FA Cup First Round – A Preview
This weekend sees the return of the FA Cup and the introduction of the 48 clubs from Leagues One and Two.
The forty ties are spread out over four days, with the majority of the matches being played on Saturday. The round starts with two matches on Friday, with five on Sunday before Chesham United and Lincoln City complete the round’s action on Monday evening.
The commonly-used cliches of David versus Goliath, giantkilling, magic of the FA Cup, non-league minnows and many more will be used frequently over the course of the weekend’s action. It will also be certain to feature in the build-up, on the television coverage and the reports after the games.
The stand-out tie of the round
MK Dons vs AFC Wimbledon. The rivalry between the clubs stems from the relocation of the original Wimbledon Football Club moving to Milton Keynes and AFC Wimbledon being created by fans of the previous club.
The two clubs played against each other for the first time in this competition twelve years ago, with MK Dons winning 2-1. Two points separate them in League Two this season and both sets of fans will be eager to have bragging rights over their respective enemies.
The Minnows
The lowest rank club that remain in the competition are Hednesford Town, who play in the Northern Premier League Division One, the eighth tier of the football pyramid. They are hosting Gainsborough Trinity, who play in the division above them.
Harborough Town have reached this stage of the competition for the first time and will play Tonbridge Angels in one of five all non-league ties. Harborough are underdogs as they are currently in the division below their opponents. Their run in the FA Cup has hampered their league form and they currently are in 16th. Tonbridge Angels currently sit in 12th place in the National League South.
The Giants
Birmingham City are the highest-ranked side in the first round and are playing away to Sutton United on Sunday lunchtime. Sutton are a famous name in the FA Cup, having famously knocked out Coventry City who were in the top flight at the time back in 1989 and played Arsenal in the fifth round back in 2017.
Despite the bigger clubs in the Premier League treating the FA Cup as inferior to other competitions, the clubs in the lower divisions still relish a good run in the oldest cup competition in world football. It offers the chance to make a name for yourself and there will definitely be some surprises over the weekend.
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