Willand and Gosport target unknown FA Cup territory

Friday 24 Oct 2014
Tim Sills of Gosport Borough celebrates a crucial strike in the 2013-14 FA Trophy semi-final

There will be at least two new sides in The FA Cup First Round Proper draw on the 27 October - and one of them will either be Willand Rovers or Gosport.

Warrington Town and North Ferriby United is the only other tie featuring two sides that have never made it past the qualifying round.

But the clash at the Stan Robinson Stadium is without doubt of the weekend's most intriguing ties.

Willand Rovers vs Gosport Borough

FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying
3pm, Saturday 25 October
Stan Robinson Stadium
Winners receive £12,500 from FA prize fund

Willand Rovers, from Devon, play in the Western League Premier Division in the ninth tier and are jointly the lowest-ranked team left in this season’s Cup along with Greenwich Borough (Southern Counties East League) and Shildon (Northern League). 

Gosport Borough, from near Portsmouth, have worked their way up in recent seasons from the Wessex League to the Conference South.

Gosport hit the headlines last season when they won through to The FA Trophy Final and took on Conference Premier Cambridge United before an 18,000 crowd at Wembley. 

Unfancied Boro’ played with great confidence in the first half-hour but eventually went down 4-0 on a memorable March afternoon for their fans.

They were formed in 1944 and seven years later a record attendance of 4,770 at Privett Park saw them lose a seven-goal thriller to Pegasus in the old FA Amateur Cup. 

Pegasus, a team made up of Oxford and Cambridge graduates, went on to beat Bishop Auckland 2-1 in The Final. 

The crowd at Wembley for that amateur match? 100,000.

Despite all their recent success, Gosport have never featured in the First Round Proper of The FA Cup. 

The FA Cup 2014/15

The competition enters the final round of qualifying this weekend

They were one step away in 1980, going out at Windsor & Eton, and were actually included in the First Round draw two years ago. 

It was ‘Mansfield Town v Slough Town or Gosport Borough’. Boro’ drew 0-0 away but lost the replay 2-1 after taking the lead.

This season they’ve had FA Cup victories against Larkhall Athletic and Maidenhead United, both after replays at Privett Park.

Willand, with no Cup form, entered this season’s competition at the Extra Preliminary Round stage back in mid-August and started their remarkable run with a 3-1 win against Radstock Town, a division lower, before a modest home crowd of 87. 

It was even more modest in the Preliminary Round, where 55 people saw their 2-0 triumph at Odd Down. 

Rovers went on to knock out Saltash United (2-1 at home), Blackfield & Langley (1-0 at home after a 0-0 draw away).

Most impressively they also beat Aveley from the Isthmian League Division One North (3-2 at home). 

Rovers shocked Aveley with three goals in 13 minutes in the second half, Tom Bath scoring two of them.

Who are about to make history – Rovers or Boro’? Some big names await you in Monday’s draw.

By David Barber FA Historian