Lymington & Milton may be the sole surviving Sydenhams Wessex League club in the FA Cup, but modest manager Ian Robinson reckons Winchester City were the team of last round.
While the Linnets were crushing Clevedon United 8-2 to earn a home tie with Hellenic high-fliers Highworth Town on Saturday week (October 11), Winchester fell to a heartbreaking injury-time winner at Dr Martens Premier outfit Chippenham Town, having lost both goalkeepers and top scorer Andy Forbes to injury.
Robinson felt the force of Chippenham during his days as manager of AFC Totton and knows exactly what a tough side they are. He acknowledged: "Although we scored eight goals, Winchester's was probably the Wessex performance of the round. They had a huge job to do against a physically powerful side and nearly succeeded.
"But we're really pleased to be the last Wessex team left in it. We'd have settled for that when the competition started and another home draw is all we could have asked for."
With Darren Crowfoot suffering knee ligament and/or cartilage damage and reserve keeper Ollie Rastall breaking his collarbone, Winchester have moved sharply to bring in Newport IoW's deposed No1 Joe McCormack as a replacement.
McCormack was recently stripped of the Island captaincy for going on holiday mid-season and returned to find former Bashley and Fleet Town keeper Simon Arthur installed as Port's new number one.
For the second game running, 20-year-old Arthur was outstanding for Newport in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup giant-killing of Tiverton Town - a result which has earned Steve Tate's men another home tie. They play the winners of tonight's replay between Ryman duo Flackwell Heath and Harrow Borough, who finished goalless on Saturday.
On paper Division 2 outfit Flackwell are the easier draw, but Tate would prefer to start as underdogs against Premier Division Harrow.
He said: "To go into a game as favourites can be dangerous, especially with a young side like ours. It's going to be tricky whoever we play, but I'm pleased to be at home."
Havant & Waterlooville have also landed home advantage against the winners of tomorrow night's replay between Westbury United and Nick Holmes's Salisbury City, who squandered a succession of chances in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Old Sarum.
Hawks' co-boss Mick Jenkins is already plotting his route to Western Division 1 club Westbury so that he can suss out the opposition. He said: "All we wanted was a home draw and now I don't mind who we play. For the sake of a local derby, Salisbury would be better. I don't know too much about Westbury."
Basingstoke Town - 1-0 conquerors of Cray Wanderers - complete a quartet of home draws for Hampshire sides. They open their Camrose Ground doors to Bracknell Town, who are a division below them in the Ryman 1 South.
FA CUP
Third qualifying round (Southern ties): Hitchin Town or Folkstone Invicta v Slough or Welling Utd, Bromley v Thurrock, Histon v Newmarket Town, Hornchurch v Carshalton Ath, Canvey Island v Dover Ath, Ford Utd v Heybridge Swifts or Worthing, Cambridge City v Lowestoft Town, Maidstone Utd v Sutton Utd or Bishop's Stortford, Hayes v Boreham Wood, East Thurrock Utd v AFC Sudbury, Leyton v Bedford Town, Grays Ath v Hendon, Braintree Town v Eastbourne Borough or Chelmsford City, Crawley Town v Croydon Ath, Basingstoke Town v Bracknell Town, Gloucester City v Chippenham Town, Thame Utd v Bath City, Oxford City v Cirencester Town, Havant & Waterlooville v Salisbury City or Westbury United, Newport IoW v Harrow Borough or Flackwell Heath, Newport County v Mangotsfield Utd, Weston-super-Mare v Chesham Utd, Lymington & New Milton v Highworth Town, Paulton Rovers v Hampton & Richmond Borough.
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