Some wanted us to be drawn away at some Godforsaken village side, play on their sloping, pitted pitch and hope that somehow we escaped the embarrassment of losing or, at a minimum, coming away with a draw to play them at Aggborough a few days later in front of a crowd lower than the 937 that turned out against Gateshead last week.
On such crowds are profits lost and fortunes not made.
We have already played City this season, on the opening day at their gaff, and won 2-1 with goals from Callum Gittings and Tom Shaw. They are still losing more games than they're winning and on Saturday got hammered 4-0 at Newport. With them also managerless now could be a good time to play them.
The game should be played on Saturday October 23rd and the rest of the draw is:
- Lincoln Moorlands Railway/Mossley v Darlington
- Sheffield/Frickley Athletic v Radcliffe Olympic/Tipton Town
- Guiseley v Redditch United
- Fleetwood Town v Buxton/AFC Telford United
- Altrincham v Gateshead
- North Ferriby United/Vauxhall Motors v Newcastle Town
- FC United of Manchester v Barrow
- Workington v Nuneaton Town
- Tamworth v Grimsby Town
- FC Halifax Town v Mansfield Town
- Wrexham v Southport
- Stalybridge Celtic v Eastwood Town
- Droylsden v Solihull Moors/Barwell
- Brentwood Town/Woking v Eastleigh
- Hythe Town v Bury Town/Staines Town
- Eastbourne Borough v Harrow Borough
- Cambridge United v Lewes
- Corby Town v Salisbury City
- Newport County v Crawley Town
- Luton Town v St Albans City/Kingstonian
- Farnborough v Dover Athletic
- Kettering Town v Rushden & Diamonds
- Carshalton Athletic v Chelmsford City/Bromley
- Hendon v Metropolitan Police/Wealdstone
- Leiston v Canvey Island/Dartford
- Basingstoke Town v AFC Wimbledon
- Swindon Supermarine v Bath City
- Havant & Waterlooville v Histon
- Forest Green Rovers v Maidenhead United
- Poole Town v Hayes & Yeading United
- Ebbsfleet United v Boreham Wood