Who will ever forget the 1999-2000 season when we played them at Aggborough in front of a crowd of over 6,200 and won 2-0 to set us on our way into the Football League. Rushden followed us the following season and went into the 3rd Division two years later while we eventually went the other way back into the Conference. Rushden weren't far behind us though and by 2006 they had come back down too but this time their slide down was terminal and within five years they found themselves out of existence when their founder Max Griggs withdrew from the club and left it in the hands of people that didn't know what they were doing. The club got expelled from the League and the ground, Nene Park, closed down for a while before being taken over by the also doomed Kettering Town and now Nene Park lies in ruins.
As is always the case the fans still cared and they formed a new club with the prefix AFC that now play in the Northern Premier League Division One South where they groundshare with Wellingborough Town at the Dog & Duck Ground.
First they have to get past Lincoln Utd but if they don't then we'll be playing another team that we have met before. Twice we have come up against the other Lincoln team and both games were also in the FA Trophy of the 1998 vintage. In November of that year we drew 2-2 at Aggborough with both our goals scored by Mark Yates but in the replay two weeks later we lost 2-1 to go crashing out. Our solitary goal was scored by Paul Webb.
Whoever we play then the game will be at Aggborough on November 26th.
The full draw is as follows:
Stocksbridge Park Steels v Stalybridge Celtic Harrogate Town v Salford City Witton Albion v Boston United Mickleover Sports v Brackley Town Gainsborough Trinity v Alfreton Town King's Lynn Town v St Ives Town Shaw Lane Association v Nantwich Town Altrincham v Blyth Spartans Ramsbottom United or Redditch United v AFC Telford United Matlock Town v FC Halifax Town Farsley Celtic v Tamworth Chorley v Hednesford Town or Stafford Rangers Kidderminster Harriers v AFC Rushden & Diamonds or Lincoln United Curzon Ashton v Worcester City FC United Of Manchester v Nuneaton Town Stockport County v Bradford (Park Avenue) Gloucester City v AFC Fylde Darlington v Marine or St Neots Town Ebbsfleet United v Harrow Borough Merthyr Town or Slough Town v Wingate & Finchley Truro City v Frome Town Hampton & Richmond Borough v Royston Town Concord Rangers v Welling United Kings Langley AFC Sudbury Weston Super Mare v Dartford Worthing v Hemel Hempstead Town Hungerford Town v Gosport Borough Oxford City v Hastings United or South Park Bath City v Basingstoke Town Chelmsford City v Taunton Town Margate v East Thurrock United Leiston v Eastbourne Borough Poole Town v Weymouth Havant & Waterlooville v Brightlingsea Regent or Harlow Town Winchester City v Dulwich Hamlet Maidenhead United v Wealdstone Burgess Hill Town or Chalfont St Peter v Biggleswade Town or Hitchin Town Whitehawk v St Albans City North Leigh v Kingstonian or Tonbridge Angels Merstham or Hythe Town v Bishop's Stortford
