Larkhall Athletic must travel to Buckinghamshire outfit Beaconsfield Town in the Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round next month.
Larkhall Athletic will be on their travels in the early stages of this season | Photo © Richard Briggs
The Larks, who narrowly beat the drop from Pitching In Southern League Division One South in 2024-25, will take on the Rams at Holloways Park on Saturday 2nd August.
Beaconsfield play in Southern League Division One Central. Like Larkhall’s Plain Ham headquarters, Holloways Park has an artificial pitch.
The winners of the tie will receive £1,125 prize money; the losers will get £375.
If Athletic are successful against Beaconsfield, they will visit Berkshire’s Wokingham Town, from Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Premier Division North, or Bristol side Brislington, from the Jewson Wessex League Premier Division, in the preliminary round on Saturday 16th August.
A payment of £1,444 will be made to the winners of this tie, while the losers will earn £481.
Larkhall will be clocking up the miles again in the first qualifying round of the Isuzu FA Trophy, a competition which, like the FA Cup, has its final at Wembley Stadium.
The Larks will journey to Southern League Division One South rivals Tavistock on Saturday 6th September. £1,500 is on offer for the winners, with the losers to benefit by £400.
The tie in West Devon will be a case of deja vu for Athletic. They were beaten 3-2 by the Lambs at Langsford Park on Saturday 7th September 2024 at the same stage of the Trophy.
Odd Down, from Western League Division One, will also be on the road to Wembley this year.
They will compete in the Isuzu FA Vase and must go to Thatcham Town in the first qualifying round on Saturday 23rd August.
It will be a tough test for the Down, as Thatcham are members of Combined Counties League Premier Division South and lined up against Larkhall in the Southern League last term, being relegated after finishing third bottom.
The winners will receive £550 and the losers will get £160.
Bath City’s FA Youth Cup campaign will commence in the first qualifying round. The young Romans will visit Clevedon Town or Brislington during the week commencing Monday 15th September. Clevedon and Brislington will face off in the preliminary round a fortnight earlier.
The draws for the early stages of the FA Cup, FA Trophy, FA Vase and FA Youth Cup were announced by the Football Association on Friday 4th July.
Bath City’s seniors, from Enterprise National League South, will enter the FA Cup in the second qualifying round on Saturday 13th September. And Darren Way’s team are exempt to the second round of the FA Trophy, which will be played on Saturday 15th November.
