Ascot United v Sandhurst Town
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Extra Preliminary Round
7.45pm, Friday 10 August 2012
The Racecourse Ground, Ascot United FC
Winning clubs receive £1000 from The FA's prize fund
By Zarif Rasul

Ascot United made plenty of new ‘friends’ in The FA Cup last season - and they’ll be hoping to do the same again this year when they face Sandhurst Town in the Extra Preliminary Round of the 2012-13 FA Cup campaign on Friday night.

The Berkshire club, who compete in the Hellenic League Premier Division, made history during the same stage of the competition last year when they hosted the first match to be streamed live on a social networking site.

FA Cup sponsors Budweiser funded a live stream on Facebook of Ascot’s 2-1 defeat at home to Wembley in front of a crowd of 1,149 at Ascot Racecourse - a match that also doubled up as their debut outing in the competition.

Club assistant manager Paul McGrotty has revealed how the uniqueness of the occasion inspired his players, and says his squad are aware of the demands of The FA Cup after receiving their first taste last season.

"We had the massive occasion this time last season where we kicked off The FA Cup with the live game on Facebook," said McGrotty.

"So a lot of the players are still here from that and they know the pace of it. And of course, it’s The FA Cup, so not everyone gets the chance to say they’ve played in an FA Cup game.

"The awareness around Ascot and the local area was phenomenal. Budweiser came up with the Facebook idea, and then there was a lot of hard work between people at the club. And the hype built. And it was a massive occasion, the club put on a great show."

Ascot kicked off their league campaign earlier this week with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Marlow and despite admitting that his side could use Friday's clash to kick-start their season, McGrotty feels that nothing compares to the magic reputation of The FA Cup.

"The players are determined to get a win under their belts and kick-start their season," he added.

"For me, it’s still the best club cup competition in football, even better than the Champions League. It’s whoever is best on the day, so you have to get your preparation right.

"And The FA Cup just brings back all the good memories of when you’re a kid. How you used to wake up and the build-up was on from nine in the morning, outside the players’ hotels and things like that.

"Of course all the players at the club are aware of how big it is, and it would really be nice to have a nice little Cup run."