National League North outfit Slough Town will welcome fourth-tier Grimsby Town to Arbour Park on Sunday for an FA Cup first-round tie.

The hosts progressed through three rounds of qualifying to reach this stage, while their visitors begin their cup campaign in the first round after reaching the quarter-finals in heroic fashion last season.

Match preview

Slough Town have already enjoyed the magic of the FA Cup this year, having reached the first round proper for the first time since 2018, when they got as far as the second round before dropping out at the hands of Gillingham.

The Rebels' latest campaign began in the second qualifying round as they beat Hayes & Yeading United 2-0 away from home, before beating Salisbury Town 3-0 in a third-round replay to move within one tie of the first round.

A tough trip to National League side Ebbsfleet United awaited, and Scott Davies's side forced a replay with an impressive 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Daniel Bayliss and John Goddard, before prevailing on home turf and punching their ticket into the main competition with a 2-0 victory as Josh Jackman and Matthew Lench netted the goals in the first half.

The Rebels will now return to Arbour Park on the back of a tough run of form since that latest cup triumph, having only picked up two points from their last three National League South outings and dropping to 21st spot as a result, as they most recently drew 3-3 away at Eastbourne Borough after trailing 3-1, with Goddard, Mickel Platt and Tyrese Dyce scoring.

Now turning their focus back to FA Cup action, Slough Town will be desperate to replicate their heroics from five years ago and again advance to the second round with what would be a bigger upset against fourth-tier opposition.

That will be no easy task, though, as Grimsby Town enter the new FA Cup campaign hoping to recreate heroics of their own, after advancing all the way to the quarter-finals of last season's competition.

The Mariners became just the fifth team from England's fourth tier to reach the final eight of the FA Cup in that run, and the first since 1990, while also being the first ever team to dump out opposition from higher divisions in five rounds, as they saw off Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United, Burton Albion, Luton Town and top-flight Southampton to move within one tie of a trip to Wembley.

That proved to be one step too far, as the Lincolnshire outfit went on to suffer a 5-0 beating away at Brighton & Hove Albion, bowing out of the competition with their heads held high, and any efforts to live up to last year's efforts will be under new management, after Paul Hurst, who led them to the quarter-finals as well as promotion back to League Two, departed in late October following a tough start to the new term.

He leaves the Mariners 21st in England's fourth tier with just 14 points on the board from their opening 16 games, and they now head into the trip to Slough on the back of four straight league defeats, most recently losing 1-0 away at Doncaster Rovers last weekend as Joe Ironside netted the only goal 18 minutes from time.

Following Hurst's exit, Ben Davies and Shaun Pearson will now take temporary charge of the club, and they will aim to start with a confidence-boosting away triumph in Sunday's first-round tie to put their name in the hat and to begin reversing their fortunes.

Team News

While Slough Town are unlikely to make many changes to their side from the qualifying win over Ebbsfleet United for Sunday's cup tie, they may be without key forward George Alexander, who missed the trip to Eastbourne Borough last weekend after hitting a team-high tally of five goals in his first 12 league appearances of the season.

If he does miss out again, Mickel Platt will be relied upon to lead the line after his goal in the draw last time out, while Johnny Goddard plays a key role at the tip of the midfield in support of the front line.

Daniel Bayliss should again start at the heart of the back four, likely alongside Josh Jackman, while Cardiff City loanee Rohan Luthra will continue to get the nod between the sticks.

In their bid to escape the current rut, Grimsby will likely travel to Slough with a full-strength starting XI, and there should be plenty of attacking quality on show in a 4-1-3-2 shape.

Danny Rose will continue to lead the line having notched up four goals so far this season, while strike partner Donovan Wilson has also found the net four times in just eight appearances for the club with winger Abo Eisa leading the way with five thus far.

Gavan Holohan, who has managed three goals and two assists in League Two so far this term, was one of the stars of their FA Cup run last term, scoring three times on their way to the quarter-finals, and he will continue to play a key role in the attacking setup, while Kamil Conteh should anchor the midfield in front of the centre-back pairing of Niall Maher and Harvey Rodgers, although Luke Waterfall is also competing to come in from the outset at the back.

Slough Town possible starting lineup:
Luthra; Prosper, Bayliss, Jackman, Dyce; Davies, Sundire; Lench, Goddard; Ogbonna, Platt

Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Cartwright; Efete, Rodgers, Maher, Amos; Conteh; Holohan, Clifton, Eisa; Rose, Wilson

We say: Slough Town 0-3 Grimsby Town

While Grimsby are lacking any real confidence in League Two and may be rocked by the departure of their popular former manager, the switch to Pearson and Davies could provide the fresh start required, and after last season's run, an FA Cup fixture could be the start of their turnaround.

The Mariners have the quality to put their sixth-tier hosts to the sword and will be keen to start their new era with a victory in dominant fashion.


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