Cheltenham Town v Chester City
The FA Cup Third Round Proper 
Whaddon Road
3pm, Saturday 7 January 2006
Winning clubs receive £40,000
Listen Live with at TheFA.com




3 December 2005
Chester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest

See Ryan Lowe get his second goal and wrap up a convincing win for Chester taking them through to the Fourth Round.

3 December 2005
Chester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest

See Ryan Lowe win his side a penalty and then convert from the spot to give Chester an early lead in the Second Round tie.

On Saturday The FA Cup Road to Glory follows Cheltenham Town's tie with Chester City, after the blues triumphed 3-0 over Nottingham Forest in the Second Round.

Cheltenham manager John Ward is expecting FA Cup fever to sweep through Gloucestershire ahead of the Town's third round tie against Chester City on Saturday.

It is the only all-League Two encounter on the fixture list and it gives a club from English football's fourth tier the opportunity to make it through to the last 32 - a huge financial incentive for both sides.

Ward said: "It is an enormous game for both clubs. We both operate on small crowds of 3,000 and we don't have the biggest budgets in the league."

Whilst Cheltenham's recent sequence of results has been impressive - unbeaten in eight - Chester have endured five successive losses.

But, when it comes to the FA Cup, Ward believes that the form-book counts for nothing.

"We do know about them, but they'll be strengthened," Ward claimed. "I really don't think that previous results count - it is the FA Cup and there are no favourites in the FA Cup.

"It is a big game with a big reward for the winners."

Despite losing to Cheltenham on Boxing Day, Chester have already produced one upset in the Cup - knocking out Nottingham Forest - and the Cheshire club are determined to produce a resilient display.

City's assistant manager John Gannon said: "We're going to stand side-by-side and take our five successive defeats on the chin.

"We have to stand up to what has happened to us - the only way is hard work and by sticking together."

Cheltenham teenager Michael Townsend is poised to start at centre-back because Shane Duff has got an ankle injury whilst Grant McCann is rated as doubtful with a knee problem.

Chester are expected to see striker Greg Blundell return to the starting line-up after injury.

Be sure to visit TheFA.com on Saturday to find out who takes the baton into the Fourth Round.