FA Cup Third Qualifying Round

Draw tomorrow (Monday) at about 12 noon. Should be available on the utterly unreliable FA website shortly after that time.

Possible opponents. League and current position in brackets. Italics means subject to a replay...

Step 2 - All Conference North

Boston Utd (6th out of 22)
Brackley Town (2nd)
Gainsborough Trinity (18th)
Hednesford Town (1st)
Leamington (21st)
Solihull Moors (5th)
Worcester City (16th)

Step 3

Corby Town (SL Premier - 12th out of 24)
Stamford (NPL Premier - 21st out of 24)

Step 4

Carlton Town (NPL 1 South - 2nd out of 22)
Daventry Town (SL Central - 1st out of 22 - 100% record so far)
Gresley (NPL 1 South - 15th)
Halesowen Town (NPL 1 South - 4th)
Mickleover Sports (NPL 1 South - 3rd)
Rugby Town (SL Central - 3rd)

Step 6

Atherstone Town (Midland Combination - 14th out of 19, but with games in hand due to their Cup run)

Atherstone or Halesowen away. Fully expect us too get Hednesford away.

Hopefully we will miss Hednesford, Brackley, Solihull & Boston. Anything else will be reasonable in my eyes at this stage of the competition. I for one do not want Halesowen.

Anyone below Step 2 and not Halesowen, please.

It's quite a small section again - only 7 ties out of 40 in the round. Can't see too many candidates for an "extended" Midlands area. Perhaps Histon and AFC Rushden & Diamonds?

R&D beat Cambridge City 3-2 with a 93rd minute goal yesterday. They're currently 10th in the United Counties League (step 5), but miles behind with their fixtures already due to the Cup. Won three, lost one from four matches. For those of a nostalgic bent, they share Wellingborough Town's Dog & Duck ground where we used to play regularly up until about 25 years ago.

Histon are currently 9th in Conference North. Would be ironic if we drew them away as we were due to visit Cambridge City, who now share Histon's ground, that weekend in a League match!

stour_boy wrote:Anyone below Step 2 and not Halesowen, please.

No easy ties! I'd be wary of visiting any of the step 4 clubs - apart from Mickleover they're all going well and we've seen with Gosport and now Poole how good clubs from that level can compete very well with clubs in our division when they come up.

I'd take any home tie to be honest. I don't think any Conf North side would consider us "easy" at our place. Preferably not Hednesford though. Just don't like playing them - they seem to have our number over the years!

Rushden currently play at Wellingborough, which makes them a lot more "Midlands" than Gainsborough Trinity, who were included in the original list.

On this occasion I'll hope for a home draw as I'd miss any replay that week!

Dave the Glassboy wrote:Rushden currently play at Wellingborough, which makes them a lot more "Midlands" than Gainsborough Trinity, who were included in the original list.

On this occasion I'll hope for a home draw as I'd miss any replay that week!

I only included Gainsborough originally as they were in the Midlands section of the 2nd Qualifying Round draw. They beat Rushall 2-0 on Saturday.

Obviously there needs to be an even number of teams in each section, so if Gainsborough go into the "North" another team has to go with them - presumably Boston Utd (from our point of view that wouldn't bother me at all). I agree R&D are more Midlands than Gainsborough for what it's worth.

Home to Curzon Ashton or Lancaster City.

Obv just straight North and South draw.

Is that a good draw or not?

TRM wrote:Home to Curzon Ashton or Lancaster City.

Obv just straight North and South draw.

That took us all by surprise. Good draw all the same.

They drew 0-0 on Saturday.

Both play in the NPL 1 North - step 4, same level as Sutton. Both unbeaten in the League. CA 7 wins and a draw from 8 games. LC 5 wins, 3 draws from 8 games.

Winnable then. Good stuff. Will be hard though.

Great draw. Another winnable game on paper and at home to boot.

I've got a good feeling this year...

Not getting carried away personally. I think either will be very tough.

Neither of them have lost, whilst we've lost 4 and by all accounts have been lucky to win others. They may be in a lower league but I don't think that will count for much unless we improve.

Interesting blog on Saturday's match at Curzon Ashton...

http://thegiantkillingadventure.blogspot.co.uk/

Had a bit of a scour round the interweb but neither side appears to have a forum - at least not one that's "alive". Lancaster have one but the last post (which may be an apt phrase in this instance!) was on 7th October last year.

No familiar names in either squad as far as I can make out - but Lancaster are managed by Darren Peacock, the former Newcastle centre-back.

Newly registered punters not allowed to post links for 7 days?!! (by which time, The mighty Dolly Blues, in a cut and thrust 6-6aet cup extravaganza, will've been swizzed out of it 9-8 on bloody penalties!!) such is the fickle nature of cup footy.

In any case, in case any of you Glassboys give a toss, we DO have a forum. Just go to Lancaster CIty's Pitchero site on the homepage click on UNOFFICIAL FORUM link. Incidentally, you won't get much in the way of Curzon forum-based bantz!

If you're REALLY desperate, have a tootle on nonleaguezone.com - Evo Stik Division One North....

Delly wrote:In any case, in case any of you Glassboys give a toss, we DO have a forum. Just go to Lancaster CIty's Pitchero site on the homepage click on UNOFFICIAL FORUM link. Incidentally, you won't get much in the way of  Curzon forum-based bantz!

Just in case you thought someone had taken a Giant Axe to it!

 

Dave the Glassboy wrote:

Delly wrote:In any case, in case any of you Glassboys give a toss, we DO have a forum. Just go to Lancaster CIty's Pitchero site on the homepage click on UNOFFICIAL FORUM link. Incidentally, you won't get much in the way of  Curzon forum-based bantz!

Just in case you thought someone had taken a Giant Axe to it!

 

Very good Dave.

Ah yes! The Giant Axe - Home of the mighty Dolly Blues. What a lovely sense of humour, Dave!! (Look after him, JIm!!)

You lads're involved in a boring league cup-type game tomorrow night, are you?!

No, it's the Birmingham Senior Cup - the only proper cup competition that we've a chance of winning this season.

Dave the Glassboy wrote:No, it's the Birmingham Senior Cup - the only proper cup competition that we've a chance of winning this season.

That's what I meant, Dave. A county/league cup distraction game. Let a few of your second string have a run out prolly.

Our parallel universe comp is the 'wait for it' - Lancashire Football Association Co-operative Challenge Trophy.

Plum First Round tie at the Axe v Rochdale Town. Can't wait!!