Emirates FA Cup: 5 most interesting first-round fixturesÂ
The FA Cup is back. Well, for fans of League One and below, at least. The draw for the first round of the FA Cup took place last night, with a total of 40 games being confirmed for the second weekend in November.
The draw featured all 48 League One and League Two sides, with 32 other sides taking the total numbers of participants in the round up to 80, though, there are still some replays left to be played.
As it always does, the FA Cup first-round draw threw up a number of fascinating ties, including several potential upsets and several non-league debutants.
Let's take a look at the five most interesting games that are going to be taking place in the FA Cup first round this year.
5: Chippenham Town or Maidenhead United Vs Portsmouth
It's not very often that non-league sides get the opportunity to host former FA Cup winners but that is exactly what will be on offer when Maidenhead host Chippenham this week.
The winner of the two sides will get to host League One pace-setters and 2008 FA Cup winners, Portsmouth.
Both Maidenhead and Chippenham play in non-league football, with United playing in the National League, and Chippenham playing in the National League South.
Whichever of these teams gets through to face Portsmouth will be guaranteed a big pay-day, with Pompey fans notoriously traveling in large numbers and while an upset seems highly unlikely, you can never rule it out in the FA Cup.