Cheltenham Town v Yate Town
The FA Cup with Budweiser
First Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 3 November 2012
Whaddon Road, Cheltenham Town FC
Winning clubs receive £18,000 from The FA's prize fund
Click here for fixtures
By Henry Willis
The First Round Proper of The FA Cup is one of the stand-out dates in the football calendar - and for one side in particular it gives them the chance to dream.
Yate Town, the lowest-ranked side left in the world's oldest knockout competition, face arguably the biggest game in their 106-year history when they take on League Two high-fliers Cheltenham this weekend.
And while facing a side who are third place in the fourth tier of English football may be daunting, Yate player-manager Rob Cousins insists anything can happen.
Ahead of his side's showdown at Cheltenham's Whaddon Round ground, Cousins said: "If you're realistic, the chances are slim. If you're optimistic, anything can happen.
"We're under no illusions of who we are but it's been a massive achievement by the team so far.
"It's a big day for the club. We want to show up and enjoy it, and maybe make history."
Yate are in the eleventh tier of the football pyramid and they currently sit bottom of the Southern League Division One South & West.
A gruelling run of four qualifying matches on their way to the First Round Proper for the first time in their history has obviously taken its toll but Cousins is proud of how his side have coped.
He added: "We've had some below-par performances in the league but the players have deserved their plaudits so far.
"We've still got games in hand though and by the end of the season you're judged on league position and not famous cup wins, so hopefully we can get a good run going."
And Cheltenham should be wary of the threat they face. Yate have reached this stage following a stunning 3-1 win away at Conference National leaders Newport County and as we all know, anything can happen in The Cup.
Cheltenham's longest Cup run saw them go as far as the Fifth Round in 2002 where they were beaten 1-0 by West Brom at The Hawthorns. Last season they met Tottenham in the Third Round, losing 3-0 at White Hart Lane.
