The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
Saturday 6 January 2007
Winning clubs will receive £40,000
Each club will receive £150,000 from The FA
Third Round Proper Draw - Click Here





Wrexham boss Denis Smith admits he is still smitten with the competition that has brought him some of his finest football memories.

A career spanning 17 years as a player with Stoke saw him win the League Cup and reach two FA Cup semi-finals.

As a manager, Smith has seen off many a big-name club in his time, including Liverpool, Leeds and Arsenal in his time at York, Oxford and Sunderland.

Now his side travel to high-flying Derby in the third round as underdogs, but an old romantic like Smith wouldn't have it any other way.

Smith said: "Players always approach the cup games with a spring in their step. The league is a grind, grind, grind. The Cup is different. I wish you could bottle that feeling because then you could have it every week.

"I love the competition. It is hard to pick a favourite memory because there are so many. Scoring against Arsenal in the semi-final when I played for Stoke wasn't bad.

"There is always at least one team that comes up with the big result in the third round - that is the beauty of the competition. I would love that to be us.

"If that was to die then the beauty of football would die too. You have to have that dream in football.

"The players, fans and everyone involved in football have to be able to dream, because if you don't then where will the fun and the romance be in life?" Quite.