FA Cup 2026-27 Extra Preliminary Rd Preview – FA Cup Factfile

A slight reduction in entrants to the FA Cup versus last season also means a slightly smaller number of Extra Preliminary Round ties, but there will still be 218 matches taking place across Friday 7^th, Saturday 8^th and Sunday 9^th August. (Marske United has already advanced as Boro Rangers has scratched).

Panthers ‘Stur’ Again

Of the 436 clubs involved, one in particular is smashing an FA Cup record, probably setting it in stone forever. Sturminster Newton United of Wessex League Premier Division are returning to the FA Cup after an absence of a massive 148 years.

Back in the 1870s football was still in its infancy and dominated by so called gentlemen amateur clubs, with one such club founded in the same season as the inaugural FA Cup campaign, named Panthers FC of Dorset.

Panthers FC faced the famous Wanderers on that club’s way to lifting the Trophy for a fifth time in the Dorset’s clubs last FA Cup match in the 1878-79 season. The club eventually renamed itself Sturminster St Mary’s and then Sturminster Newton United and spent 80 odd years competing in local Dorset football.

But three years after rising up to the national league pyramid the Cherries return to the FA Cup and travel to Portland United in this season’s Extra Preliminary Round. A 148 year gap between FA Cup ties is truly remarkable.

Welcome to the FA Cup

Sturminster Newton United is one of 14 clubs returning to the FA Cup after at least an absence of one season. Alongside these returnees are a further 18 clubs participating in the competition for the first time ever.

AFC Greenwich Borough, Clapton Community, Dearne and District, Dunstable FC, Everrett Rovers, FC Peterborough, Fleetlands FC, Hutton FC, Knowle FC, Penn and Tylers Green, Petts Wood and Holmesdale, Redcar Town, Retford FC, SE Dons, Stockport Georgians, Sutton United (Birmingham), Yarm an Eaglescliffe, and Yateley United have all managed to avoid each other in the draw.

Clapton Community host fellow Essex Senior League side, Benfleet FC, is one of only three ties in the round that would see a club celebrating either reaching the Preliminary Round for the first time or equalling the club’s best run to the Preliminary Round. The other two are Horbury Town versus Golcar United and Faversham Strike Force against Snodland Town.

Yet to Taste Success

Aside from the debut clubs there are 19 others that have yet to experience victory in the FA Cup, some despite several attempts to do so. Frenford FC, Heacham FC, Hilltop FC and Roffey FC are all in their fourth campaigns.

Thetford Town are participating in the FA Cup for the sixth time hoping this is the season the club secures its first victory in the competition, whilst Thornbury Town is trying to record its first FA Cup victory at the seventh attempt. The competition record without securing a victory is 11 campaigns set by a Brimingham based club called Headingley FC in the seasons leading up to the outbreak of World War II.

Good and Proper

On the flip side of the coin there are 91 clubs (approximately 20%) in this season’s Extra Preliminary Round that have actually participated in the ‘Proper’ Rounds of the competition in the past, with Sheffield FC, Northwich Victoria and Glossop North End all reaching Quarter Finals, and Marlow FC actually appearing in a Semi-Final way back in the 1881-82 season.

Marlow FC, along with Maidenhead United, have been accepted into all but one of the 146 FA Cup competitions there have been, and in that time the club has never exited the competition as early as the Extra Preliminary Round. Ominously, this will be the 13^th time the Blues have started in the Extra Preliminary Round and the club lost to this season’s opponents Newport Pagnell Town the only previous time they’ve met in the FA Cup.

The other 87 clubs that have reached the FA Cup 1^st Round or beyond in the past are: Arlesey Town, Ashington FC, Aylesbury United, Barnstaple Town, Barton Rovers, Bashley FC, Bideford FC, Bishop Auckland, Blyth Spartans, Bognor Regis Town, Boston Town, Bournemouth FC, Bowers and Pitsea FC, Burnham FC, Burscough FC, Camberley Town, Cambridge City, Chasetown FC, Cinderford Town, Clevedon Town, Clitheroe FC, Concord Rangers

Congleton Town, Consett FC, Corby Town, Corinthian-Casuals, Crook Town, Daventry Town, Desborough Town, Didcot Town, Droylsden FC, Dudley Town, Easington Colliery, Ely City, Epsom and Ewell FC, Falmouth Town, Fareham Town, Frickley Athletic, Grantham Town, Grays Athletic, Great Yarmouth Town, Guisborough Town, Haringey Borough, Harlow Town

Harwich and Parkeston FC, Hastings United, Hayes and Yeading United, Heanor Town, Hendon FC, Heybridge Swifts, Histon FC, Kendal Town, Kingstonian FC, Lincoln United, Littlehampton Town, Lowestoft Town, March Town United, Merstham FC, Metropolitan Police,  Mossley FC, Nantwich Town, Nelson FC, Newcastle Town, North Shields, Paulton Rovers, Penrith FC

Redhill FC, Rugby Town, Saffron Walden Town, Sheppey United, Shildon FC, Skegness Town, St Neots Town, Stafford Rangers, Street FC, Sturminster Newton United, Sutton Coldfield Town, Swindon Supermarine, Tilbury FC, Tooting and Mitcham United, West Auckland Town, Westbury United, Westfields FC, Whitley Bay, Winsford United, Wisbech Town and Witton Albion.

To appear in this season’s 1^st Round ‘Proper’ a club from the above list will have to try to repeat the feat achieved by Maldon and Tiptree FC just last season by winning through a total of six rounds, as many rounds as the eventual winners will have to win through.

Haven’t We Met Before?

There are 43 ties in this season’s Extra Preliminary Round that have happened before in the competition. For the majority, the two clubs have met just once or twice, but there are others who have met much more often in the competition.

Littlehampton Town and Eastbourne United Association are going head-to-head in the FA Cup for the sixth time. Littlehampton Town are ahead by three wins to two in past FA Cup games between 1929-30 and 2017-18 seasons.

Consett FC and North Shields have been drawn together for the ninth time, first facing each other in the 1938-39 season. North Shields has won six of their previous meetings, Consett FC just two, and they have had two draws.

But the most familiar foes in the competition are facing each other for the 14^th time despite not meeting in the FA Cup for the first time until the 1962-63 season. Bideford FC has a seven to six win ratio over Falmouth Town in past meetings although Falmouth did win last season when the two clubs met in the Preliminary Round.

Amazingly, the two clubs needed five matches to separate them in the 1973-74 season as part of Bideford FC setting a competition record of playing 13 matches in one FA Cup campaign.

Falmouth Town versus Bideford FC is one of 16 ties which guarantees a club from Step Four of the Non-League pyramid will exit the competition in the earliest Extra Preliminary Round. Ninety other clubs from that level will also be trying to avoid being one of the first Cupsets of this season’s competition.

Three, Two, One, Zero

There are THREE Ampersand Derbies (Laverstock & Ford versus Eversley & California, Midhurst & Easebourne versus Larkfield & New Hythe, and Petts Wood & Holmesdale versus Tooting and Mitcham United),  TWO clubs celebrating competing in the FA Cup for the 100^th time (Cambridge City and Whitstable Town), and ONE quirkily named ‘Barker tie’ of Belper United versus Bedworth United (named after sports broadcaster Caroline Barker who enjoyed me highlighting quirky match-ups such as two clubs facing each other with the same initials).

Finally, Corinthian-Casuals travel to Faversham Town for the club’s 129^th FA Cup game in their 63^rd campaign having played ZERO clubs in the competition over that time with a name beginning with the letter ‘F’.