The FA Cup
Second Round Qualifying
Saturday 24 September 2005
Winning clubs receive £3,750
The FA Cup Second Round Qualifying draw was made at Soho Square on Monday morning.
The 84 ties due to be played on 24 September feature some clubs who have already made their name in "The Cup" - like Blyth Spartans, Marine, Vauxhall Motors, Sutton United and Yeading - and at least two intriguing local derbies.
Marine, the Unibond Premier club from Crosby in Liverpool, had a great Cup run in the '70s. They beat Barnsley 3-1 at home, then drew 1-1 with Hartlepool and found that the Third Round draw was "Manchester City v Marine or Hartlepool"! But the non-Leaguers crashed 6-3 in the replay to miss out on that dream tie.
Today's draw paired Marine with Cammel Laird, another Merseyside outfit who play in the North West Counties League Division One.
Blyth Spartans, another Unibond Premier side, were once a couple of minutes away from the Sixth Round Proper. Wrexham equalised at 1-1 to deprive them of a game with Arsenal. Spartans will entertain Prescot Cables on the 24th. Vauxhall Motors knocked QPR out on penalties three years ago and are now at home to Ramsbottom United.
After 16 years Sutton United remain the last non-Leaguers to put out a top-division club in The FA Cup. They edged Coventry City, Cup winners two years earlier, 2-1 at their own little Gander Green Lane ground to cause one of The Cup's greatest upsets. Then the fairytale ended: Norwich beat them 8-0 at Carrow Road in Round 4!
Their opposition in this season's Second Round Qualifying is more modest - although Maldon Town did score six away from home at the weekend.
One of last season's most romantic ties pitted Yeading from Ryman League Division One against Newcastle United from the Premiership. Never before in the 124-year history of the competition had two teams met who were six levels apart. "Ding" put on a tremendous show in a Third Round tie switched to Loftus Road, holding the six-time Cup winners until the 52nd minute.
Now those Cup heroes start all over again in the qualifiers and they've been drawn at home to Maidenhead United who, following Ding's promotion, play in the same Ryman division. The crowd at "The Warren" is likely to be between one and two hundred; there were nearly 11,000 at Loftus Road.
Another local derby? Conference South Hayes, previous Cup conquerors of Fulham, Cardiff and Bristol Rovers, play Brook House at Church Road. The latter's ground at Farm Park is literally "down the road".
There's a lot to look forward to on the 24th. Not least the £3,750 for each of the 84 winners.