Northwich Victoria looking to go the distance

Published: Friday, 6 November 2009, 1:03PM

The fate of an FA Cup minnow is rarely an easy one. Having reached the first round of the competition proper, the smaller side all too often finds league competition too much to handle and ends up being dumped unceremoniously out of the competition.

However there can be moments of glory for non-league sides in the FA Cup, and the Vics will know both the highs and lows of what the competition has to offer, as their recent history shows:

Northwich Victoria's record in the FA Cup since 2000

Northwich have qualified for the FA Cup in eight of the last 10 seasons as they have flitted between the Blue Square North and the Blue Square Conference, but on six of the last seven occasions that they have made it this far, they have seen themselves eliminated at the first hurdle.

However in 2005/06 they made it to the third round for the first time since 1977 (and for only the third time in the club’s history, having been quarter-finalists in the 1883/84 FA Cup), setting themselves up with a dream draw against Premier League side Sunderland, and a trip to the Stadium of Light.

This time around they face a former top-flight side in the form of Charlton Athletic, who find themselves playing in the first round of the competition for the first time since 1980. Can the Vics pull off something special against the Addicks and haul themselves even further along the path to their second third-round draw in five seasons?