FA Cup 1st Round Friday Night Preview: can Hyde spring an upset?

Hyde United v MK Dons

MK Dons might sit 82 places above their hosts, but they will not feel any sense of complacency when they travel to Ewen Fields. Robbie Neilson’s side are underperforming in 16th in League One, having picked up just five points from their last six games, conceding 13 times. They face a Hyde United outfit that has won their previous three games in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Division One North, scoring 13 goals. Versatile forward Tom Pratt is causing all sorts of problems and will be full of confidence, after recently bagging a hat-trick against Brighouse Town. With home advantage and the buzz of a televised game, Darren Kelly’s men might force a replay. 2-2

Port Vale v Oxford United

Having spent much of his managerial career in non-league, Neil Aspin will recognize the importance of a good FA Cup run to clubs outside the Championship. Pep Clotet, with a more continental background, may not have exposed to the magic of this competition. He was an assistant manager last term at Leeds, who made wholesale changes for their Fourth Round tie at Sutton United. With Tom Pope firing and home fans united behind their club legend at the helm, momentum could be with the Valiants. 2-1

Notts County v Bristol Rovers

Jon Stead recently reached the quarter-finals of this competition with Bradford City and he now hopes for another successful season at Notts County. Either he or Shola Ameobi may be rested on Friday night with the Magpies in sight of promotion from League Two, but with Jonathan Forte offering a different option, Kevin Nolan has a squad with strength in reserve. His side have scored 28 goals in 16 and lead their division while Bristol Rovers have scored three fewer in the same number of games, yet sit 13th. The Gasheads are an energetic, attacking side that can be great to watch on their day and if Rory Gaffney and Liam Sercombe start, they could be tough to stop. 1-3