lose to a high-flying but not yet fully-fledged football league club in Barnet. It was close though, they only lost 1-0 to that year’s FA Trophy finalists.  The following year, 1970 they dumped out Sutton United again, this time to book their place in the 1^st round. It was an inauspicious exit for Sutton who only eight months previously had been hosting eventual Cup winners ‘Don Revie’s Leeds’ at gander Green Lane in a 4^th round tie.  The draw was unkind, W&H failed to net a league side and ran into renowned FA Cup giant killers Telford.  They lost 5-2.

The following year they fell at the final qualifying hurdle but 1972 was the zenith – and they got their first league scalp.  Only a Division 4 side at the time Exeter City were nevertheless a good one, despite going through a period of struggling to get past non-league sides in the FA Cup. The Grecians crept past Crawley after a replay a year earlier and got knocked out by Alvechurch the year after the Swans beat them. But beat them they did, 2-1, and the Surrey side went on to lift the FA Amateur Cup with Dave ‘Harry’ Bassett in their ranks.

The ‘reward’ for their first proper giant killing was a shocker. Instead of getting the bounty of another, bigger league side, the Swans drew fellow giant killers Margate. Margate were probably equally as miffed at the time, they’d just knocked out the Welsh Swans, at that time in Division 3, and were certainly hoping to avoid the tricky prospect of the English variant. That season, though, was Margate’s, they beat W&H 1-0 and earned a plum 3^rd Round tie against Spurs, which of course they lost 6-0.

Before the lean times of the 80s and 90s set in, Walton & Hersham had one last tilt and this was, with hindsight, probably the most odd and remarkable.  In 1973, their fourth foray into Round 1 in five years, they were drawn against Brighton & Hove Albion.  Having held the Division 3 side at home it was feared that was probably going to be it for the Swans.  Brighton had a new manager who the season before was facing down Juventus in the European Cup, a certain Brian Clough. Clive Foskett scored a hatrick at the old Goldstone Ground but he wasn’t playing for Brighton, he was playing for Walton and they whacked Cloughie’s Seagulls 4-0.

In the next round W&H got another bum draw.  They were drawn to face brand new football league side Hereford United who were smack bang in the middle of their four year rise from Southern League to Division 2!  The Bulls ran out comfortable 3-0 winners and consigned Walton & Hersham to the doldrums for another 20 years.  So, from hammering a club managed by a League Champion, future European Cup winner and self confessed legend, W&H had just lost to a team who only a few months earlier were in reality just one tier above them in the football league pyramid. Funny old game, Saint.

The club regrouped in the mid-2000s with long serving player and current Kingstonian manager Alan Dowson at the helm before getting relegated again in 2007.

Back to the matter in hand, form is dicey among all three of the play off challengers.  Walton & Hersham have won just once in their last five but have drawn a few and have been muddling along. Burgess Hill Town have lost four of their last five and, a point against Dulwich aside, they have been woeful.  Hamlet have, frankly, come from a position that looked beyond them when they lost 2-1 at home to Worthing a few weeks ago and again when they could only draw with Burgess Hill Town last week. So, thanks to a few wins, in truth, Hamlet are in the best form of the three but aren’t exactly firing on all clinders, they have simply profited from the failure of others.

If we were betting men, we’d probably suggest that the game will be a draw and BHT will fail to beat a decent Ramsgate side who are just two points behind them but who mathematically can’t quite reach the play offs themselves. But, hey, this is effectively a cup final so anything can happen.

Ryman Division 1 South
Walton & Hersham .v. Dulwich Hamlet
Saturday 30^th April, 3pm, £8
Walton-on-Thames is the closest rail station, 25-34 mins from Waterloo depending which train you get.  We’ve been recommended the Ashley Park pub near the station and reckon we should be there by about midday, though there does appear to be several decent boozers nearer the town centre and towards the river.

Awards Part One: Team Of The Tournament.

Like other awards ceremonies, ours will be at a glamourous venue, feature superstar presenters and guests will get free goodie bags!! *Cough* So, on some date soon, in a pub room in suburban London we’ll give a hearty realfacup welcome to Charleen Theron, Thierry Hendry and Sepp Blotter from Dopplegangers Lookalike Agency. Ticket holders will receive a FREE Pot Noodle and a *subsidised* can of Skol Super!!

Back on 14th August 2010, 400 teams were due to kick off the tournament. Two teams were booted out before the World Cup Jabulani was cold and Calne Town followed soon after for fielding an ineligible player. The initially vanquished side, Corsham Town, went through and were promptly beaten again in the next round! Knocked out twice in one year. Ouch.

Fans of bigger sides will probably never know what seemingly small things enter into club folklore during these rounds of the FA Cup. From Hythe Town and Tipton’s record breaking runs to the 1st Round to Buxton beating Telford (Was that a Buck Off?) on penalties with just 9 men and Crawley* visiting The Theatre Of Dreams, so much excitement has been had by so very few and we’ve shared some of it along the way. Now it’s time for you to choose. Below is our short list of five of this year’s Premier non-league teams who caused some havoc in the cup and if you have any better video clips post some links or send us the file so we can embed!

Tipton Town:
While not guilty of tickling Goliath’s toes like the others, Tipton are here for longevity and slog. Drawn away at Alvechurch they won 5-0 before beating Stratford and Norton United to reach the 2nd Qualifying Round for the first ever time. Next they knocked out Market Drayton and Radcliffe Olympic before then slaying the oldest, if not biggest, club in the world, Sheffield FC, to reach the hallowed land of ‘The Propers’. In their ninth FA Cup game of the season, Tipton Town faced League 1′s Carlisle United for their first ever shot at a giant killing and found themselves 4 down after 19 minutes. Welcome to the promised land! Never mind the result, how proud are you, Tipton fans?

Hythe Town:
Our next nomination got a thumping in Round 1 too. The starting place for Brentford’s former Reading, Brum and Ipswich forward, Nicky Forster, Hythe Town will probably be the other romantic’s choice of winner. They too started at the start, 7 rounds they played in too! Beat that Crawley! In the early rounds they despatched 4 teams from the same level of the pyramid before surprising Concord Rangers two leagues above them. Then they took on the might of the Blue Square South, three tiers higher. Beating Staines Town 2-0 might not sound fantastic but the electronica themed number that saw it witnessed what can only be described as a ‘massive shock’. Not only was it the biggest scalp in Hythe’s history, they did it in some style and quite comfortably. They also managed to be the first Kent League side to reach the 1st Round proper in over 50 years!

Dover:
Next up, Dover’s 7 game run to the third round was exciting as hell and fuelled by schadenfreude. Having put 5 past Erith Town and, perhaps surprisingly, another 5 past loftier League-mates Farnborough, the 1st Round proper of the FA Cup threw up the kind of chance for revenge that teams can only dream about. We’ve written about this before so won’t bang on but stealing not one but two managers before the season has started is poor form and Gillingham found their reward was Davy’s Locker. League 2′s Aldershot followed by the same 2-0 scoreline before the valiant efforts of the Whites was brought to a juddering halt at League 1′s Huddersfield Town. To make it this far without Crawley’s money (that’s not to say Dover are poor, by any stretch) and beat two league sides is the stuff fans will remember forever, particularly the Gillingham game.

FC United of Manchester:
FC United Of Manchester managed 6 rounds and 7 games, one of which saw them beat Cup shock regulars Barrow and a team 4 divisions above them. Though it took a desperate rearguard action and a slightly fortunate late winner, FC United had taken the game to Rochdale for the entire first half and took a deserved 2-0 lead. Dale woke up and forced themselves level before Mike Norton made himself a hero by bagging the 90th minute winner that, quite literally, saw Spotland erupt. In the 2nd Round they took Brighton to a replay but that was their lot.

Swindon Supermarine:
Six rounds and seven games in, Swindon Supermarine finally got some recognition in the 2nd Round when Colchester dragged their sorry League 1 carcass past the Southern League side 1-0. It’s not that Supermarine hadn’t paid their Cup dues to get there, it’s just despite already having beaten two sides above them in the pyramid they were overshadowed by bigger stories in each round. They were one of our upwardly mobile picks for the 2nd Qualifying Round (scroll down) when they played a downwardly mobile shambles of a club, Weymouth.

NOW VOTE!

Coming in part two, the more esoteric side of the FA Cup, the best goals, nicest pie, flashiest boots and best man-and-dog combo.

*Yes, yes, yes, blah, blah I know we haven’t included Crawley. We’re not being intentionally exclusive, they may have been the story in either good or bad ways but the five teams we’ve listed not only punched further above their weight but also did more than Crawley, objectively and subjectively.

Between 1924 and 1931 the Hornet/Seagull axis crossed a mind boggling seven times in the FA Cup, including a frankly ridiculous four consecutive seasons. This would be less odd if they were brilliant sides meeting regularly in the latter stages but they weren’t, it wasn’t and it was three times in round 1. CAN WE PLAY YOU EVERY YEAR?!! Honours were fairly even.

The most recent game in the old jug, however, was more significant. It was in the 5th round in 1984, Watford won 3-1 at home and went all the way to the final. Brighton, of course had done the same the previous year. Since then, both teams have spent a good deal of time muddling around the second and third tiers of English football but, for Brighton, May the 21st 1983 was the time they got their sea legs. With hindsight, it was the very start of a tidal wave of nonsense that only this season do they appear to have stemmed. I apologise for these sea-faring similies.

In fact, though, 1982/83 was a high old time for both sides. A week earlier than Brighton’s final Watford beat Liverpool 2-1 at Vicarage Road to seal 2nd place behind the scousers and nick it from Big Ron’s Manchester United, who Watford had also knocked out of the FA Cup the previous season and who would beat Brighton in the replayed final 10 days later.  And, lurking somewhere in a dark distant corner of Europe, Big Ron’s successor was winning the European Cup Winners Cup. Circular.

Brighton’s lead up to the final was spent in a courtroom. Their talismanic headband wearer, Steve Foster, had been booked a few weeks earlier and was suspended for the Cup final. Feeling he’d be a playa, Brighton went all judicial and argued that missing the highlight of his career was an overly harsh punishment for a single booking. Rightly, the court told them they knew the rules when they entered the tournament and they should hurry off back to the Goldstone (remember that?) to prepare for their big day.

Without the bandaged leader but with the sea air (sorry) clearly still under their wings (meh), Brighton raised their game, held United to 2-2 and, in extra time, Gordon Smith missed one of those classic cup chances that can haunt forever. Foster returned for the replay and Brighton got whooped 4 zip.

A dozen years on and Brighton were getting knocked out by Kingstonian and Sudbury. The rest of the sorry decline can be found here but now THEY’RE BACK!! Well, nearly. A new ground due for opening in a few months time, top of League 1 and flying under the stewardship of a Uruguayan legend and his Argentinian sidekick.

East Anglia’s favourite angry Argie (Mauricio Tarrico) might well get a run out. He’s been turning out in the FA Cup while Gus rests his troops and plots for the Championship onslaught. Oh – and he is quite busy fending off suitors of Elliot Bennett with a shitty stick. Watford are going well too but Brighton have already despatched Portsmouth and only Goostavo Poshay’s decision to play weak teams in the cup undermines their threat.

Exactly a year after Brighton’s Cup final and their relegation to the old Division 2, Watford were an established top flight side but fared little better against the might of Everton in the 1984 showpiece. As favourite you’d not expect us to dwell too much on Watford and we won’t but this two year era of cup success is quite interesting. Charlton were just realising the error in buying a Barcelona player on wages that would make Robert Maxwell blush and … errr … the yachting enthusiast himself was annoying Reading fans, or ‘Thames Valley Royals’ as he wanted to call them when he merged them with Oxford United.

In September ’82 attendances fell to a post-war low, ‘the professional foul’ was introduced sending 120 players for an early bath before November was out and the proposal for teams to have two substitutes was vetoed on the basis of ‘it might cost a bit much’! England won the European U21 tournament (golden generation!) by beating West Germany in Bremen. THEY DID! Unfortunately, the seniors weren’t so golden as they were just one of the four home nations that failed to even qualify for the proper version.

The main issue, though, and one which is seemingly starting to bubble again at non-league grounds across the country, was hooliganism. On that record low day in September, Middlesbrough turned into a warzone when Leeds came to town and down in Brighton seven policemen were badly injured in running battles with Chelsea fans. Spurs fans kicked off in Rotterdam, England fans tore up Luxembourg, West Ham were nearly banned from the FA Cup for two pitch invasions against Birmingham and UEFA first mooted the plan of banning English fans from Europe. In one very big way, it is a shame their words were hollow.

Watford, though, started the season in a bit of a trough, so much so they advertised in the Times for professional footballers. Showing the kind of foresightedness Gray & Keys would sneer at nearly 30 years later, they didn’t mind if these players were “men or women” but showed an alarming disregard to the differently abled by saying that “preference will be given to applicants with two arms and two legs in working order”. That would have ruled out Garrincha, mind, but hear hear to their attempt at inclusiveness.

The reason for this misty eyed look back is partly in homage to the two teams’ flirtation with success but also because Watford’s ground is stuck in 1984. Far form being a dig, we’re glad that relics such as Vicarage Road exist, it’s part of football’s rich heritage. We’re heading there with the EFW chaps and hope to meet Watford Blog legend Rookery Mike. We’ll be tweeting updates and having a rollicking good time.

Watford v Brighton – Vicarage Road 3pm 29th January. Very few tickets left in Watford sections, Brighton long since sold out. For some more previews of the underdogs check out the EON FA Cup Blogzine

These are the words on the lips of Brighton, Leyton Orient, Carlisle, Wycombe, Colchester, Aldershot and Swindon fans. Their respective teams are all facing non-league opposition in this weekend’s FA Cup 2^nd Round. The sharp-eyed among you will notice that we don’t include Charlton or Stevenage fans in that list. Well, they may also be facing clubs outside the top 4 divisions but their fans will know exactly who their opponents are (Luton) and might even have played them quite recently (AFC Wimbledon), so the terrace epithet doesn’t really apply.

Bloody Hell! – Droylsden .v. Leyton Orient.

The fabulously monikered Bloods will be inviting The O’s for transfusion at the Butchers Arms on Sunday. The source of Droylsden’s messy nickname is, surprisingly, unknown, despite the seemingly obvious connection with butchery that their ground’s name provides.  The season before last was a most historic one for Blue Square North’s Droylsden.  Against most of the odds they dumped League 2’s Darlington out of the First Round. In Round Two a Sean Newton brace saw them past Chesterfield 2-1 and their reward was a tie against Ipswich Town in the 3^rd Round.

The Bloods rubbed their hands at what would have been a massive payday and then created history of a different type when it was discovered Newton should have been serving a one match suspension in Round Two and they were booted out of the tournament. They were neither the first nor the last to suffer that fate but it was the second time in 3 years that the team Ipswich were supposed to face in the Third Round were kicked out, Bury having suffered the same fate for fielding an ineligible player in 2006.

Seagulls Beware – Brighton & Hove Albion .v. FC United of Manchester.

FCUM may well be the whipping boys remaining but their performance at Rochdale in the last round has to be a front-runner for the rather cheesy ‘Ronnie Radford Award’ the FA have thoughtfully invented for the best Giant Killing display of the tournament. And the Seagulls did only just sneak past Woking in the last round. Lightning doesn’t often strike twice in the FA Cup and the paucity of tickets at the Withdean has restricted the away following, so they won’t quite have the raucous backing they did at Spotland.  Struggling in the Evostick League, FC have lost their last four, with their eyes on this game, and Brighton have stuttered a little but are still looking good.

Super Marine! – Colchester United .v. Swindon Supermarine.

If you fancy going to Colchester you’ll have to brave replacement buses or a circuitous train journey and then a trek out to the A12 to Colchester’s new ground. U’s manager John Ward claims to have a dossier on each Supermarine player which should hold his players in good stead, if they take any notice. That’s one of the things about these occasions, teams can prepare as much as they like but if they go into the game, Arsenal, thinking they only need to turn up, then they often get a surprise. And, being as erratic as Colchester have been in the last month, three wins two defeats, you have to wonder. Add in the fact that Marine haven’t tried their hand at doffing up a league club yet and, well, who knows? 

Grotesque – Crawley Town .v. Swindon Town.

The actual, real, league side from Swindon will be the rare exception in Round Two: they will be the only league side facing a non-league side that most non-league fans will want to see win. Universally unpopular Crawley Town have been accused of grotesquely trying to buy promotion, unsettling rival team’s players and cynically poaching those from a lower league or less loaded club. Whether you agree with this or not, it’s almost impossible to see Crawley as the massive underdogs that two league divisions would seem to suggest.

Currently second in the Conference with a game in hand that, if won, would seem them two points clear, Crawley’s funding is almost certainly on a par with Swindon’s.  Indeed, along with several other League One clubs, Swindon were rumoured to be competing with Crawley to sign players who subsequently chose to head to West Sussex. Having seen AFC Wimbledon clinch the moral high ground earlier in the season, beat Crawley in last year’s FA Cup and seen Swindon give Premier League Fulham a tricky game last season, we’re also rooting for the league side here. Sorry to be predictable, we’re not quite the Crawley haterz like some other pundits but, at the moment at least, we’d rather not see the unseemly cash-throwing approach prevail in non-league football.

Lambs To The Slaughter? – Carlisle United .v. Tamworth.

The Lambs’ League Cup Winning former Leicester playmaker, Stefan Oakes, arguably holds the key to their success at League One’s Carlisle. Part of Martin O’Neill’s 2000 Wembley side, Oakes is the fulcrum of and experienced head on a Tamworth side in a bit of flux outside the FA Cup. Hovering dangerously close to the Blue Square Premier’s relegation zone, caretaker boss, former Forest fullback Des Lyttle, and assistant caretaker boss, former Baggies legend Bob Taylor, are unlikely to get much joy in the North West. Having said that, with the freezing weather closing in it is entirely plausible this game either won’t go ahead or will be played in conditions that might level up the game a little.

Phoenix – Dover Athletic .v. Aldershot Town.

Do we really need to tell you about Dover?  You know, the ones that three weeks ago emphasised the word Schadenfreude for Gillingham fans? What about Aldershot?  Didn’t they go bust? Yes. One of the modern era’s original phoenix clubs, Aldershot were re-born in 1992 into the third tier of the Isthmian League. It took them just ten years to get to the Conference and, after another six years, they returned to the league in 2008. Having spent the last 18 years being the young Turks, Aldershot now, for the first real time since regaining their league place, are the clear favourite in an FA Cup tie. Can they handle it? We think possibly not…

Boring Boring Wycombe – Wycombe Wanderers .v. Chelmsford City.

Having despatched Hayes & Yeading with pragmatic, unambitious relative comfort, Wycombe Wanderers probably won’t be quite as cautious against the underdog as other sides facing such a tie for the first time. But they should. Having watched them pick off AFC Wimbledon two seasons ago with similar pragmatic aplomb, they then went to Eastwood Town and lost.  Hoho.  Chelmsford have had the relative good fortune of being drawn against sides at the same or slightly lower level than them. Their biggest test so far was way back in October against the team that now head their league, Bromley, but since then it’s been a festival of victories against Ryman League sides.

If you’ll be Tweeting from the game just let us know who you are and we’ll add you to the list. And you might be surprisd to hear we are off to none of these games for a change. So, if you’re a witty, erudite writer with some time and inclination, we’d be happy to host any FA Cup match reports you might want to throw our way! Make sure you get a quirky photo though!

All fixtures can be found here at the FA and check out the FA Cup main page, ITV website and ESPN listings for what games you can catch on the telly.

Cheres, Damon & Simon.

But that’s exactly the case as The FA Cup First Round draw paired the Gills with Dover Athletic in a rare Kent derby.

Dover have sold out their allocation of tickets, guaranteeing a fantastic atmosphere at Priestfield Stadium – all 2,400 seats in the Brian Moore Stand will be occupied by Whites fans hoping for an FA Cup giant-killing.

And, as even Gillingham’s fans would admit, the chances of a cup shock are better than average.

While free-scoring Dover are flying high in their division, Gillingham are in disarray in theirs. Their usually strong home form has evaporated this season as the Gills, tipped by pundits and bookmakers to be promotion contenders in League Two, sit mired at the wrong end of the table.

The fans are losing patience. Some have already lost it – graffiti was daubed over stadium doors after the club’s 2-0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night – and sections of the crowd have already turned on manager Andy Hessenthaler, who was hailed as a returning hero after last season’s relegation under Mark Stimson.

And Hessenthaler’s presence in the Gillingham dugout, long with his assistants Ian Hendon, Nicky Southall and Darren Hare, means this tie has added spice. Hessenthaler left Dover for Gillingham this summer after guiding the Whites to three promotions. But the rather public nature of the move angered some Dover fans.

That Hessenthaler then took his coaching staff of Southall and Hare with him was an added blow.

Then, to add insult to injury, the man Hessenthaler recommended as his replacement at The Crabble, former Barnet boss Hendon, then performed a shock u-turn and joined Hessenthaler at Gillingham despite having already been announced as Dover’s new manager. It transpired no contract had been signed and the Gills took full advantage. Now under the stewardship of former Arsenal striker Martin Hayes Dover are out to prove a point.

With the Gills in a rut and Dover on a roll, this match promises to be a tough, tense affair.

Dover have been backed in from 7/1 to 4/1 with some bookies, reflecting the form of both sides. Dover will believe they can cause a shock result, while Gillingham desperately need not only a win but an impressive performance to give their season the kick-start it needs.

I’ll be tweeting live from the game from 3pm on Saturday afternoon @simonhead

Simon Head is the presenter of The Football Pubcast (www.footballpubcast.co.uk) and editor of independent Gillingham FC fan site Gills365 (www.gills365.co.uk)