(Photo: Action Images)
By Matt Badcock
Whether it’s three, two, one, or none, there shouldn’t be too much soul searching at the lack of Non-League clubs to reach the third round stage of the FA Cup.
Last year was a bumper season with Lincoln City’s remarkable run to the quarter-finals and Sutton United’s journey to the fifth round making headlines around the world. And that’s not forgetting Barrow and Step 3 side Stourbridge also made it to round three.
There’s an argument we’re seeing a Lincoln and Sutton bounce, where League One and Two clubs are placing more emphasis on the competition because they’ve seen the rewards a good run can bring.
It’s also the nature of football. Sometimes Non-League clubs don’t get the luck of the draw or the bounce of the ball so it’s always going to be swings and roundabouts.
The season before last, only Eastleigh made it to the third round. They got a disappointing draw against a struggling Bolton Wanderers – although it was on TV – and eventually went out in a replay.
But the year previous, four Non-League clubs made it through. Blyth Spartans, then in the EVO-STIK NPL Premier, Dover Athletic, Gateshead and Southport.
Should the three remaining clubs (Woking, AFC Fylde and Hereford) make it through their replays this week, then it can be considered another good year, with the huge financial rewards that come with it.
Already Hereford know if they can beat Fleetwood Town at Edgar Street on Thursday, then they will welcome the live TV cameras when former Premier League champions Leicester City come to town. Although, the thought of a Jamie Vardy reunion will be all the motivation the Cod Army need.
What has been interesting, once again, is the lack of shocks on the Sunday games. A few years ago, the BBC launched their attempt at football’s very own version of America’s Red Zone.
The idea is to bounce back and forth to the selected games as the goals fly in, offering the viewer wall-to-wall action. And upsets.
Red Zone is a brilliant format in the NFL. Each weekend millions tune in for more than six hours of advert-free action. The production is brilliant, all held together by one presenter, who keeps viewers up to speed with teams as they get close to scoring.
Of course, the stop-start nature of play in American Football lends itself to the format because, generally, at any given time there will be something about to happen.
Football is a much harder fit to the format with the ball travelling from one end to the other far less predictably, so, the BBC coverage tends to be more studio and reporter based. All in all it’s good, while also giving Non-League clubs extra exposure and income.
But while NFL fans love to use the phrase Any Given Sunday, it doesn’t seem to quite apply to Sunday games in the FA Cup. Now in its fourth season, there’s only been five outright Non-League victories over League clubs on a Sunday. Some have drawn and won their replays, but generally the drama the BBC have been hoping for hasn’t materialised.
Perhaps Non-League clubs don’t cope as well with their routines being knocked? Some have even refused to have their game shifted because the earlier kick-off time can cause travelling problems unless a costly hotel stay is booked.
There’s always been a feeling that midweek games can help with giant killings because part-time players are so used to putting in the hours at work and then dashing off to a game in the evening.
In Year One, Worcester City beat Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena in the first round and in the second round, Dover were victorious at Cheltenham Town.
In 2015-16, only Southern League Chesham United won on the Sunday – beating Bristol Rovers to set-up a second round tie with Bradford City. On a Sunday again, this time they lost.
In fact the secret to winning might be to play the Gas because Barrow were successful last season. Although Curzon Ashton were mightily close to making it through too when they played AFC Wimbledon the same day, leading 3-0 only to lose 4-3 at the death.
And of course, on the same day, Sutton United beat Leeds at home. So it can happen. Let’s hope we’re talking about three more this week.
*This article originally featured in The NLP’s 10 December 2017 edition. AFC Fylde were knocked out by Wigan Athletic and Woking were edged out by Peterborough United.
