FA Cup First-Round Draw Preview: Who are the teams to look out for?

FA Cup

The FA Cup First Round Proper draw commences tonight, as teams from League One and Two join the competition.

They come into the competition with a chance of facing teams much lower than them in the pyramid, with non-league teams having come through qualifying rounds to get to this stage.

Some teams in the hat will still have to win their replay games on Tuesday night to progress, including the likes of Wrexham, Oldham and Yeovil Town.

The draw will be shown live on BBC Two, taking place at around 7.15 pm BST tonight.

In this article, I will take a look at some of those teams who are confirmed in the First Round, with the potential for some huge mismatches in the draw…

Alvechurch FC – Southern League Premier Division Central

Seventh-tier Alvechurch FC is the lowest-ranked side confirmed in the next round and will be in the First Round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in nearly five decades.

A 3-2 win over Worksop Town was enough to seal their place in tonight’s draw.

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Their best performance in the competition was back in 1974 when the Worcestershire-based side made it to the third round, where they lost to Bradford City, however, this was before the club folded in 1993.

Last season they went out at the third qualifying stage, so will be extremely pleased to have reached the first round proper this year.

They are ball number 59 in the draw, and with sides such as Derby County and Portsmouth in the draw, will be looking for a big draw.

Merthyr Town FC – Southern League Premier Division South

Welsh side Merthyr Town has reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since they were reformed.

The Martyrs beat Folkestone Invicta 2-1 at home, to secure their place in the hat for tonight’s draw.

The seventh-tier side will also be hoping for a big draw, and join fellow Welsh side Newport County in the hat, and will potentially join Wrexham if the National League side can overcome Blyth Spartans in their replay on Tuesday night.

The Welsh side is ball number 79 in tonight’s draw.

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Coalville Town FC – Southern League Premier Division Central

Coalville Town created the shock of the fourth qualifying round, after knocking out former football league side Notts County away from home, to progress into the First Round Proper.

This feat matches their best FA Cup performance, reaching the first round for the first time since 2004, and just the second time in their history.

The Ravens gave their travelling fans a memory that they’ll never forget and will hope to create more in the First Round.

The seventh-tier side is ball number 61 in tonight’s draw.

South Shields – Northern Premier League Premier Division

South Shields also matched their best-ever performance in the FA Cup, after stunning Scunthorpe United of the National League, to book their spot in tonight’s draw.

The Mariners made it to this stage in 2020 and were knocked out by at the time League Two Cheltenham Town, so will look to go one better this time around.

The seventh-tier side is ball number 53 in the draw tonight.

Ball Numbers:

1. Accrington Stanley

2. AFC Wimbledon

3. Barnsley

4. Barrow AFC

5. Bolton Wanderers

6. Bradford City

 7. Bristol Rovers

 8. Burton Albion

9. Cambridge United

10. Carlisle United

11. Charlton Athletic

12. Cheltenham Town

13. Colchester United

14. Crawley Town

15. Crewe Alexandra

16. Derby County

17. Doncaster Rovers

18. Exeter City

19. Fleetwood Town

20. Forest Green Rovers

21. Gillingham

22. Grimsby Town

23. Harrogate Town

24. Hartlepool United

25. Ipswich Town

26. Leyton Orient

27. Lincoln City

28. Mansfield Town

29. Milton Keynes Dons

30. Morecambe

31. Newport County

32. Northampton Town

33. Oxford United

34. Peterborough United

35. Plymouth Argyle

36. Port Vale

37. Portsmouth

38. Rochdale AFC

39. Salford City

40. Sheffield Wednesday

41. Shrewsbury Town

42. Stevenage

43. Stockport County

44. Sutton United

45. Swindon Town

46. Tranmere Rovers

47. Walsall

48. Wycombe Wanderers

49. Oldham Athletic AFC or Chester

50. Kidderminster Harriers or AFC Fylde

51. King’s Lynn Town

52. York City

53. South Shields

54. Solihull Moors

55. Curzon Ashton

56. Blyth Spartans or Wrexham

57. Altrincham or Gateshead

58. Chesterfield

59. Alvechurch

60. Buxton

61.Coalville Town

62. FC Halifax Town

63. Hereford

64. Torquay United or Hampton & Richmond Borough

65. Yeovil Town or Taunton Town

66. Maidenhead United

67. Eastleigh

68. Ebbsfleet United

69. Woking

70. Dagenham & Redbridge

71. Hendon or Chippenham Town

72. Weymouth

73. Oxford City

74. Bracknell Town

75. Boreham Wood

76. Barnet

77. Needham Market

78. Chelmsford City

79. Merthyr Town

80. Farnborough

For more on all Football, check out the Football section of the World in Sport website here: https://worldinsport.com/category/news/football/

Twitter: @HarryWare07

Instagram: @harryware1887

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