The oldest cup competition starts up again this weekend, and here is where you should be looking for upsets.
Shaw Lane v Mansfield – {ODDS:205390951:8/5}
Shaw Lane have already achieved their best ever FA Cup run, but it doesn’t have to end here.
The seventh-tier, Barnsley-based side have already seen off National League Barrow after a replay in the fourth qualifying round.
So the Ducks should retain some optimism, despite the 58-place difference between themselves and Mansfield,.
It has been three seasons since the Stags made it to the second round of the competition, only reaching that stage after going through a replay with National League South Concord Rangers.
Despite being fancied as promotion candidates at the start of the season, they are 17th in League Two and have managed just one away win all season.
Cheltenham v Maidstone – {ODDS:205392815:17/20}
The FA Cup has not been kind to Cheltenham of late.
The Robins became part of Sutton’s impressive cup run last season when they were beaten 2-1 in the second round.
They were also knocked out by non-league sides Dover and Tamworth in 2014/15 and 2013/14 respectively, while they needed a replay to get past local rivals Hereford in 2012/13.
So a meeting with National League Maidstone, who have triumphed over Football League sides before, won’t be a comfortable one.
The Stones, then in the seventh tier, knocked League Two Stevenage out at this stage in 2014/15.
Cheltenham, beware.
Morecambe v Hartlepool – {ODDS:205395532:7/10}
Despite being a division higher, Morecambe are not certain to win.
With just 13 places separating these two sides – who shared a division last season – it is debateable whether victory for Hartlepool would represent an upset.
The Pools have made it to the second round in each of the last four seasons and come into the tie on a six-match unbeaten run.
Morecambe are in much worse shape.
The Shrimps are second-bottom of League Two and have lost five of their last seven in all competitions.
They have also failed to make it past this stage in four seasons and were beaten by National League Dover in 2014/15.
Cambridge v Sutton United – {ODDS:205397948:19/20}
Sutton made national headlines last season as they knocked out Cheltenham, AFC Wimbledon and Leeds on the way to the fifth round – their best ever showing in the competition.
The non-league side were eventually eliminated by Arsenal, who beat them 2-0 – a respectable scoreline.
This time around, the U’s are primed for another run. They are unbeaten in eight and are only three points off the top of the National League.
Cambridge, meanwhile, are just 18 places above them and were taken to a replay by Dover in the first round last season.
Dartford v Swindon – {ODDS:205398678:8/11}
Swindon’s recent involvement in the FA Cup has been fleeting, having been eliminated in the first round for five consecutive seasons.
The Robins were knocked out by National League Eastleigh last season and have been beaten twice more by non-league sides in that period.
So, despite drawing National League South Dartford this term, their passage to the next stage is far from secure.
The Darts have won four on the spin at home and are a decent shout to reach the FA Cup second round for the first time since 2014/15.
