Hitchin in same league as Leiston. Didcot play at our level in Southern League. Don’t recall ever playing either , certainly never been to either ground, although recall Didcot playing us in the old Metropolitan League. Winner gets £15000.00 so something to plat for.
Unfortunate to get an away draw but I don't think there is a lot to worry us there. Didcot at the same level and currently 11th in Evo Stick Southern whilst Hitchin 3rd from bottom in the Evo Stick central Premier. One win all season and lost won game 8-1! Form means nothing in the FA Cup I know but pretty confident we can get past either team.
Spooky stat.....we beat Hitchin 2-1 away, same round 6 years ago before going on to play Middlesbrough.
Player/boss Sean Ray scored one of the most important goals of his United career and atoned for conceding an earlier penalty, as the U's booked a place in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in ten years on a rainy night in Hertfordshire.
Ray's towering header from a Lee Carey corner sealed a 2-1 victory at Hitchin's Top Field ground, at last clinching a tie in which United led on four separate occasions, but were crucially pegged back just the three times.
They overcame a shaky start, as the Canaries went in search of their 5-0 replay thrashing of Whitehawk in the last round, but looked much the better side once Bradley Goldberg put them in front with his fifth FA Cup goal of the season.
Having failed to reinforce that advantage though, the U's allowed Hitchin back into the game after the interval, with Ray's foul on John Frendo in the area giving the striker an opportunity to level from the penalty spot just before the hour mark.
But the visitors shrugged off that setback and Zac Attwood twice missed chances to restore the lead before Ray showed him how it should be done in the seventy-third minute of a tension-filled encounter.
United looked to have things all wrapped up when the home side had defender Lawrie Stewart sent off for the second of two quickly accumulated yellow cards in the closing stages, but Hitchin still went mightily close to forcing extra time when Frendo burst through, only for Matt Armstrong-Ford to deny him with an outstanding save.
Wessex League side Blackfield & Langley, in the fourth qualifying round for the first time in their history, will visit the Pilot Field on October 20, when ninety minutes will separate the two teams from a possible First Round tie against Football League opposition.
Before that, the U's will spend Non-League Day at Carshalton on Saturday, and entertain Lewes in the first round of the League Cup next Tuesday, although they might be forgiven for not caring much about that tonight!
I went to Hitchin away last time in the FA Cup, nice ground, pretty much all made of wood from what I recall and all painted green. Floodlights were shocking but as this is a Sat won’t be an issue this time. Not really difficult to get to on the train either so may help our away fan numbers.
-- Edited by Dan on Monday 24th of September 2018 01:25:47 PM
Lets hope Horlock wins his appeal or there will be a goalkeeper search on. Missing Sam for this game won't help either. Pretty sure the new laws on suspensions now apply in FA Cup ( 2 yellows miss next game in Cup, Red Card Miss at least next game in Cup). perhaps someone can confirm this.
Charlie has had his Red card stripped as it showed he never handled it get in there
Excellent news indeed and a credit to those who made the appeal and to the FA's appeal mechanism. One can only wonder how the referee got such a major potentially game changing decision so wrong ..........
I know we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves but should we progress, I believe the next round would mean the postponement of Guernsey away, scuppering pre booked travel.
..i'll get me coat 