There’s a particular kind of magic woven into the fabric of English football’s cup competitions. It’s the magic that allows a Tuesday night at a windswept ground in the lower leagu

There is a particular kind of silence in a non-league clubhouse when the FA Cup draw is broadcast on a weekday afternoon. Men and women who spent Saturday chasing a ball around a m

There is a particular kind of hush in a semi-professional club’s cramped social room when the live broadcast of the FA Cup draw cuts to the studio. For the other 11 months of the y

When the draw throws Manchester City and Coventry City together, the fixture immediately stands out on the calendar. It is a meeting of opposite ends of the English football spectr

Aston Villa's credentials need little introduction. Founded in 1874, the Birmingham club were a founding member of the Football League in 1888 and have spent most of their existenc