Twelve Wins to Wembley

Who knew a 90th minute goal in December 2008 would lead to this, or, the road to the 2014/15 FA Cup final Editor-in-Chief Ryan Wood

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INTERVIEW: Jarrow Roofing BCA forward Stu Nicholson

Through nine appearances with Jarrow Roofing BCA this season, Nicholson had five goals and three assists.

Before coming to Jarrow Roofing BCA, Nicholson also played for Shrewsbury Town, Wrexham, Tamworth, Birtley Town, Moreland Zebras, and Hebburn Town as well as a professional stint in Australia. He debuted in the Premier League for West Brom on Jan. 21, 2006, at Sunderland, just a few days after his professional debut on Jan. 17, 2006, in an FA Cup match against Reading.

1. You had quite a week a couple weeks back, first winning your FA Vase match against Thornaby and then beating Morpeth Town in the FA Cup on the weekend. Talk about what these past few days have been like for the club.

SN: I actually missed the Vase game, and we had a few players missing due to injuries and work commitments, but to get a win against a strong Thornaby side with 13 players available was great. We then carried it on and defeated Morpeth Town, who are again in the league above. It's great for the club as the prize funds are decent and it puts less stress on the club owner. We reward him for putting the faith in us I guess.

(Ed. note: Roofing went on to beat Willington AFC over the weekend to advance to the FA Vase First Round Proper to face Nelson)

2. Your win against Morpeth Town, where does that rank for you in terms of one of your most memorable games?

SN: The win against Morpeth is up there with the best. I have played in some big games with West Brom and Bristol Rovers, but for where I am now and what it means for us as a club, this win is up there and long may it continue.

3. Take me through the goal. It was getting late in the match, and obviously neither team wants to go to a replay. How hard were pushing forward for that goal?

SN: Well they broke away and their lad went down and they refused to kick the ball out of play. Dava (Ian Davison) received the ball and pinged a great ball forward, which Macca (Liam McBryde) flicked on and I ran on to it leaving me 1 v 1 with the 'keeper, and I touched it through his legs. The feeling was great seeing the ball hit the net and we celebrated as a team. They had their say about us not kicking the ball out, but they had the chance to do so and they didn't, so why should I?

4. The final whistle blows against Morpeth Town, what went through your mind?

SN: I was over the moon. I was very tired going into the last five minutes, and they felt like five hours. But the lads dug in, and when the whistle blew, the feeling was special. Knowing that we put a good shift in for each other and celebrated with a beer after, well there's no better feeling.

5. You've knocked off three higher division clubs and reached Second Qualifying Round for the second time in the club's history. What has been the key to the team's success during this FA Cup?

SN: We have defeated three teams who are in higher leagues then us. To me personally, it's no surprise as our squad is very very strong. We have football league experience with myself, Gards (Paul Gardiner), Kirky (Dan Kirkup), Jeff (Forsyth), and Apps (Andy Appleby). We have players who have played and experienced at this level, and when you mix it up, that creates a great team, which we have. We have some great young ones coming through as well so, again, it's no surprise to me that we have defeated these teams.

6. Having won your first three matches and proving you can play against anyone in this competition, is there an pressure going into this weekend's match?

SN: We have respect for whoever we play, but not too much (pressure). We can't worry about them as it's about us. The pressure is on them as they are in the league above and therefore favourites to beat us. We relish that as a team. I'm very confident we can make it through to the next round and long may it continue.

Jarrow Roofing BCA faces Guisborough Town Saturday in Second Qualifying Round. Thanks to Stu and the staff at Jarrow Roofing BCA for the interview.

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INTERVIEW: The Real FA Cup co-creator Damon

1. Whose idea was it to create The Real FA Cup website and what was your purpose when it was created?

I can't really remember whose specific idea it was to create the website. It was just born out of chatter between Simon and I while enjoying a beer and the early rounds of the FA Cup watching Dulwich Hamlet in the 2008 season. We noticed that there wasn't a lot of coverage of the early rounds - there is now! - so thought we'd document where we'd been. A large part of it was also going to new places and seeing new grounds and towns we would otherwise not visit.

2. Did anyone on staff play at any level of English football?

Yes, both of us have played at a very high level in English football. We use pseudonyms to protect our identity. This might not be true. Although it might.

3. The site has gone through massive changes since it launched. Have you seen a significant increase in traffic and followers since you started?

No, not really. It just builds a little year on year and occasionally gets some interest when a piece hits the zeitgeist. We're a niche site, featuring teams with few fans, so we won't ever get much traffic, which is fine by us because neither of us want to be a writer/journalist. But, it's nice to know some people are still reading.

4. Many people start following the FA Cup when the Championship and Premier League teams enter the competition, but it's clear the passion and fan support is there beginning in the Extra Preliminary Round. How much does the FA Cup mean to those teams in the early rounds?

We see a lot of Tweets from fans, players, and officials of non league sides at this time of year about how they are "pumped for the FA Cup," etc. It does seem to suggest that the competition is in rude health at this end of the football hierarchy, even if the Premier League teams don't much care for it.

5. What is your favorite FA Cup moment?

Difficult to pick out just one, but my favourite FA Cup yarn was Glossop club secretary Jonathan Haggart naming himself as a sub on the Glossop bench! 

http://haggisinwonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/one-for-grandchildren.html

6. Do you and your staff attend matches, particularly in the early qualifying rounds?

We don't have staff I'm afraid Ryan. We both have 'proper jobs', carry no advertising, and we make/pay no money. There are just the two of us who run the site but we have a whole host of good people contributing who like writing about football or their experiences at football.

We usually go to two or three games in each of the first six rounds then probably just one in the next three rounds. This season, because of holidays, we've only been to five games so far.

7. What are the best matches to watch for Second Qualifying Round? And do you have any surprise upsets?

Well, we like the look of AFC Telford v Hednesford Town and also Grays v Tilbury as it's quite a local derby. Harlow v Heybridge is worth a look because the Harlow fans are some of the best we've come across in the last five years. Margate v Dulwich Hamlet is another we'll be keeping an eye on because Hamlet are 'our' team but the one we want to happen is Chalfont St Peter v Lewes - though the home side have to beat Met Police in a replay first (editor's note: they did beat Met Polce; this interview was conducted prior to the replay). As for upsets, they are very difficult to predict, and we've only seen about three in five years. There are so many non league sides around that we couldn't possibly keep an eye on the form of all of them and that's one of the joys of what we do, not knowing what will happen keeps us going. We certainly aren't experts on non league football. We're enthusiastic football fans who have picked up some knowledge along the way.

8. How important is it to have home support and do you see more and more fans come out to home games the further these lower division teams advance?

There are two aspects to that question and, in my humble opinion, they're not intrinsically linked. I was having the 'home support' discussion with a Hitchin Town fan on Saturday and, at this stage of the Cup, neither of us were convinced home advantage is overly supporter-influenced. It's more to do with the pitch and familiarity of surroundings for the players. The crowds are not necessarily large enough at this stage to make any noise count. That said, some teams' fans are very vociferous and seem to make a difference. Kingstonian spring to mind, and Clapton fans in the previous round definitely spurred on their team, especially when they were getting a battering in the second game. On the second part of your question, yes, certainly more and more people come out to support their local team the further they progress, and it is obviously a good thing. However, whether that is anything but a short-term financial bonus is anyone's guess. It's difficult to get much data on whether the people who go along to a big local game end up returning on a regular basis.

Thanks to Damon and The Real FA Cup. For the most up-to-date and at times more accurate than the actual FA website, visit http://therealfacup.co.uk/ or follow them on Twitter.

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Oh, Dover, you're making no friends

Here is the statement from Guernsey FC:

"Guernsey FC regrets to announce that the FA Cup with Budweiser 2nd Qualifying Round tie with Dover Athletic will not take place in Guernsey. 

Under the FA terms that have been given to the club to allow GFC to participate in the FA Cup, all matches taking place in Guernsey must kick off at 1300 on a Saturday afternoon, unless the two teams can agree to an alternative kick off time. On the 28th September, the Guernsey Rugby Club has a home fixture due to kick off at 1430 and it cannot move its match, as the visiting rugby club is not staying in the island overnight. 

Dover Athletic has advised that it’s unwilling to play on the Saturday evening. Its reason is that the club will not play on the pitch after a rugby match has taken place on it. 

Guernsey FC has also offered for the fixture to be played as a Friday evening tie on 27th September, however Dover Athletic has advised that its players have insufficient time to arrange time off work for this date.

Dover Athletic has also refused to play the tie on Sunday 29th September.

This means to comply with the FA rules, GFC has to play the game in the UK.

More details will be released when the fixture is confirmed. 

News article dated: 18/09/2013

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ATHERSTONE Town manager Ivor Green says beating Redditch United in their FA Cup first qualifying round replay on Monday night was an “amazing achievement”.

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FA Cup Second Qualifying Round Draw

1 Runcorn Linnets v Cammell Laird 2 Guiseley AFC v Bradford (Park Avenue) 3 Frickley Athletic v Marske United 4 Scarborough Athletic v Penrith AFC 5 Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA v Guisborough Town or Bishop Auckland 6 Curzon Ashton v Lancaster City 7 Workington AFC v Burscough 8 Stockport County v Brighouse Town 9 Ossett Town or Bamber Bridge v Warrington Town or New Mills 10 AFC Fylde v Ashton United 11 Colwyn Bay v Harrogate Town 12 Vauxhall Motors v Chorley 13 Trafford v Altrincham 14 Stalybridge Celtic v Worksop Town or Bootle 15 Buxton v North Ferriby United 16 Whitby Town or West Auckland Town v Skelmersdale United 17 Barrow AFC v Stocksbridge Park Steels or Ramsbottom United 18 AFC Telford United v Hednesford Town 19 Solihull Moors v Leamington 20 Atherstone Town or Redditch United v Coalville Town 21 Stamford or Grantham Town v AFC Wulfrunians or Walsall Wood 22 Stourbridge v Newcastle Town or Sutton Coldfield Town 23 Brackley Town v Gresley 24 Gainsborough Trinity v Rushall Olympic 25 Mickleover Sports  v Corby Town 26 Worcester City  v Coventry Sphinx 27 Belper Town v Daventry Town 28 Chasetown or Stafford Rangers v Boston United 29 Dunkirk or Blaby & Whetstone Athletic v Rugby Town 30 Halesowen Town v Tipton Town 31 Carlton Town or Brigg Town v Matlock Town 32 Grays Athletic v Tilbury 33 Spalding United v AFC Hornchurch or East Thurrock United 34 Concord Rangers v St Ives Town 35 Royston Town v Histon 36 Brentwood Town or FC Clacton v Harrow Borough or North Greenford United 37 Needham Market v Dunstable Town 38 St Albans City v Billericay Town 39 Hampton & Richmond Borough v Bedford Town 40 Hitchin Town or Arlesey Town v Thurrock 41 AFC Rushden or Cockfosters v Cambridge City 42 Hemel Hempstead Town v Witham Town or Mildenhall Town 43 Barton Rovers v Boreham Wood 44 Biggleswade Town or Wingate & Finchley v Chelmsford City 45 Harlow Town v Heybridge Swifts 46 Wealdstone v Haringey Borough 47 Hendon v Bishop’s Stortford 48 Sleaford Town or Huntingdon Town v AFC Sudbury 49 Canvey Island v St Neots Town 50 Whitehawk v Sutton United 51 Thamesmead Town v Sittingbourne 52 Didcot Town v Burnham 53 Merstham v Maidstone United 54 Bromley v Burgess Hill Town 55 South Park or Horsham v Faversham Town 56 Ebbsfleet United v Folkestone Invicta 57 Guernsey v Dover Athletic 58 Oxford City v Maidenhead United 59 Eastbourne Town v Hartley Wintney or Camberley Town 60 Whyteleafe v Chatham Town 61 Chertsey Town v Chipstead 62 Eastbourne Borough v Farnborough 63 Margate v Dulwich Hamlet 64 Ardley United or Binfield v Leatherhead 65 Westfield or Aylesbury United v Staines Town 66 Hayes & Yeading United v Tonbridge Angels 67 Chalfont St Peter  v Lewes or Metropolitan Police 68 Dorchester Town v Shortwood 69 Hamworthy United v Poole Town 70 Cirencester Town v AFC Portchester 71 Brislington v Truro City 72 Corsham Town or Bristol Manor Farm v Bridgwater Town 73 Gloucester City v Havant & Waterlooville 74 Eastleigh v Mangotsfield United 75 Basingstoke Town v Weston Super Mare 76 Yate Town v Bideford AFC 77 Weymouth v Frome Town or Bognor Regis Town 78 Clevedon Town v Sholing 79 Bath City v Gosport Borough 80 Bashley v Hungerford Town

Read more at http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/News/2013/Sep/fa-cup-second-round-qualifying-draw.aspx#rv6FxkdKpV8YKB6o.99 

Read more at The Real FA Cup (which has their shit together far better than the FA today) at http://therealfacup.co.uk/fixtures/. Thanks to the Real FA Cup crew for staying on top of things today and every day. Be sure to follow the Real FA Cup on Twitter. 

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The 10s keep on fighting, and Wembley's run ends

They beat Armthorpe Welfare, 2-1, in the Extra Preliminary Round, and then beat Penrith, 2-0, in the Preliminary Round, before defeating Garforth Town, 1-0, in First Round Qualifying. Coincidentally, all three matches were played at home. They lost, 2-1, to Lincoln United away in Second Round Qualifying.

Back to this year's First Round Qualifying ... three other Level 10s are alive, at least for another day or two. Atherstone Town drew, 3-3, with Level 7 club Redditch United. The replay is Monday at 7:45 p.m. local time (2:45 p.m. ET). Blaby & Whetstone Athletic held Dunkirk (Level 9) scoreless and will play Tuesday at Blaby. Corsham Town and Bristol Manor (9) slugged it out to a 4-4 draw and play on the road at The Creek Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. local time. 

In other, non-Level 10 news ... Wembley got knocked out of the competition this weekend, losing 2-0 to Haringey Borough.

Two weeks ago, the post I started writing and then finished after this week's matches (yes, makes no sense, but roll with it): Forget #TransferDeadlineDay and the wild Premier League weekend - props to Crystal Palace for its first win of the year - it was the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup. Yet again, for the second weekend of this year's competition, minnows kept swimming while others face disappointment and having to wait til next year for their FA Cup glory.

There were 33 Level 10 teams that began the competition in the Extra Preliminary Round and advanced to the Preliminary Round, yet only 10 of those teams survived the Preliminary Round: Jarrow Roofing BCA, South Shields, Plymouth Parkway, Littlehampton Town, Kings Langley, Corsham Town, Atherstone Town, Wells City, Brocton, and Blaby & Whetstone Athletic.

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Fun Fact #3

The FA Cup was known as The Cribbins Master Trophy until 1897

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Next stop, Preliminary Round a.k.a. 33 10s Still Alive

The Extra Preliminary Round matches began Aug. 16 and ran through the weekend. For the Level 10 teams, the path to the next round certainly isn't an easy one. There were 10 Level 10v10 matches, guaranteeing a trip to Preliminary Round Qualifying for at least 10 teams. There were 23 teams that advanced by beating Level 9s, quite impressive for some, including five which went to replays:

South Shields F.C. beat Colne 2-1 after a 1-1 draw

Bolehall Swifts topped Causeway United 4-0 after a 2-2 draw

Atherstone Town F.C. slid past Rocester 1-0 after a 3-3 draw

Arnold Town FC edged Stewarts & Lloyds Corby 2-1 after a 1-1 draw

Ipswich Wanderers F.C. blanked Wivenhoe Town 1-0 after a 0-0 draw

The other remaining Level 10s that beat Level 9s are: Whitton United, Littlehampton Town, Jarrow Roofing BCA, Formby, Shirebrook Town, AFC Emley, Atherton Collieries, Ellesmere Rangers, Lye Town, Black County Rangers, Blaby & Whetstone Athletic, Swaffham Town, Bodmin Town, Wells City, Petersfield Town, Corsham Town, Cowes Sports, and Eastbourne UA. The other Level 10s, who beat Level 10s, are: Whitehaven, Plymouth Parkway, Studley, Borrowash Victoria, St. Blazey, Shawbury United, Wolverhampton Casuals, Brocton, Northampton Spencer, and Crawley Town.

Etc...

Quite possibly the longest name in European football and perhaps the world, Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association, aka Jarrow Roofing BCA or The Roofers, are my top pick for Preliminary Round Qualifying. The Roofers play in the Albany Northern League (Division Two). The face Dunston UTS at home.

135 new teams enter the competition at this stage, no higher than Level 8 teams.

Two sides (Hucknall Town and Sidley United) were removed in the Extra Preliminary Round, leading to walkovers for Loughborough University and Erith Town.

Two teams scored nine goals each in the Extra Preliminary Round. Ashington beat Pontefract Collieries, 9-0, while Bristol Manor Farm thumped Oldland Abbotonians, 9-3.

My favorites of the early rounds, South Park FC, which advanced all the way to third round qualifying last year, beat Mole Valley SCR, 1-0, and will play at Level 8 side Guildford City.

Of the other three Level 10s to go far last year, only Badshot Lea remains alive and will face Hartley Wintney at home. Tadcaster Albion and Blackfield & Langley both lost last weekend.

Wembley, ah yes good ol' Wembley, opened this year's Cup with a 1-0 win over AFC Kempston Rovers on the road and next will play at Ware. Remember, last year, Wembely's Cup run ended in this coming round.

All Extra Preliminary Round winners received £1,500 for their club. Preliminary Round winners take home £1,925.

My sure picks for the underdogs of the Preliminary Round Qualifying are:

South Shields over Albion Sports

Boston Town over Dereham Town

Plymouth Parkway over Ilfracombe Town

South Park over Guildford City

Wembley over Ware

and I'm going out on a limb with this one:

Formby (Level 10) will beat Northwich Victoria (8). It's at home, which is a massive advantage for Formby. Northwich may have history on their side with their successful FA Cup years, but Formby will advance.

If you want to watch a quality match in person, head to Curzon Ashton vs. Ashton Athletic. 

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It's that time again ... let the minnows begin their swim

The 2013/14 FA Cup kicks off this weekend, and although you won't see every match on NBC here in the states (or anywhere), games will be played and giant killers in the making begin their dream runs.

It's hard to believe that Wigan, of all teams, are the reigning FA Cup title holders, having beaten Manchester City, 1-0, in the 2013 final. A disastrous Premier League season saw them get relegated to the Championship, yet, they're in the Europa League group stage (by way of winning the FA Cup). Who else is in the group stage? Valencia and Lazio have also qualified for the group stage. Seeing Wigan in that group is mind blowing.

This year, 89 Level 10s are in the competition. 

One team I like in these early stages of the Cup is South Park. In last year's Cup, the team went all the way to third round qualifying AND had three replays along the way! They travel to Mole Valley SCR this weekend. Should be an easy win. Tadcaster Albion, Badshot Lea, and Blackfield & Langley were three other teams that began in the Extra Preliminary Round last year and advanced to third round qualifying and both begin this year's Cup run this weekend as well, the former taking on Bishop Auckland, the other two playing Staines Lammas and Petersfield Town, respectively.

The most notable match of the Extra Preliminary Round is Wembley FC at AFC Kempston Rovers. Last year, much was made about Wembley as the club brought in former stars such as Graeme Le Saux, Claudio Caniggia, and Brian McBride, specifically for the FA Cup, only to fall flat on their face and bow out in the Preliminary Round to Uxbridge. 

There are only 10 Level 10 v 10 matches this weekend, so that guarantees at least 10 L10s will move on to the Preliminary Round.

Studley v Stafford Town

Borrowash Victoria v Louth Town

Plymouth Parkway v Saltash United

St Blazey v Tavistock

Northallerton Town v Whitehaven

Shawbury United v Dudley Town

Wolverhampton Casuals v Pegasus Juniors

Nuneaton Griff v Brocton

Northampton Spencer v Bugbrooke St Michaels

Codicote v Crawley Green

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What ya know 'bout Slough Town?

Holy shit. I did not see this one coming, although I should have, given their FA Cup run this year, but props to Slough Town for nearly pulling off another massive upset. They dumped Ryman League leaders Margate, 1-0, in 3rd Round Qualifying (then beat Gosport Borough in a replay in 4th Round Qualifying). And Saturday, they nearly sent off Mansfield Town. And they remain the only level 8 team left in the competition after Yate Town lost, 3-0, to Cheltenham Town Saturday. After Saturday's 0-0 draw with Mansfield Town in front of 1,686 strong at One Call Stadium, Slough Town will return home to Holloways Park in Beaconsfield on Nov. 13 for the replay and a shot at reaching Second Round Proper for the second time in history. The last and only time Slough Town was in the second round was in 2004 when they knocked off Walsall. Speaking of Walsall, they have to be pissed, drawing 1-1 with Lincoln City Saturday. The only saving grace is that the replay is at home. But back to Slough. Looking at Saturday's result, which was the team's seventh straight FA Cup match this year without a loss (five wins, two draws), it makes me wonder, what the hell happened back in the preliminary round when this same team conceded three goals to Croydon. Yeah, they scored six for the 6-3 win, but since allowing three goals in one match, Slough Town has only allowed three goals in their next six matches! This team has absolutely nothing to lose. They're at home, where they've already beat three teams in this FA Cup. I'm calling a 3-1 win at home on the replay. All of the level 8s and 7s have played their matches in this round, and in addition to Slough Town living another day, two other teams continue their run. Cambridge City has a replay Nov. 13 after a 0-0 draw with League One MK Dons (3). One level 7 has advanced after Hastings United beat Bishop's Stortford (6) 2-1. In other action Saturday, Portsmouth continues to die a slow death. I can't believe it was just a few years ago that this team WON the fucking FA Cup AND beat Manchester United along the way to their 1-0 win over Cardiff at Wembley. Now, they're down in League One. Their FA Cup run this year lasted all of 90 minutes after bowing out to Notts County, a 2-0 loss at HOME. That's dreadful. You've gotta feel for Portsmouth, though, particularly their fans. Nearly 8,000 showed up Saturday at Fratton Park just to see this team put in a piss-poor performance. There were a couple notable upsets Saturday over League clubs, particularly when Macclesfield Town (Conference National) beat Swindon Town, 2-0. Conference North's Harrogate Town upended Torquay, 1-0. Hereford Town stunned Shrewsbury Town, 3-1, and Chelmsford put up the same score in their upset over Colchester United.

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A proper beginning

Well, since there aren't any level 9 teams remaining, ultimately ruining the name of this blog, I'm gonna follow the remaining minnows through the end of their FA Cup runs. First Round Proper, 40 matches played Saturday and Sunday (with one match Friday night) features two level 8 teams - Yate Town and Slough Town - and six level 7s. I've got my favorites, one of which pulled off a massive draw (Cambridge City took League One MK Dons (level 3) to a replay after neither team scored Friday night, the first match of this round). The level 8s are making history as we speak (and are on their quest for "Eleven Wins to Wembley").. This is Yate Town's best-ever FA Cup run. The Bluebells will face League Two's Cheltenham Town (4). The Evostik Southern South & West Division side Yate Town began this year's Cup in the preliminary round, knocking out Poole Town, 4-1. They beat Winchester City, 2-1 in First Round Qualifying, Oxford City, 2-1 in Second Round Qualifying, North Leigh, 2-1 in Third Round Qualifying, and then Conference National side Newport County (5), getting two goals in extra time of the replay, a 3-1 win. Both teams played to a 3-3 draw (Yate Town squandered a 3-1 lead in that game). Cheltenham Town will not be an easy task for Yate Town. No strangers to FA Cup success, Cheltenham Town reached the fifth round in 2002. The other level 8 team remaining is Slough Town. The Rebels play in the Southern League Division 1 Central and will play at Conference National side Mansfield Town (5). Slough Town is looking to reach the second round for the second time in team history. The last time they went that far was 2004/05 when they knocked off Walsall before losing to Yeading. Slough Town reached first round this year after beating Gosport Borough (4) 2-1 on the road in a replay after a scoreless draw at home in fourth round qualifying. The Rebels started the Cup with a 6-3 win over Croydon in the preliminary round followed by a 4-1 win over Lingfield in first round qualifying and victories over Eastbourne Town (5-1, second round qualifying), and Margate Town (1-0, third round qualifying). Slough Town will not have an easy go either. Mansfield Town has some FA Cup history in tow. They reached fourth round proper in 2007/08, losing to Middlesbrough. The most interesting matches are going to come from the level 7s as we've seen with Cambridge City already. Next up, there's AFC Fylde at Accrington Stanley (4), Met Police vs. Crawley Town (3), Hendon at Aldershot Town (4), Arlesey Town at Coventry City (3), and Hastings United at Bishop's Stortford (6). My picks for the weekend with the level 8s and 7s: Cheltenham Town 3-2 Yate Town Mansfield Town 2-1 Slough Town Met Police 2-2 Crawley Town Accrington Stanley 3-0 AFC Fylde Aldershot Town 2-1 Hendon Coventry City 5-2 Arlesey Town Bishop's Stortford 0-3 Hastings United

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Proper return

So yeah, I took a vacation the week before and weekend of Fourth Round Qualifying, so it's safe to say I'm a tad bit behind. I missed a hell of a fourth round. And even though all Level 9 teams have been eliminated and didn't get the chance to advance to First Round Proper, the blog continues, pretty much following the minnows from here on out. Although not necesarrily a minnow, I'm also keen on Met Police advancing to Second Round Proper. They've got Crawley Town at home. All First Round Proper matches will take place the weekend of Nov. 3. Between now and then, it's my goal to track down the Met Police to get their take on Crawley Town, and we may hear from another team, or just plain ol' rambling from myself. See you soon.

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West Auckland FC sees Cup run end

West came back from two goals down in the final 10 minutes to draw, 2-2, with Harrogate back on Sept. 22. In Tuesday's replay, after John Campbell tied the game at 1 apiece for West, Harrogate Town then went on a scoring rampage, taking a 5-1 victory and advancing to 3rd Round Qualifying to face Frickley this Saturday (Oct. 6).

So, with West Auckland FC's loss, this now leaves just four Level 9 teams in this year's FA Cup. The matches are below, with the Level 9 teams in bold. All games will be played Saturday, Oct. 6.

Dereham Town v Met Police

Tadcaster Albion v Boston United

Chippenham Town v Badshot Lea

Sholing v Blackfield & Langley

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Wednesday's replay ends Cup run for AFC Dunstable, while flooding threatens Tadcaster match

After reaching Second Round Qualifying for the first time in team history (they entered the FA Cup for the first time last year and lost in the preliminary qualifying round to Grays Athletic, 3-2), AFC Dunstable took Northwood to a replay, but Wedneday night proved the end for the hosts. With their loss, the number of Level 9 teams remaining in the FA Cup this year, and will play in Third Round Qualifying, are: Dereham Town, Tadcaster Albion, Badshot Lea, and Blackfield & Langley.

West Auckland Town, which drew 2-2 with Conference North side Harrogate Town, can join that group with a win in next Tuesday's (Oct. 2) replay at Harrogate.

Third Round Qualifying ties for the L9s are:

Dereham Town v Met Police

Tadcaster Albion v Boston United

Chippenham Town v Badshot Lea

Sholing v Blackfield & Langley

Matches take place on Saturday, Oct. 6. The location of the Tadcaster v Boston United match may be moved to Boston United as torrential flooding in Tadcaster has put their field underwater.

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Facing the inevitable

I created this blog to follow the FA Cup from the beginning and to chart the progress of the lowest level clubs, the Level 9s and Level 10s. But after Extra Preliminary Round, Preliminary Round, First Round Qualifying, and now Second Round Qualifying, there are less than a half dozen L9s (and no more L10s) that remain from the 758 clubs that started this year's Cup run. For the L9s and L10s, it takes 12 wins to get to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. With only a few L9s left, here's hoping they get past Third Round Qualifying on Oct. 6 to preserve the true purpose of this blog. But if there are no more L9s left, the blog won't end, it'll take a slightly different turn. So stay tuned for weeks and weeks of more FA Cup coverage to come.

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Unlucky Westfields falls to Moors, South Park advances

Westfields, looking to continue their historic FA Cup run, lost on a late goal by Blue Square North side Solihull Moors. Westfields took a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the match and had an advantage when Moors went down to 10 men after a booking, but Moors managed to sneak in the game-winner with just minutes to spare.

Two more teams from the Extra Preliminary Round have yet to play. AFC Dunstable takes on Northwood today (winner gets Boreham Wood), while poor weather conditions forced the West Auckland Town v Harrogate Town replay to Tuesday, Oct. 2. The winner returns four days later to face Frickley Athletic.

3rd Round Qualifying currently features four level 9 teams - Tadcaster Albion, which will play at home against Boston United - Dereham Town, which hosts Met Police; Badshot Lea, which travels to Chippenham Town; and South Park, which entertains Brentwood Town. AFC Dunstable, Westfields, and West Auckland, all L9, could join that group depending on their results in their replays.

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Minnows keep swimming, move into 3rd Round Qualifying

Four teams that began this journey in the Extra Preliminary Round (EPR) continue to make history, winning their matches Saturday in FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying. These four teams have now beat four teams each to reach this stage of the tournament and stand just one win from reaching Fourth Round Qualifying and two victories away from First Round Proper. A fifth team will join them as South Park and Harefield United played to a draw Saturday and will have a replay Tuesday. Both began the Cup this year in the EPR. Here are today’s results from teams that started in the EPR:

Dereham Town beat Chasetown, 2-1

Tadcaster Albion beat Skelmersdale, 4-1

Badshot Lea beat Leiston, 4-2

Blackfield & Langley beat Fareham Town, 2-0

Harefield United 0-0 South Park

Westfields 1-1 Solihull Moors (Conference North)

West Auckland Town 2-2 Harrogate Town (Conference North)

AFC Dunstable 1-1 Northwood

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Shildon lost, 3-0, to Altrincham

Spennymoor Town lost, 5-3, to Trafford

Abbey Hey lost, 6-0, to Halifax Town

Bishop Auckland lost, 2-1, to AFC Fylde

Nuneaton Griff lost, 3-2, to Hednesford Town

Gornal Athletic lost, 4-0, to Worcester City

Berkhamsted lost, 3-0, to Met Police

Wootton Bassett lost, 4-0, to Dorchester Town

Gillingham Town lost, 3-1, to Sholing

Buckland Athletic lost, 2-1, to Bath City

Tividale lost, 5-3, to Hinkley United