Cup Draws Made For Season Ahead

After the draws were made on Friday gone, Nottinghamshire’s non-league clubs have learnt of their opponents in the opening rounds of the FA’s cup competitions when the season kicks off, in earnest, next month.

Clubs aplenty will be hoping for big paydays, days in the sun, cup runs, and glory, when the season begins, and the draws for the of the Emirates FA Cup, Isuzu FA Trophy, Isuzu FA Vase, and the FA Youth Cup, have not disappointed, throwing up a few local affairs, and some road trips, to excite the masses.

The two Northern Premier League East sides from the county, Carlton Town and Worksop Town, have been afforded polar opposites in the draws for the FA Cup and FA Trophy, the former pulling out two home ties in their first outing, against Loughborough Students or Newark & Sherwood United (FA Cup) and Hanley Town (FA Trophy), whilst the latter are away in theirs, to Corby Town or AFC Mansfield (FA Cup) and Brighouse Town (FA Trophy).

Following last seasons’ cup exploits, one which would see them gain BBC coverage, Sherwood Colliery begin their FA Cup journey with a home tie against nearby Long Eaton United; Radford will be the only club from the United Counties Division One to participate in the completion and they have been drawn away to Anstey Nomads; and last seasons’ Division One champions, Kimberley Miners Welfare, they are home to Lutterworth Town.

The draw for the first two rounds of the FA Cup there will be 732 clubs in this seasons’ competition), in regards clubs from within Nottinghamshire’s fine boundaries, is as follows…

EMIRATES FA CUP (Extra Preliminary Round & Preliminary Round)

EPR (06/08/22)

KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE vs. Lutterworth Town; Loughborough Students vs. NEWARK & SHERWOOD UNITED; Leicester Nirvana vs. SELSTON; Anstey Nomads vs. RADFORD; SHERWOOD COLLIERY vs. Long Eaton United; Corby Town vs. AFC MANSFIELD

PR (20/08/22)

CARLTON TOWN vs. Loughborough Students/NEWARK & SHERWOOD UNITED; SHERWOOD COLLIERY/Long Eaton United vs. Maltby Main/Quorn; Corby Town/AFC MANSFIELD vs. WORKSOP TOWN; Anstey Nomads/RADFORD vs. Skegness Town/Loughborough Dynamo; KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE/Lutterworth Town vs, Leicester Nirvana/SELSTON

Full draws can be found here.

It’s a long way to that First Round Proper….

As previously mentioned, in the FA Trophy, Worksop Town have been drawn away to Brighouse Town, whilst Carlton Town welcome Hanley Town in the 1^st Qualifying Round whilst two weeks later, should they overcome those, then Worksop would be on the road again, facing the winner of Prescot Cables and Cleethorpes Town, whilst Carlton will also travel, they’d be heading to either Daventry United or Lincoln United.

The opening two rounds for the FA Trophy for Notts clubs will be…

ISUZU FA TROPHY (1^st Qualifying Round & 2^nd Qualifying Round)

1QR (10/09/22)

Brighouse Town vs. WORKSOP TOWN; CARLTON TOWN vs, Hanley Town

2QR (24/09/22)

Prescot Cables/Cleethorpes Town vs. Brighouse Town/WORKSOP TOWN; Daventry United/Lincoln United vs. CARLTON TOWN/Hanley Town

Full draw for both the FA Trophy, and FA Vase, can be found here.

As usual, there’s a lot of regional interest in the FA Vase competition, it’s the staple of non-league football, other than the Holy Grail of the FA Cup First Round (or beyond).

The opening two rounds has thrown up some interesting, local affairs, and road trips, for Notts clubs, with two of last season’s UCL Division One sides colliding, as champions Kimberley Miners Welfare face play-off side, Hucknall Town, whilst Selston play host to Blidworth Welfare in the pick of the opening round ties.

Facing an away day is AFC Mansfield, who travel to Skegness, and Clipstone are at Bourne Town, among others, whilst the next round sees the introduction of Newark & Sherwood United (home to Sleaford Town), Dunkirk (away to either Saffron Dynamo or Ingles), Gedling Miners Welfare host Belper United, whilst Retford travel to the winner of Wythenshawe Amateurs and Cammell Laird.

A standout tie in the second qualifiers sees the introduction of Ollerton Town, who will have a local affair either way, travelling to the winner of the Selston and Blidworth clash; the full draw, as for Notts clubs, is that of….

ISUZU FA VASE (1^st Qualifying Round & 2^nd Qualifying Round)

1QR (27/08/22)

SHERWOOD COLLIERY vs. Barrow Town; SELSTON vs. BLIDOWRTH WELFARE; Bourne Town vs. CLIPSTONE; Quorn vs. CLIFTON ALL WHITES; RAINWORTH MINERS WELFARE vs. Blackstones; Skegness Town vs. AFC MANSFIELD; RADFORD vs. Boston Town; KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE vs. HUCKNALL TOWN

2QR (24/09/22)

Wythenshawe Amateurs/Cammell Laird vs. RETFORD; NEWARK & SHERWOOD UNITED vs. Sleaford Town; Saffron Dynamo/Ingles vs. DUNKIRK; SELSTON/BLIDWORTH WELFARE vs. OLLERTON TOWN; St Andrews vs. Bourne Town/CLIPSTONE; Skegness Town/AFC MANSFIELD vs. Quorn/CLIFTON ALL WHITES; RADFORD/Boston Town vs. Aylestone Park; SHERWOOD COLLIERY/Barrow Town vs. Harrowby United/Lutterworth Town; GEDLING MINERS WELFARE vs. Belper United; RAINWORTH MINERS WELFARE/Blackstones vs. Kirby Muxloe; Lutterworth Athletic/Melton Town vs. KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE/HUCKNALL TOWN

As for the regions young guns, the next generation of stars sees good representations in that of the Youth Cup starting from the Preliminary stages.

On the road is Retford FC who take a side to Gainsborough Trinity, Basford are at Deeping, Dunkirk face either Coalville or Lutterworth, and Clifton All Whites will travel to Gresley Rovers.

Then there’s Sherwood Colliery, who welcome that of Boston United, the draw for which sees the following games…..

FA YOUTH CUP (Preliminary Round)

PR (29/08/22)

Gainsborough Trinity vs. RETFORD; Deeping Rangers vs. BASFORD UNITED; Coalville Town/Lutterworth vs. DUNKIRK; SHERWOOD COLLIERY vs. Boston United; Gresley Rovers vs. CLIFTON ALL WHITES

Full draw for the opening rounds of the FA Youth Cup can be found here.

We’ll be following all our sides, in both the men’s, and women’s competitions, this coming season, and we’d like to wish them all the best on the road to Wembley (or wherever) and success.