FA Cup Second Round Preview

As Tranmere prepare to face a difficult trip to Peterborough United in the second round of the FA Cup with Budweiser tomorrow afternoon, Henry Hudson returns to cast his eye over that and some of the other games taking place in the competition this weekend.....

To a neutral, perhaps the second round is the dullest round of the competition, as all the ‘happy-go-lucky’, ‘Spirit of the FA Cup’ teams have more or less disappeared and the Premiership and Championship teams are yet to enter the competition. However, to fans of the teams that are still in the competition, this is a much-anticipated weekend with the slimmest of possibilities of facing an Arsenal or a Manchester United in round three occupying their minds. Eleven teams from the non-league are still competing, including Brackley Town, who beat Gillingham in the last round, and Stourbridge who saw off Biggleswade Town.

Tranmere travel to Peterborough for one of three all League One ties. Of course I need not give a reminder of what happened when these sides met in the league earlier in the season (For the neutrals among you, Peterborough were victorious by a five-goal margin) however, Ferguson Junior’s side have only won one of their last four home league games whilst Tranmere have only lost one out of their last eight games in all competitions.

Despite these statistics, Peterborough are odds on with all major bookmakers to overcome Tranmere Rovers. Football league sponsors SkyBet have odds of 2/3 on for a home win at London Road. Tranmere are at 4/1 with the same bookmaker. In-form striker Ryan Lowe is 7/1 to score first (Paddy Power) and 40/1 to score a Hat-trick (BetVictor). If you fancy Tranmere to replicate their 2-1 win against Colchester in the East of England then you can get odds of 16/1 from Bet365 or, if you believe that Tranmere can fully avenge the beating they received earlier in the season, Paddy Power are offering odds of 500/1 for a 5-0 Tranmere victory.

The game that will commence the second round of the FA Cup, sponsored by Budweiser, will kick-off on Friday night as Conference Premier side Salisbury City, who have settled in well to life in the top of the non-league pyramid after promotion via the Conference South playoffs last season,travel to Port Vale who themselves have eased into a higher league after promotion without many issues to speak of.

Port Vale are two divisions higher than Salisbury, therefore they are overwhelming favourites for this clash however this will not be City’s first high-profile cup tie; their second round game against Nottingham Forest was broadcast live on the BBC where Matt Tubbs (Now of Rotherham United) scored an equaliser to earn a replay at The City Ground. That was seven years ago mind and Salisbury have had many financial hardships since but with their place in the conference looking steady, they are well prepared for the challenge. This will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.

Tranmere Travel to London Road hoping to avenge Peterborough's 5-0 win at Prenton Park earlier in the Season

One of the most intriguing fixtures of the weekend will be live on Sunday on BT Sport where Conference Premier LeadersCambridge United hosts League One strugglers Sheffield United. Not since they were both in the second division in 1978/9 have these two teams done battle. Since Cambridge lost their place in the football league in 2005, they have had some disappointing campaigns including last season where they finished an uninspiring 14th position, however, now they are at the top of the conference, four points ahead of nearest rivals Luton Town, and still on a bit of a high after their dramatic replay win over Bury in midweek.

For the 1925 FA Cup champions, Sheffield United, sacking manager Dave Weir and appointing Nigel Clough has caused results to slowly improve although an overwhelming majority of Blades fans will still be thoroughly unsatisfied with their season so far. Cambridge have never lifted the famous trophy although did reach the quarter-finals in 1990 and 1991 losing narrowly to Arsenal and Crystal Palace respectively. Visiting fans will no doubt be anxious about this game, some may even be pessimistic whilst Cambridge fans will be more buoyant as the very clichéd phrase ‘nothing to lose’ will be associated with the mention of their clubs name by pundits. Kick off for this game will be at noon on BT Sport this coming Sunday.

Another game that will be televised this Sunday also involves a Conference Premier and a League One team. Live on ITV, Tamworth will attempt to reach the Third Round of the FA Cup for the fourth time in eight seasons as they host League One strugglers Bristol City. Tamworth overcame League Two side Cheltenham in the previous round whilst the visitors eased past Dagenham & Redbridge at Ashton Gate. Despite a fairly respectable FA Cup record, Tamworth have never really been serious promotion contenders for a place in the football league with limited resources at the clubs disposal however cup runs will aid the bank accounts at the Staffordshire-based club.

It is not only the FA cup where Tamworth have progressed; this year marks the tenth anniversary since the Lambs reached the FA Trophy final (only to be defeated by Burscough in the finale at Villa Park) and 2014 will commemorate twenty-five years since they beat Sudbury in a cup final replay to lift the FA Vase. As for the 1909 FA Cup runners-up Bristol City, life in the third tier of English football has proved uncomfortable despite good financial backing and just five years ago they were one single game away from reaching the Premiership. That well-taken volleyed goal by Dean Windass that earned promotion for Hull will live long in the memory of City fans and a defeat here will certainly be an unpleasant footballing memory for the Red side of Bristol.

The only Kent side left in the competition, Dover Athletic, make the trip to Milton Keynes to face the team everyone loves to hate; MK Dons. This will be the second non-league side the Dons have faced in the FA Cup at Stadium MK after disposing of Halifax in round one. Dover’s win at Corby may not have been quite as noteworthy as their famous win at Gillingham three years ago but it had the same award, a place in the second round. MK Dons caused one of the more surprising results of the FA Cup last season by winning 4-2 at QPR who, at the time, were competing in the premiership. The Dons would then go on to reach the last sixteen of the competition where they lost 3-1 to Barnsley. Dover won in their last second round tie three years ago at home to Aldershot but are not favoured by bookmakers to cause a shock here. This will also be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

One of the more surprising results of the opening round was Macclesfield’s 4-0 win over Swindon Town and their reward is a home tie against Brackley Town, who themselves beat Gillingham in a replay. It was the second consecutive season that Macclesfield had knocked Swindon out of the FA Cup and a win against Conference North side Brackley Town would book them a place in the third round for the second consecutive season. As for the visiting Saints, this has been their best FA Cup run of their one-hundred and twenty-three year history.

Rovers' Hotshot Ryan Lowe may well be heavily backed to Score for the Visitors

Beating your rivals in any competition is a pleasant experience but beating them in the FA Cup could be considered a more rewarding feat. In Round One Grimsby beat Scunthorpe on their own patch in a replay after a goalless draw at Blundell Park. Northampton overcame Bishop Stortford in a live televised game on ITV and have been given another uncomfortable draw to negotiate. Neither of these teams has ever reached the Quarter-Finals or beyond in its FA Cup history however their exploits in the League Cup have become etched into the history of the competition.

When Grimsby were a side seeking promotion to the promised land of the Premiership, a goal by Phil Jevons gave them a win at holders Liverpool in 2001. Northampton replicated this triumph in 2010 with a penalty shoot-out win at Anfield. Despite the difference in divisions, Grimsby go in to the game slight favourites at Blundell Park after their victory over Northampton’s League Two rivals Scunthorpe. Grimsby currently occupy the 4th position in the Conference Premier.

Luton’s run to the last sixteen of the Football Association Cup last season included a win at Premier League Norwich, the first non-league team to beat a top division side since 1989. However, any hopes Luton had of replicating this achievement were extinguished as Welling United beat them 2-1 at Park View Road. Welling won the Conference South last season and are currently ten points clear of the relegation zone. They travel to 2007 Quarter-Finalists Plymouth Argyle with the desire of making the Third Round of the competition for the first time since their only appearance at that stage in the 1988/89 season. Welling, based in South East London very close to Charlton Athletics’ stadia, will no doubt fancy their chances against an indifferent Argyle side.

The lowest ranked team in the competition, Southern League Premier League side Stourbridge, make the journey to league one side Stevenage who have a respectable record in the cup which has seen them beat the likes of Newcastle United in recent years. Another non-league team in the competition, Wrexham, face Oxford on Monday live on BT Sport – the 1986 league cup winners left it late to beat Gateshead in extra-time in Thursdays replay.