STONES ARE RE-CREATING OLD HISTORY
12.30PM – MAIDSTONE UNITED V STEVENAGE
NATIONAL League South Maidstone United are the lowest ranked club left in this year’s FA Cup – the only sixth-tier club to have reached the third round.
It is the first time that the Stones have made it this far in the competition in what is the club’s 22nd FA Cup campaign since forming following the demise of the original Maidstone United club.
This means the current club has matched the original club’s best Cup run.
Maidstone United take on League One side Stevenage nine years after the two sides met in the first round of the competition when both were in leagues one level lower than currently.
On that occasion, a Frannie Collin double saw Maidstone cause an upset with a 2-1 replay victory, and a similar result this season would see a Maidstone United side in the fourth round for first time ever 125 years after first participating in the competition.
3PM – WATFORD V CHESTERFIELD
With victories over League One sides Portsmouth and Leyton Orient already this season, Chesterfield have become only the fifth Non-League club, since the current structure was put in place 98 years ago, to reach the third round in
three successive seasons. And the Spireites have faced and beaten Championship side Watford in the competition before, albeit in a completely different footballing era, 111 years ago in a fifth qualifying round tie.
Chesterfield won that tie 3-1 and a similar victory for the National League pacesetters this season would take the club into the fourth round for the first time in nine years.
3PM – NEWPORT COUNTY V EASTLEIGH
NATIONAL League side Eastleigh are already equalling the club’s best FA Cup runs just by appearing in this season’s third round, having got this far in the competition in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns.
Having already seen off opposition in the last round from a higher level than their third round opponents Newport County, the Spitfires will be looking to reach the fourth round for the first time in the club’s 47th FA Cup campaign.
Newport have already dispatched two NonLeague clubs in this season’s campaign so will be well prepared.