billsportsmaps.com

2017-18 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals), map and attendance data, with expanded fixtures list
…


…
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Fixtures, results, etc…FA CUP: 6th Round: [fixtures/teams/etc] (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).

By Bill Turianski on 4 March 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

2017-18 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals)/8 teams…
Below: each team’s manager and their top scorer (goals scored, from all competitions in 2017-18, up to 5 March 2018)

Photo and Image credits above -
-Brighton: manager Chris Hughton, photo by Reuters via hitc.com.
-Brighton: top scorer, Glenn Murray (11 league goals [13 goals, total]), photo by Paul Hazlewood via brightonandhovealbion.com.
-Chelsea: manager, Antonio Conte, photo unattributed at premierleague.com/match/22585.
-Chelsea: top scorer, Edin Hazard (11 league goals [15 goals, total]), photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Leicester City: manager, Claude Puel, photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Leicester City: top scorer, Jamie Vardy (13 league goals [15 goals, total], photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Manchester United: manager, José Mourinho, photo by AFP viafoxsports.com.au/football.
-Manchester United: top scorer, Romelu Lukaku (14 league goals [23 goals, total], photo unattributed at premierleague.com/news.
-Southampton: former manager, Mauricio Pellegrino, photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Southampton: top scorer, Charlie Austin (6 league goals [6 goals, total]), photo unattributed at si.com/soccer.
-Swansea City: manager, Carlos Carvalhal, photo by Getty Images via thenational.ae.
-Swansea City: top scorer, Jordan Ayew (6 league goals [10 goals, total]), photo unattributed at myjoyonline.com.
-Tottenham: manager, Mauricio Pochettino, photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Tottenham: top scorer, Harry Kane (24 league goals [35 goals, total]), photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Wigan: manager, Paul Cook, photo by PA via telegraph.co.uk/football.
-Wigan: top scorer, Will Grigg (9 league goals [16 goals, total]), photo by Martin Rickett/PA via telegraph.co.uk/football.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg;
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg;
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.
-List of Greater Manchester settlements by population (en.wikipedia.org).
-Top scorers (goals from all competitions), stats from sportsmole.co.uk, sportsmole.co.uk/football/premier-league/2017-18.

2017-18 FA Cup 5th Round Proper- map with current league attendances & fixture list
…


…

By Bill Turianski on 15 February 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup .
-2017-18 FA Cup 5th Round (us.soccerway.com).
-BBC.com/fa-cup.
…

Update: the 5th Round’s biggest Cup-upset-win and Cup-upset-draw (Wigan 1-0 Manchester City; Rochdale 2-2 Tottenham).

Schedule for upcoming maps-and-charts…
I usually don’t publish my schedule for posts, mainly because I so often change plans at the last minute. But due to conflicting dates for two competitions (FA Cup 6th Round and NCAA March Madness), both of which will be commencing simultaneously (week of March 11-17), I thought it would be good to spell it out. The further down the list, the more tentative the posting dates are. But I definitely will be posting all of these.
(If you have any comments, tips, requests, or suggestions, or if you notice any errors, etc, you can reach me at twitter.com/billsportsmaps.)
-20 February: 2017-18 Süper Lig (Turkey/1st division): Map, with titles list and seasons-in-1st-division; with list of largest cities in Turkey and their representation in Süper Lig.
-4 March: FA Cup 6th Round – map with current league attendances and fixture list/plus photos of teams’ manager and top scorer(s).
-11 March: 2018 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) – the 68 teams: map, with team locations and with 2016-17 average attendances listed.
-21 March: NCAA ice hockey tournament.
-1 April: MLB: Paid-Attendance (tickets-sold) map for 2017 (home/regular season average tickets-sold), including change from 2016 and percent-capacity figures.
-21 April: Baseball in South Korea: KBO League, 2018 location-map with 2017 attendances and KBO titles list (1982-2017); with list of largest cities in South Korea and their representation in KBO League.
-3 May: Japan: NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball), 2018 location-map, with profile-boxes of the 12 teams, and NPB titles list (1950-2017); with list of largest cities in Japan and their representation in NPB.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg -Attendances from us.soccerway.com.
-2017-18 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.com).

2017-18 FA Cup 4th Round Proper- map with attendances & fixture list
…


…
By Bill Turianski on 25 January 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup .
-2017-18 FA Cup 4th Round (us.soccerway.com).
-BBC.com/fa-cup.

Update, 27 Saturday: Biggest upset & the 3 best results for lower-placed teams in 2017-18 FA Cup Fourth Round
(Cup-upset win: Wigan 2-0 West Ham. Cup-upset-draws/replays…Newport County 1-1 Tottenham, Notts County 1-1 Swansea City, Millwall 2-2 Rochdale.)

…

Televised matches…
Two of the clubs with the biggest upsets in the 3rd round, 4th-division-sides Newport County and Yeovil Town, were rewarded with televised games. {Here are the 4 biggest upsets from the FA Cup 3rd Round.}

Yeovil Town will host Manchester United at their 9.5-K-capacity Huish Park, in south Somerset, on Friday night (the 26th). The match is sold out (of course). {Tickets for Yeovil Town v Manchester United have SOLD OUT, by Stephen D’Albiac on 24 Jan. 2018, at somersetlive.co.uk.}

Newport County, who had a great escape last May to stay in the Football League, will host Tottenham Hotspur at Rodney Parade in Newport, South Wales, on Saturday the 27th (5:30 pm Greenwich Time/12:30 pm Eastern Time). Rodney Parade, which Newport County play in as renters, is owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union, and home of Pro14 side Dragons, as well as the Welsh Premier Division side Newport RFC. Capacity for football at the ground these past few years had been reduced by about 850, to 7,850. But, with overwhelming demand for tickets, Newport County got permission to erect temporary bleachers, and temporary capacity will be just shy of 10 K. {See this, Newport County get go-ahead for extra 1,000 seats for Spurs FA cup clash, by Andrew Penham on 17 Jan. 2018, at southwalesargus.co.uk.}

The other televised matches are…the early game on Saturday the 27th (3rd-division-side Peterborough United v Leicester City), the last game on Saturday (Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion at 7:45 pm GT/2:45 pm ET), and the two games on Sunday the 28th (Chelsea v Newcastle United at 1:30 pm GT/8:30 am ET; and then 3rd-division-side Cardiff City v Manchester City at 4:00 pm GT/11 am ET). In the USA and Canada, one other match will be televised (3rd-division-side Wigan Athletic v West Ham United, on Saturday at 10 am ET).

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg -Attendances from us.soccerway.com.
-2017-18 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.com).

2017-18 FA Cup 3rd Round Proper- map with attendances & fixture list
…


…
By Bill Turianski on 2 January 2018; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup .
-2017-18 FA Cup/3rd Round (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC.com/fa-cup.

Update: biggest upsets in 2017-18 FA Cup 3rd Round Proper (6th-7th January 2018)…

…

There are zero non-League teams in this season’s FA Cup 3rd Round.
This season’s FA Cup 3rd Round will be the first time since 1950-51 that no non-League teams have qualified.
[Explanation for neophytes: non-League means all the many leagues in the English football leagues system that are below the 4th level (ie, below the Premier League/1st level, and the League Championship/2nd level, and League One/3rd level, and League Two/4th level); see this chart of the English Football Pyramid (myfootygrounds.co.uk).]

While it might be tempting to conclude that this is an example of how the gap between the Football League and non-League is starting to widen, I would say that the real reason for this is how the draw for the 2nd Round went. Because, in the 2nd Round this season, there ended up being zero match-ups between two non-League teams. (By way of comparison, last season [2016-17], there was just one non-League v non-League match-up in the 2nd Round, yet 5 non-League teams still advanced/see 2 paragraphs below).

Granted, many of the teams from non-League that were in the 2nd Round this season played poorly. But don’t forget that nine years ago, in 2008-09, the all-time record for non-League teams qualifying for the 3rd Round was set, with 8 teams. Those teams were…Barrow, Blyth Spartans, Eastwood Town, Forest Green Rovers, Histon, Kettering Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Torquay United. And it wasn’t a case of there simply being a plethora of non-League versus non-League match-ups in the 2nd Round in 2008-09, because 7 of those 8 non-League teams that qualified for the 3rd Round that season beat Football League teams to advance…Eastwood over Wycombe, Kettering over Notts County, Barrow over Brentford, FGR over Rochdale, Histon over Leeds Utd, Fleetwood over Hartlepool, Blyth Spartans over Bournemouth.

And, counting this season, in six of the last ten seasons, at least 4 non-League teams were able to make it to the 3rd Round (including in two of the last four seasons). And last season [2016-17], 5 non-League teams made into the 3rd Round, with 4 of them beating Football League opposition to advance (Sutton Utd over Cheltenham, Barrow over Bristol Rovers, Lincoln City over Oldham, Stourbridge over Northampton). And also last season, 2 non-League teams made it all the way to the 5th Round (Lincoln City and Sutton United), and one of those teams, the now-4th-division-Lincoln City, made it all the way to the 6th Round/Quarterfinals. That hadn’t happened in over a century (when a then-non-League QPR made it to the Quarterfinals, in 1914).

{To get a sense of how, through the years, non-League teams have fared in the FA Cup, see this chart from the FA Cup Factfile’s twitter feed,
Non-League teams into FA Cup 3rd Round, 1926-2018 (by Phil Annets at twitter.com/FACupFactfile).}

Here is a graph I put together which shows how consistent the average number of non-League teams qualifying, per decade, has been…
{Data from from FA Cup Factfile at twitter.com/FACupFactfile.}

1979-80 to 1988-89: 3.2 n-L teams.
1989-90 to 1998-99: 3.2 n-L teams.
1999-2000 to 2008-09: 3.4 n-L teams.
2009-10 to 2017-18: 3.22 teams [29 n-L teams qualified in a 9-season-span].
So, if 3 non-League teams make it to the 3rd round next season [2018-19], it will be 4 straight decades that at least 3.2 non-League teams have qualified per season. Now, this admittedly introduces an arbitrary factor (the clustering by decades). And, of course, you could cherry-pick the data, and say in the last 10 years, from 2008-09 to 2017-18, an increase is seen, with 4.1 n-L teams per year. But that is thanks to the spike [8 n-L teams] in 2008-09. I think what the data points to is that the level of play in non-League football has been competitive enough with respect to the lower reaches of the Football League…competitive enough to consistently engender more than a couple of non-League Cup-upsets in most every season’s 2nd round. And this has been the case for quite some time. And if anything, the gap between non-League and League is shrinking.
Graph by billsportsmaps/data from FA Cup Factfile at twitter.com/FACupFactfile.
…

Televised matches. The big news here is that Manchester United’s 3rd round match (v Derby County) will not be televised, for the first time in 13 years. It’s about time; people can see Man United plenty (elsewhere), and it had become a ridiculous situation of the powers that be cramming Man U down the throats of the viewing public, to the detriment of other worthy clubs (the Man U/Derby match will be televised in North America, though].

Meanwhile, there are a couple of big derbies to be televised…on Friday the 5th, Liverpool hosts Everton; and on Monday the 8th, Brighton & Hove Albion hosts Crystal Palace {Brighton–Crystal Palace rivalry (en.wikipedia.org).}. The other televised games are…the early game on Saturday the 6th (Fleetwood Town v Leicester City); the late game on Saturday the 6th (Norwich City v Chelsea); and two games on Sunday the 7th (Shrewsbury Town v West Ham United, and then Nottingham Forest v Arsenal).

A possible Cup-upset could be had by 3rd-tier-side Shrewsbury Town. Shrewsbury, who are managed by Paul Hurst, surprised everyone by starting hot this season, and have only cooled down very slightly (and are in 2nd place in League One, currently). I think this match-up has the potential to be a Cup-upset because the Shrews’ opponents, West Ham, will almost certainly be prioritizing their Premier League campaign. West Ham are mired in a relegation-battle, and they will most likely field a significantly weakened squad for their FA Cup match. And the neutral will hope that Paul Hurst takes a page from Lincoln City’s manager Danny Cowley last season, when Lincoln City (successfully) went all-out for a promotion-run and an FA Cup-run.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg -List of Greater Manchester settlements by population.
-Attendances from us.soccerway.com.
-2017-18 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.com).
-Thanks to Phil Annets at FA Cup Factfile.

2017-18 FA Cup 2nd Round Proper- map with attendances & fixture list
…


…
By Bill Turianski on 25 November 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup .
-2017-18 FA Cup/2nd Round (en.wikipedia.org).
-BBC.com/fa-cup.

-From FA Cup Factfile, FA Cup 2017-18 2nd Round Stat-packed Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).

…

The biggest Cup-upset in the 2017-18 FA Cup 1st Round: Oxford City over Colchester United
(Oxford City beats a team 2 league levels & 56 league places above them)

The biggest upset in the 1st round was on Saturday the 4th of November, at Weston Homes Community Stadium in Essex, with 6th-level minnows Oxford City winning away versus 4th-division side Colchester United, 0-1. This is only the second time that the 135-year-old Oxford City have qualified for the FA Cup 2nd Round (their first time into the FA Cup 2nd round was in 1969, when they beat Cheltenham Town, away, 0-2). 153 Oxford City supporters, which is slightly more than half their current home-crowd-size, made the 128-mile road trip east to Colchester, to cheer on their club. FW Matt Paterson’s 46th-minute header was the difference; this after the Scotland-born Paterson had hit the cross-bar on an earlier free kick. Former Forest Green MF Rob Sinclair powered through to the edge of the box, and laid it off for former Chesham MF Dave Pearce, on the left wing. Pearce’s crisp low cross was deftly headed into the bottom-left-corner of the net, by Paterson (see photo-and-caption, further below). (You can watch that goal, in the link below, at about the 0:45 point into the embedded video.) Oxford City then held Colchester at bay for the rest of the second half. And so Oxford City, who were at that point second-bottom in the National League South (and winless since August), beat a team 2 league-levels and 56 league-places above them.

{VIDEO: Highlights as Oxford City earn shock FA Cup win but Oxford United are knocked out (article with embedded youtube.com video [1:20] at thisisoxfordshire.co.uk).}

Going back a century, Oxford City had their greatest moment when they won the 1906 FA Amateur Cup, beating Bishop Auckland 3-0 at Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham. Oxford City, playing at their old White House ground, right in the city centre of Oxford, regularly drew in the thousands as a pre-war Isthmian League side. But in the post-war era, Oxford City began being overshadowed locally by Headington United [precursor-club to Oxford United]. Headington turned pro in 1949, then changed their name to Oxford United in 1960, and were elected into the Football League in 1962. Then, a couple decades later, Oxford United had their heyday in the 1980s, with a 3-season-spell in the First Division, and a League Cup title in 1986. Currently, Oxford United are an upper-mid-table 3rd division side, who draw in the 7-to-8-K-range. And meanwhile, Oxford City had remained firmly entrenched in non-League football, and reached their nadir in 1988, when they were evicted from their White House ground by the owners of the land, Brasenose College (who sold it off for housing). Oxford City were forced to stop fielding a senior team the next season, and resign from the Isthmian League. Since then, Oxford City have worked their way up the pyramid to the 6th level, but seem to have hit a ceiling not only in league-level, but also in fan-base-size: their crowds remain in the lower three figures. But, right now, Oxford City have some modicum of bragging rights in town, because they have just qualified for the FA Cup 2nd round, while Oxford United are out of the FA Cup. And, as the FA Cup Fact File blog points out, ‘1950/51 was the last time Oxford City went further in the FA Cup than Oxford United’ {see this article, Bite-size Stat-packed Review of FA Cup 1st Round 2017-18 (by Phil Annets at facupfactfile.wordpress.com)}.

Oxford City wear blue-and-white, and are (now) from Old Marston, which is 2 miles NE of central Oxford. Oxford City play at Court Farm Place (Marsh Lane), which has a capacity of 2,000 (529 seated) {Oxford City’s Marsh Lane (footballgroundguide.com)}. This season [2017-18] is the 5th consecutive season that Oxford City have been in the 6th level, but they are in a relegation fight, as they currently sit fourth-from-bottom [19th] in the National League South. Oxford City is managed by Mark Jones (age 38), who made over 100 appearances for the club, and who previously worked at Watford as youth development coach.

To get to the 2nd Round…Oxford City beat 6th-division side Whitehawk, away, 1-3, in the 2nd qualifying round. Then Oxford City beat 7th-division side Leiston, 4-2, in the 3rd qualifying round (in front of 185 at Marsh Lane). Then Oxford City beat 6th-division side Bognor Regis Town, 1-0, in the 4th qualifying round (in front of 406 at Marsh Lane). Then Oxford City beat Colchester in the 1st round.

In the 2nd round, Oxford will play away to 4th-division leaders Notts County, at Meadow Lane in Nottingham, in a match which has been selected to be televised. It will be the early game on Saturday the 2nd of December, at 12:30 Greenwich Time (7:30 am ET). The television revenue from the broadcast will be a big financial windfall for Oxford City, a club that, while part of the 6th tier, draw crowds more analogous to the 7th or 8th level. Oxford City drew 302 per game last season [2016-17], but, thanks to their poor league-form this season, Oxford City are currently drawing lowest in the National League South, at 249 per game (in league matches). Although the cup-upset has created a slight buzz in Oxfordshire, and Oxford City drew about 100 more to their most recent home fixture (a 3-2 win over Wealdstone in front of 349).

Photo and Image credits above – Oxford City jersey 2017-18, from macronstorecardiff.co.uk/oxford-city-fc. Dead Man’s Walk, Oxford, photo by Isisbridge at flickr.com via pinterest.com. Old Marston, Welcome sign, photo unattributed at writeopinions.com/old-marston. Victoria Arms pub in Old Marston, Oxford, photo unattributed at pinterest.com.
Court Place Farm, photo unattributed at non-leagueclubdirectory.co.uk/oxford-city. Court Place Farm, action-shot circa 2014, photo by FA via Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk. Matt Paterson heading in winner, photo by Oxford City at oxfordcityfc.co.uk/[match-centre/4-11-2017]. Oxford City neon-green-alternate-away- crest 2017-18, from macronstorecardiff.co.uk/oxford-city-fc. Traveling Oxford City fans & players celebrating post-match, photos by Oxford City at oxfordcityfc.co.uk/[match-centre/4-11-2017].

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Attendances from us.soccerway.com (3rd/4th/5th/6th levels) & nonleaguematters.co.uk (7th/8th levels).
-2017-18 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.com).

Thanks to FA Cup Factfile for the re-tweet.

2017-18 FA Cup 1st Round – map with attendances & Fixture List
…


…
By Bill Turianski on 29 October 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-The competition…FA Cup .
-First Round: fixtures/teams…2017-18 FA Cup 1st Round (en.wikipedia.org).
-Summary – FA Cup [2017-18 1st Round] (soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-Preview, from FA Cup Factfile… FA Cup 2017-18 1st Round Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).

-From The Guardian/football, FA Cup first round dreamers: from a former Wembley winner to a lifelong fan (interviews by Ben Fisher at theguardian.com/football).
…

The 3 clubs making an FA Cup 1st Round debut in 2017-18
(Hereford, Shaw Lane Association, Truro City)

Hereford FC.

Hereford, Herefordshire (population: around 86,00). Established 22 December 2014, as the Phoenix-club of Hereford United (1925-2014). Nicknames are the Bulls; the Whites. Colous: White with Black-and-Red trim and Black pants; their shield-shaped badge features a Hereford bull with red bridle, with the words ‘Forever United”. Hereford FC are a 7th-level club in the National League South [as of 2017-18]. Hereford have now won back-to-back promotions…in 2015-16, the brand-new Hereford FC were placed by the FA in the 9th level, and then won promotion from the Midland Football League Premier Division. In 2016-17, Hereford FC joined the 8th level, and then won promotion from the Southern League South and West.

Hereford FC, like the original Hereford United, play at Edgar Street (capacity 4,913; opened in the late 19th century). Hereford FC’s manager is Peter Beadle (age 45, born in Lambeth, South London). Peter Beadle was a FW who played for most notably for Gillingham, Bristol Rovers, and Bristol City (1989-2005). Beadle has been with Hereford FC since the re-start, and now has run 2 successful promotion campaigns. Local enthusiasm for the club since the rebirth remains, although crowds have diminished a bit since 2015-16 (down 13%, from 2.8 K to 2.4 K). Still, drawing well over two thousand per game, in the 7th division, is a massive achievement. Hereford currently [29 Oct. 2017] sit 5th in the Southern Premier League. And now Hereford FC have advanced to the FA Cup 1st Round Proper in just their second FA Cup campaign.
…
Here’s a flashback of the greatest moment in football history from the town of Hereford…
Hereford United ‘s giant-killing FA Cup-upset of 1972 [Hereford 2-1 Newcastle (aet)]- arguably the greatest cup-upset of all time. Here is a link to an illustrated article I made in 2016, which features the Hereford United victory over Newcastle United in a replay match of the 1971-72 FA Cup 3rd Round…2015-16 FA Cup, Fifth Round Proper: location-map, with current average attendances & fixtures list (16 clubs)/ + illustrated article: the greatest FA Cup upset ever: 5 February 1972 FA Cup 3rd Round replay, Hereford Utd 2-1 Newcastle Utd (aet).
…
To get to the FA Cup 1st Round, Hereford beat 9th-level-side Godalming Town 8-0 in the 1st QR (in front of 1,737 at Edgar Street). Then Hereford beat 8th-level-side Kempston Rovers 0-4 in the 2nd QR. Then Hereford beat 8th-level-side AFC Hornchurch 2-0 in the 3rd QR (in front of 2,440 at Edgar Street). Then Hereford beat 5th-division-side Eastleigh 1-2 in the 4th QR {see photos and captions, further below; also see a short video of the goals, below}. An impressive 650 or so Hereford fans made the 119-mile trip down the road to Eastleigh in Hampshire, to cheer the Bulls on to victory. For Hereford FC, it was a nice cup-upset, seeing as how their win over Eastleigh was a victory over a team 2 levels and 32 leagues places higher.

For the 2017-18 FA Cup 1st round, Hereford have drawn a home match versus AFC Telford United, on Saturday the 4th of November. Telford, in Shropshire, is just 54 miles (87 km) N of Hereford, so there will be a considerable amount of away fans for the match. {Update: SOLD OUT! FA Cup Game Complete Sell Out (herefordfc.co.uk).} AFC Telford United, like Hereford FC, are a Phoenix-club (of Telford United, who folded in 2004), and are a 6th-level side who draw 1.1 K; Telford currently are in 11th place in the Conference North. So, only one level, and 16 league places, separate the two sides, meaning this is a very winnable match for Hereford.

-Video, Hard Cam Goals: Eastleigh FC 1-2 Hereford FC (FA Cup 4Q Round) (1:23 video uploaded by Hereford FC at youtube.com).

Photo and Image credits above – Medieval bridge over River Wye, photo from royalforestofdean.info/herefordshire. Aerial shot of Edgar Street, from dailyecho.co.uk. Edgar Street, photo by Hereford FC from herefordfc.co.uk/about-us-hereford-fc. Photos from qualifying win over Eastleigh, photos by Hereford FC at herefordfc.co.uk/gallery-bulls-progress-to-fa-cup-1st-round. Players celebrate with traveling fans at Eastleigh, screenshot of photo from twitter.com/HerefordFC.

…

Shaw Lane Association FC.

Barnsley, South Yorkshire (population: 91,000). Est. 1991; re-formed in 2012. Nickname: the Ducks. Colours: Royal-Blue with Black trim and Red socks; their circular badge features a Red-Orange rampant griffin backed by a Royal-Blue-and-White wave-pattern; the water references their former name of Shaw Lane Aquaforce FC. (Aquaforce Plumbing Solutions is a Barnsley-based plumbing company that sponsors the club, and whose managing director, Craig Wood, is club-owner.) Shaw Lane Association are a 7th-level club in the Northern Premier League Premier Division [as of 2017-18]. Shaw Lane Association play at Sheerien Park in the Athersley North estate of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, which has a capacity of 2,000 (350 seated). (Shaw Lane Association have a ground-share there, with 9th-level club Athersley Recreation FC.) Shaw Lane Aquaforce FC was formed in 2012, via the merger of two clubs…Barugh FC (1991), a junior club, and Aquaforce Barnsley FC (2007), who were originally a Sunday morning pub team.

(In case you’re wondering, Shaw Lane Association are now located in the northern part of Barnsley in Athersley North, while 2nd-division-side Barnsley FC are located in the eastern part of town in Oakwell. The two clubs are about 2 miles, or 3.5 km, apart. Shaw Lane AFC were previously [pre-2017-18] located on the south-west side of town, in the Shaw Lane Sports Complex.)

In February 2014, manager Craig Elliott joined the then-9th-level Shaw Lane Aquaforce, leaving Ossett Town, who were (at that point) two divisions higher than Shaw Lane. Since then, Craig Elliott has led Shaw Lane to 2 promotions in 3 seasons.

In the summer of 2016, as per FA regulations, the club dropped the ‘Aquaforce’ sponsor-name, to become Shaw Lane Association FC. Shaw Lane then won promotion to the 7th tier in 2016-17, winning the Northern Premier League Division 1 South by 6 points, and racking up an astounding plus-68 goal difference. That meant that Shaw Lane Association have now won 5 promotions in 7 years. And the club is yet again in the thick of another promotion-campaign…Shaw Lane currently [29 Oct. 2017] sit 2nd in the 7th-division Northern Premier League (with a couple games in hand). As of late October 2017, Shaw Lane were drawing 203 per game (up +10% from last season). And now Shaw Lane Association have advanced to the FA Cup 1st Round Proper, for the first time, in just their 3rd FA Cup campaign.

To get to the FA Cup 1st Round, Shaw Lane beat 8th-level-side Radcliffe Borough 3-1 in the 1st QR (in front of 187 at Sheerien Park). Then Shaw Lane beat 6th-level-side Blythe Spartans in the 2nd QR. Then Shaw Lane beat 7th-level-side Lancaster City 2-1 in the 3rd QR (in front of 304 at Sheerien Park). Then Shaw Lane beat 5th-division-side Barrow AFC 2-1 in the 4th QR (in front of 864 at Sheerien Park) {see photos and captions below; also see a brilliant 12-second clip of the rather nicely-played winning goal, scored by former-Altrincham-cup-hero Damian Reeves, below}. For Shaw Lane, that win over Barrow was a definite cup-upset over a team 2 levels and 29 league places higher. And that crowd of 864 there in Barnsley was 4-times-larger than the 203-per-game that Shaw Lane had been averaging, in their league games, this season. The win also got the Barrow manager sacked.

For the 2017-18 FA Cup 1st round, Shaw Lane Association have drawn a home match versus 4th-division-side Mansfield Town, on Saturday the 4th of November (at 12:30 Greenwich Time/8:30 am EST). Shaw Lane’s home ground, tiny Sheerien Park, will certainly be the full-capacity two thousand (or so) for the match, especially seeing as how the two teams are located, by road, only about 40 miles (64 km) apart. The Shaw Lane v Mansfield match has been selected to be televised {see this from the Yorkshire Post, Shaw Lane cash in on televised FA Cup tie with Stags}.

-Damian Reeves makes it 2-1 for Shaw Lane AFC against Barrow (0:12 video uploaded by Thomas Feaheny at youtube.com).

Photo and Image credits above – Sheerien Park, photo by Yorkshiregroundhopper at commons.wikimedia.org. Spencer Hays of Shaw Lane (#8) scores goal in 1st half, photo by Arthur Haigh/White Rose Photos via nwemail.co.uk/sport. Screenshot of Damian Reeves scoring winner, image from video uploaded by Barrow AFC at youtube.com. Goal celebration, photo unattributed at thebootifulgame.uk. Screenshot of squad celebrating, image from video uploaded by Barrow AFC at youtube.com.

…

Truro City FC.

Truro, Cornwall (population: 18,700). Established 1889. Nickname: the White Tigers. Colours: White with Black trim; their Black-and-Red circular badge features the flag of Cornwall with a leaping black-&-white tiger. Truro City are a 6th-level club in the National League South [as of 2017-18]. Truro City play at Treyew Road, which has a capacity of 3,200 (1,675 seated). Truro City are the highest-placed team from Cornwall, which is an isolated peninsula at the far south-western tip of England. Truro is the county town and only city in Cornwall. Truro is the southern-&-western-most city in England. Truro is 55 miles (89 km), by road, SW of Plymouth; and Truro is a staggering 284 miles (457 km), by road, SW of London.

Truro City are the only Cornish team to ever make it into the 6th tier. As of 27 Oct. 2017, Truro City are currently averaging 467 per game (up 16% from last season), and Truro sit 6th in the National League South.

Truro City is managed by Lee Hodges (age 44, born in Epping, Essex). Lee Hodges was a MF who played most notably for Barnet, Reading, Plymouth Argyle, and Torquay (1992-2013); Lee Hodges was a starter on two promotion-winning Plymouth Argyle squads [that won the 4th division title in 2001-02, and that won the 3rd division title in 2003-04]. Lee Hodges finished his playing career as player-manager of Truro City in 2010-13. (This is Hodges’ second spell as Truro’s manager. He had not been offered a new contract when Truro suffered their financial crisis in 2013. Hodges returned to a more financially stable Truro City in the summer of 2015.)

Truro City are the first Cornish team to qualify for the FA Cup 1st Round in 48 years (previously, Falmouth Town in 1969). Falmouth Town AFC, who are currently a 10th-level club, made it to the FA Cup 1st round three times (1962, ’67, ’69). No other Cornish clubs besides Falmouth Town and Truro City have ever made it to the FA Cup 1st round.

To get to the FA Cup 1st Round, Truro City beat 9th-division-side AFC Portchester 2-1 in the 2nd QR (in front of 302 at Treyew Road). Then Truro City beat 8th-level-side AFC Sudbury 4-1 in the 3rd QR (in front of 359 at Treyew Road). Then Truro City beat fellow-6th-level-side Hampton & Richmond Borough 0-2 in the 4th QR…MF Noah Keats scored twice, while goalkeeper Tom McHale saved a penalty {see photos and captions below}.

For the 2017-18 FA Cup 1st round, on the Sunday [5 Nov.], Truro City will travel to South-East London to play 3rd-tier-side Charlton Athletic. The distance, by road, from Truro in Cornwall to Charlton in SE London is about 293 miles (471 km). No word on away ticket sales yet {TCFC official site, here}, but the White Tigers faithful will probably snap up the whole allotment of the reasonably-priced tickets (£10 adults), and take a small fleet of buses there to Charlton.

Photo and Image credits above – Truro Cathedral, photo by Simon Lewis at en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Truro_(England). Truro Cathedral with Cornish hills in background, photo by Ian Woolcock/Shutterstock via bradtguides.com jpg. Treyew Road, 1st and 2nd photos by WB Tukker at extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Three shots from qualifying match, photos by Truro City Football Club at trurocityfc.net/photos/hampton-richmond-borough-0-truro-city-2. Truro City players mugging in front of camera, screenshot from video at cornwalllive.com/sport/football/football-news/truro-city-through-fa-cup.

-From Olly’s Football Thoughts blog, Truro City on the brink of Cornish history in the FA Cup (by Ollyallen1998 at ollysfootballthoughts.wordpress.com).
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Attendances from us.soccerway.com (3rd/4th/5th/6th levels) & nonleaguematters.co.uk (7th/8th levels).
-2017-18 FA Cup (en.wikipedia.com).