Non-League Paper Programme: FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying preview

Is there any better weekend in the English football calendar than the FA Cup first round proper?

We’ve long felt this is where we see the true heartbeat of English football – even through the qualifying rounds there are clubs living out their FA Cup dreams.

But the anticipation certainly builds as the proper stage of the competition approaches.

This weekend, 64 clubs take to the pitch hoping they can be one of the 32 Non-League names in the big draw televised on Monday night.

Dreaming

Dreaming they can get the plum tie that catapults them into the spotlight and, potentially, changes the course of their future.

The hosts have a manager in Kevin Horlock who knows all about the big moments in football.

He, of course, scored for Manchester City in that famous comeback play-off final win over Gillingham at Wembley in 1999.

And in their squad, they boast former Premier League players like Freddie Sears and Gary Hooper, who even scored for Celtic against Barcelona.

Horlock freely admits the pressure is on when it comes to delivering promotion this season for their ambitious owners, but a big FA Cup run would be an added bonus.

Fairytale

Not that he’s getting carried away with Flackwell Heath showing what they’re all about in their 3-0 win at Step 3 Bracknell Town to get to this stage.

Two of their goalscorers that night – Jamie and Matthew Ayres – are the sons of manager Chris!

How’s that for an FA Cup fairytale if they could make it through to the first round proper?

Chris will be tuning in from holiday this week, however, with a long-booked trip of a lifetime to South Africa!

Glory

Runcorn Linnets are the other Step 4 side dreaming of glory.

They upset Ashton United in the FA Cup third round qualifying and will need to overturn the odds again when they host National League North Buxton.

But the lowest-ranked side left in the competition are from Step 5 – and a team already familiar with the national stage following last season’s FA Vase triumph.

Whitstable Town have knocked out three Step 3 sides – Dulwich Hamlet, Chichester City and Hungerford Town – to set up their away trip to Wealdstone.

It’s already the club’s best FA Cup run and manager Jamie Coyle has been putting in the hours with his management staff to do their homework on the National League Stones.

Upset

A quirk of how the fourth round qualifying regions had to be split ahead of the third round qualifying replays means Billericay Town are making the long trip to Spennymoor Town on Saturday, while Gateshead are heading in the other direction to Aveley!

And how about up-and-coming Farnham Town hosting one of the biggest games in their club’s history when Sutton United are in town.

Sutton know all about causing an upset to create FA Cup history. Their motivation, as for many of the National League clubs this time out, is not to be on the other end this year!

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