The game at Stourbridge on Saturday is our 20th tie at this stage against non-league opposition since 1960. Results....
1960-1 v. Yeovil Town (H) 0-1
1966-7 v. St Neots (H) 2-0
1967-8 v.Leytonstone (a) 1-0
1968-9 v.Leytonstone (a) 1-0
1971-2 v.Dagenham (H) 4-1
1972-3 v Kettering Town (H) 3-3
replay (a) 3-1
1974-5 v.Ashford Town (a) 3-1
1977-8 v.Dagenham (H) 1-0
1980-1 v.Stafford Rangers (H) 3-0
1981-2 v.Blyth Spartans (a) 2-1
1982-3 v.Kettering Town (H) 3-0
1989-90 v Telford Town (a) 3-0
1990-1 v.Aylesbury Town (a) 1-0
1991-2 v.Yeovil Town (a) 1-1
replay (H) 0-1 (AET)
1996-7 v.Northwich Victoria (a) 2-2
replay (H) 3-1
1997-8 v. Lincoln United (H) 2-0
1998-9 v. Gresley Rovers (H) 1-0
2004-5 v. Slough Town (a) 1-2
2005-6 v. Merthyr Tydfil (a) 2-1
Yeovil Town are the only non-league club to beat Walsall twice in the FA Cup First Round. The 1960 humiliation at Fellows Park drew an attendance of 11,887. In fact on both occasions Yeovil did the business away from home!
The visit of St Neots in 1966 (who were managed by John Gregory Senior, the father of the former Aston Villa player and manager ) drew 10,429 through the turnstiles.
The chances of being drawn away at this stage to the same non-league club on two successive seasons and obtaining the same result (v. Leytonstone in 1967-8 and 1968-9) was quite amazing (although it was a different scorer).
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The replay at Kettering in 1972-3 saw 9,143 fans pack into Rockingham Road with the Walsall fans going home happy having seen the Saddlers easily despatch of their hosts 3-0.
Walsall are no stranger to visiting local non-league sides in the FA Cup and if there is one that can highlight the danger that these ties possess it was Telford at Bucks Head.In the late 90's Walsall saw Walsall draw non-league opposition three times in three years. Northwich Victoria gave Walsall a fright, holding us to a draw before the replay allowing us to advance to the Second Round. The following season Lincoln United came to Bescot and went away the wrong side of a 2-0, but they won alot of friends with a spirited performance. Ian Roper was the unlikely match winner v. Gresley in 1998-9 for Ray Graydon's Walsall in another instance of a non-league side coming to Walsall and playing their hearts out.
We mentioned the 2-1 reverse at Slough Town in yesterdays article Remember, Remember the 13th of November and the season after saw the hat again draw us away away, this time at Merthyr Tydfil in 2005-6. Given our result at Slough the season before and Paul Merson's 'high profile', this was screened live on SKY TV and following a goalkeeping crisis, young Rene Gilmartin made his Walsall debut. There was no mistake this time round and Walsall were safely through to Round Two, where come 3pm tomorrow we hope Walsall will be one of the first names in the hat.