We'll get someone like Burton Albion away. Basically a top league 1 side away. Though at least Walsall is fairly local.
THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND matches are on 10th October. Uxbridge v CHIPPENHAM TOWN Local games Aveley [isthmian league division one north] v Havant & Waterlooville Petersfield Town v St Albans City [national league south] Whitehawk [national league south] v Gosport Borough I'll be away for the rest of October so I'll miss the Fourth Qualifying Round.
ROUND ONE Well as I said I was away so haven't updated for a while. Chippenham Town retained the Baton with a 3-0 away win at Uxbridge in the 3rd Qualifying Round, only to go down 0-2 at home to Maidstone Utd. So Maidstone United carry the Baton into the First Round Proper, where they take on Yeovil at home tomorrow. Utd are a phoenix club of the side that went bankrupt in 1992 and are currently in National League South, having won the Isthmian League last term. Yeovil are of course the most famous of giant killers from their non-league days and will be hoping that the boot isn't on the other foot tomorrow. At this stage, the road to Wembley takes a Y junction as we start the Jim Bowen Tie [this is what you could have won], for the route from Fratton Park, where Pompey will be hoping to put their FA Cup voodoo to bed with an easy tie at home to a non-league side [hang on didn't we have that last season? ] With Havant & Waterlooville and Gosport Borough both falling at the last qualifying hurdle, our other local look is at Eastleigh, who travel to League One Crewe Alexandra.
Yeovil, despite being down to 9 men, carry the mantle into the 2nd round proper. In the other branch, Jim Bowen is on hold as Pompey actually managed to with for the first time in the FA Cup since beating Spurs in the 2010 semi-final!
Round Two Yeovil v Stevenage Stevenage visit Huish Park in an all-League Two tie Best FA Cup run: 2011-12 - Round Five Replay v Tottenham. They Reached Round Four in 1997-98, when they were in the Conference, when they took Newcastle to a replay. Last season: Knocked out in Round One [replay] by non-league Maidstone Utd. This exact fixture was played in the league on 14th November, ending in a 2-2 draw.
Round Three Better late than never......... Yeovil's 1-0 win over Stevenage saw them carry the baton into Round Three, where they were drawn away to fellow League Two side Carlisle Utd. Carlisle's best Cup run was in 1974-75 [the season they were in the top flight] when they reached the quarter finals. After wins against third division Preston, second division WBA and fourth division Mansfield, they lost to second division Fulham in round six. Last season - went out I Round One with a 2-1 defeat away to League One Peterborough. A 2-2 draw at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road means it's a replay at Huish Park next Tuesday The draw for Round Four awaits. Meanwhile The Jim Bowen fixture still has the late ex-bullsye host locked away behind bully as Pompey are still in the hat and a little disappointed to have been 'held to a draw' away to Championship Ipswich. Congratulations to Eastleigh who were themselves just minutes away from dumping Bolton out. Saints fans will doubtless have the same excitement about their non-league neighbours as we had back in 2008 when Havant & Waterlooville reached the Fourth Round and travelled to Anfield.
Round Four Carlisle's penalty shoot out victory over Yeovil at Huish Park means that the Cumbrians carry the flame into Round Four, where they will entertain Everton on Sunday. Everton: Beat Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 at Goodison Park in Round Three: Cup Record: Winners in 1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995 Runners Up in 1893, 1897, 1907, 1968, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2009 Last Season: Went out in Round Three after a penalty shoot out defeat in their replay with West Ham. This is the fourth time the sides have met in the FA Cup, with Everton winning the previous three, most recently in 2010, when the Toffees won 3-1 at Goodison in Round Three. Elsewhere Jim Bowen is still bound and gagged and locked away in the cleaning cupboard at Fratton Park.
Round Five Well the baton Tie on the Road to Wembley and the Jim Bowen Tie have merged into one as Everton will visit the Dorset Coast in the next Round. Bournemouth's Cup run so Far: Round Three: won 2-1 away to Championship Birmingham Round Four: won 2-1 away to league Two Pompey Cup Record: 5th Round 1988-89 Last Season: Went out in Round Four, going down 2-1 to Aston Villa Random Cup Fact: In 1971-72 season, Third Division [League One] side Bournemouth beat Margate 11-0 in Round One
It would be great to see the cup won by some-one other that the usual suspects. I just hope it doesn't end up being Arsenal v Chelsea or Man City in the final. The last 20 season have seen it won by Chelsea 6 times, Arsenal 6, Man U 3, Liverpool 2, Man City 1; with only Pompey (2008) and Wigan (2013) bucking the trend of the multi-millionaires.
ROUND SIX Everton v Chelsea Everton carry the baton into the last 8 and entertain Chelsea at Goodison Park on Saturday evening: Chelsea: Cup run so far: Round 3: 2-0 at home to Scunthorpe Round 4: 5-1 away to MK Dons Round 5: 5-1 at home to Man City Cup Record: Winners in 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2012. Last Season: went out in Round 4 after a shock 2-4 defeat to Bradford City Random fact: In 1988 Chelsea were relegated from the First Division after finishing FOURTH from bottom: Four sides were relegated as the top tier was reducing from 21 to 20 teams. Pompey joined them in the relegation zone, along with Watford and Oxford Utd.
