Wimborne Town draw Bradford City in FA Cup second round
Wimborne Town, a seventh-tier club, have been drawn at home to Bradford City in the FA Cup second round. Bradford play in League One, the third tier of English football.
The draw was made live on TNT Sports on Monday 9 November. The second-round weekend starts on Friday 4 December. For Wimborne, it is a first trip to this stage of the competition, having beaten Crawley Town in the first round. Seventh tier means the club sits six steps below the Premier League, so this is a big night for a small ground.
Bradford arrive on the back of a 7-0 win over Marine in the first round, the kind of scoreline that makes a team's opponents nervous. Wimborne will know that the FA Cup has a habit of producing its own stories. Non-league clubs have knocked out league sides for more than a century, and this round is full of them.
BBC Sport reported the full list of pairings. Dover Athletic, who play in the National League South, will host Leicester City. Salisbury FC, who beat Sholing 6-0 in the first round, face Blackpool at the Ray Mac Stadium. AFC Fylde will host Luton Town, and Guiseley AFC will play Notts County.
Plenty of league clubs are in the mix too. Chesterfield meet Cheltenham Town, Wigan Athletic play Barnsley, and Exeter City face Stevenage. York City host Carlisle United, Crewe Alexandra meet Plymouth Argyle, and Barrow take on Kidderminster Harriers. Colchester United play Mansfield Town, Rochdale host Newport County, and Port Vale meet Leyton Orient. Grimsby Town face Oldham Athletic, Shrewsbury Town meet Burton Albion, and Rotherham United play Bristol Rovers. Reading host Stockport County, and Wycombe Wanderers play MK Dons.
The draw order began with Dover Athletic as ball number one, followed by Mansfield Town and Exeter City. Those three numbers decided the early pairings before the rest of the bowl was emptied.
Money is part of the story too. Each second-round winner will receive £79,500 in prize money, and each losing club will take home £21,200. For a club like Wimborne, that sum can cover a serious chunk of a season's costs, on top of the chance to play a League One side at home.
The draw was scheduled for about 6.45pm GMT on Monday, with coverage starting at 6.30pm. Ties are played on the weekend starting Friday 4 December, and the fixtures will be the next thing to watch.
