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FA Cup first round: What awaits the lowest-placed teams?
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FA Cup first round: What awaits the lowest-placed teams?

Hednesford Town could also have a strong claim to be the biggest headline act of the weekend.

The Pitmen are officially the lowest team remaining in the FA Cup, sitting in the eighth tier of English football and sitting 14th in the Northern Premier League Division One West.

Manager Steve King described the progress of his team, which began the competition with an extra qualifying round on August 3, as “incredible”.

The Staffordshire side won six draws and played a staggering nine games in the competition, including three consecutive replays, just to qualify for the first round.

They are also the FA Cup’s top scorers so far with 22 goals (more to come at Gainsborough), 10 points ahead of second-highest Gainsborough Trinity, whom they host on Saturday.

There is a familiar face in the Hednesford squad in former Birmingham City, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Luton player Jake Jervis.

It means the club has reached the first round for the first time in 10 years since losing 2-1 at home to Crawley in 2013-14.

Their best ever FA Cup run was in 1996-97, when they reached the fourth round and lost 3-2 away to Middlesbrough.