FA Cup first round 2022: Possible upsets and TV games

Game of the weekend

Torquay United v Derby County - Sunday 3pm

This is what the FA Cup is all about.

A struggling non-league side up against a League One team who have spent most of their time plying their trade at higher levels, and it's live on TV.

The Rams will compete at this stage of the competition for the first time in 38 years after their financially-stricken relegation from the Championship last summer.

And while they are hot favourites, National League basement dwellers Torquay have recently burst into life with a 4-4 home draw with Altrincham two weeks ago and a 6-1 thrashing of Aldershot on Tuesday night - their best result of the season so far.

Torquay's last four National League games have aggregated 20 goals, there will surely be more tomorrow.

Former Newmarket Town, Bristol City, Peterborough, Yeovil and Cheltenham boss, Gary Johnson, is at the helm at Plainmoor.

“I hope we can give the TV and our supporters a good game and give Derby a game where they respect us for the way we play on the day," he said.

Can former Town boss Hurst down the leaders?

Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher admits he loves the FA Cup but knows former Ipswich Town boss, Paul Hurst and his current Grimsby team, will want nothing more than to take a big scalp.

Argyle travel to Grimsby today.

“I love the FA Cup,” Schumacher said. “Growing up as a kid, they were the games you looked forward to as a fan. In my playing career I did ok, never really got any exciting runs.

“Last year, as a manager, was the best experience of the FA Cup, getting to the fourth round and playing Chelsea away, and doing as well as we did. That was special."

Grimsby are 13th in League Two, and are managed by Hurst, who is in his second spell as Mariners boss. 

“They are going to be desperate to put a mark against us. Paul Hurst is their manager, who we know a little bit about," Schumacher added.

Golden Boot winner hoping for upset

Sunderland legend and former Premier League Golden Boot winner, Kevin Phillips, who nearly joined Ipswich Town many moons ago, is all geared up for an FA Cup upset.

Phillips is manager of South Shields, the Northern Premier League side who sit fourth in the table. This lunchtime they entertain lowly League One side Forest Green Rovers.

Phillips, who played non-league for three seasons at Baldock, before stardom beckoned, arrived at South Shields in January but was unable to deliver the promotion the club craved.

Kevin Phillips, boss of South Shields and hoping for an FA Cup upset (Image: PA)

However, they are in good shape again this season and they can't wait for a crack at FGR.

For South Shields owner Geoff Thompson, getting Phillips in as boss is part of a bigger plan to establish the club higher up the leagues.

"This cup tie against Forest Green is fantastic, as we can showcase what South Shields is all about," he said.

A village deserted!

Southern League Alvechurch's average home crowd is 314.

So, you can imagine the surprise, shock and delight in Worcestershire with the club taking more than 1,500 fans to League One Cheltenham today.

Alvechurch chairman Richard Thorndike says he has bee left staggered at how the game has captured the imagination in the village.

“We are sitting here pinching ourselves,” he says. “When Cheltenham made contact about tickets, we thought we might take between 500 and 600, which would have been superb for us.

"We felt the initial allocation of 700 was optimistic, but they went in an hour, so we had to ask for the other half of the away end and they went by the next morning, so we went for the full allocation. In total there will be more than 1,500 of us there.”

“The whole place is going to be deserted on Saturday afternoon,” Thorndike added.

And finally....

Ross Jenkins is anticipating a thrill a minute game when his National South Oxford City side travel to Fleetwood today.

The Hoops are 65 places below their opponents in the football pyramid, and Jenkins is well aware of the threats Scott Brown’s side possess.

Jenkins said: “We’ve got to make sure we’re on our toes inside the box – our box and their box. We’ve got some good finishers in the team, we can create chances, it’s just about stopping it at the other end.

“I don’t expect it to be a sitting off game, I expect it to be all-action, entertaining and hopefully a few chances our end."

First round TV choices

Today
South Shields v Forest Green Rovers at 12pm on BBC One.

Tomorrow
Wrexham v Oldham Athletic at 12.30pm on ITV.
Torquay United v Derby County at 3pm on ITV.

Monday
Bracknell Town v Ipswich Town at 7.45pm on ITV4.

Kieran McKenna, takes Ipswich Town to Bracknell on Monday night (Image: PAGEPIX LTD 07976935738)

Who's meeting who... today's fixtures
3pm unless stated.

South Shields v Forest Green Rovers (noon); Bradford City v Harrogate (12.30); Bolton v Barnsley (2); AFC Fylde v Gillingham; Barnet v Chelmsford City; Barrow v Mansfield Town; Boreham Wood v Eastleigh; Bristol Rovers v Rochdale; Burton v Needham Market; Buxton v Merthyr Town; Carlisle v Tranmere; Charlton v Coalville Town; Cheltenham v Alvechurch; Chesterfield v Northampton; Chippenham v Lincoln City; Crawley v Accrington Stanley; Crewe v Leyton Orient; Doncaster Rovers v King's Lynn Town; Ebbsfleet v FC Halifax Town; Fleetwood v Oxford City; Gateshead v Stevenage; Grimsby v Plymouth; Maidenhead v Dagenham & Redbridge; MK Dons v Taunton Town; Newport County v Colchester United; Peterborough United v Salford City; Port Vale v Exeter City; Shrewsbury v York City; Solihull Moors v Hartlepool United; Stockport v Swindon Town; Sutton v Farnborough; Weymouth v AFC Wimbledon; Wycombe v Walsall.

Tomorrow: Wrexham v Oldham (12.30); Curzon Ashton v Cambridge United (2); Woking v Oxford United (2); Torquay v Derby County (3).

Monday: Bracknell Town v Ipswich (7.45).