Portsmouth are the current holders of The FA Cup after beating Cardiff City 1-0 in The Final.
By David Barber. Thursday, 10 July 2008.
The FA Cup is just five weeks away.
The 128th edition of the world-famous competition kicks-off over the weekend of 15-17 August.
It has already set two new records - the most accepted entries (762) and subsequently the most ties in the Extra Preliminary Round (203).
Clubs playing in that Extra Preliminary Round would have to win 13 ties before they could line up in The Final next May. Those clubs might have modest histories compared to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, but this year they include about 20 who have actually featured in a Wembley Final.
Harwich & Parkeston, who face an away tie at Raunds Town, played in an FA Amateur Cup Final more than 50 years ago. They might not want to be reminded that Pegasus, the team of Oxbridge students, beat them 6-0 before a Wembley full-house of 100,000.
There is a large contingent of clubs from the North-East who have sampled the Wembley magic - Bedlington, North Shields, Crook, West Auckland, Whickham, Bishop Auckland, Guisborough, Tow Law. For all of those The FA Cup trail starts again in five weeks.
Both of last season's FA Vase Finalists - AFC Fylde (as "Kirkham & Wesham") and Lowestoft Town - also begin their FA Cup journeys in the Extra Preliminary Round.
Poole Town from Dorset, who travel to Welton Rovers in Somerset, haven't been to Wembley. But they once played a Third Round tie against Everton at Goodison Park. The legendary Dixie Dean scored the Toffees' first goal in their 3-1 win in 1927.