National League side Fylde and League Two outfit Gillingham kick off their 2022-23 FA Cup campaigns with a meeting at the Mill Farm on Saturday.
The home side got the better of Kidderminster in their final qualifying tie, while the visitors were handed a free pass into the opening round of matches.
Match preview
AFC Fylde picked up a narrow 1-0 victory over Peterborough Sports in Saturday's lunchtime meeting to end a run of four league matches without a win.
Andy Taylor's men were in control for the majority of the contest but looked set to make do with a point before Danny Rowe opened the scoring in the 84th minute.
Consequently, the Coasters have now moved up into seventh place in the National League North table with 24 points from their 14 outings this term.
Next up for Fylde is the continuation of their journey in football's oldest domestic cup competition where they have already seen off the threat of Farsley Celtic and Kidderminster in the preliminary stage.
Currently on a run of six wins and two draws in their most recent eight matches on home turf, Saturday's hosts will fancy themselves to make it through to the FA Cup second round for the first time since 2019.
Gillingham were beaten on enemy territory for the second game in a row following a 1-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers at the Eco-Power Stadium on Sunday.
Despite being under the cosh for large spells of the clash, Neil Harris's men went into the interval on level terms before conceding a second-half goal to Harrison Biggins right on the hour mark.
Having picked up just three of the last 15 points available, the Gills sit 20th in the League Two standings and are now just a point clear of the relegation zone.
Off the back of a disappointing performance in the EFL Trophy, Saturday's visitors will be keen to get their FA Cup journey off to a good start away from home where they have failed to win any of eight straight outings leading up to this weekend.
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Team News
Courtesy of his winner against Peterborough, Danny Rowe has scored in both of his two league outings for Fylde this term, and the 32-year-old is one to keep an eye on here.
Connor Barrett was absent from the aforementioned game through a one-match suspension, but the defender is eligible to feature this weekend.
Elkan Baggott will be looking to come up trumps once again with the Indonesia international responsible for each of Gillingham's last two goals.
Freddie Carter remains without an appearance for the away side this term as he continues his spell on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury.
Fylde possible starting lineup:
Neal; Whitmore, Morrison, Davis, Conlan; Weston, Walker, Barrett; Rowe, Philliskirk, Ligendza
Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Morris; Law, Baggott, Ehmer, Alexander; MacDonald, McKenzie, O'Keefe, Green; Walker, Kashket
We say: Fylde 1-0 Gillingham
Fylde have proven to be a tough nut to crack on their own patch of late, while Gillingham have struggled massively on the road recently. We expect a close game here nonetheless with the home side just about coming out on top at the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
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