MOST Town fans will be looking forward to seeing their first FA Cup tie of the season when the first round takes place in a fortnight.
But lifelong supporter Michael Scott has already clocked five clashes in the famous old competition – and plans to make it six tomorrow, when Town will discover their opening opponents.
The draw will be made live on ITV1 at 1.30, when Scott, who organises coach travel to away games for Town fans, will be heading to the North-East to see Newcastle Blue Star, of the UniBond League First Division North, face Altrincham in the fourth and final qualifying round.
En route, he’ll take a detour to view the site of the old South Shields club’s Horsley Hill ground, where Town played their first-ever competitive game, a 2-0 North-Eastern League defeat on September 5, 1908.
The Newcastle cup-tie is game number 37 in Scott’s bid to mark Town’s centenary by taking in 100 matches in the season.
While Town games home and away will form the nucleus of the ton, the 52-year-old wants as many of the others as possible to have a club connection.
Former Galpharm defender Thomas Heary provided that link in the first on the list, Dublin club Bohemians’ Intertoto Cup clash at Rhyl back in July.
And another old boy, striker Chris Senior, is due to be on duty for Blue Square Premier club Altrincham against Blue Star at Kingston Park, the home of rugby club Newcastle Falcons.
“I saw Harrogate Railway, with both Aaron Hardy and Matt Young on duty, beaten by Eastwood Town in a third qualifying round replay, and before that I went to ties at Pickering, Silsden, Selby and Garforth,” explained Scott.
“And earlier this month, I watched a Sheffield Senior Cup game at South Kirkby Colliery, who were among Town’s earliest opponents in the FA Cup (they played them in 1909-10 and 1910-11).
“They were playing against Hemsworth, who won 2-0 with one of the goals coming from Scott Collins, the brother of ex-Town players Simon and Sam (right).
“Scott was on our books as a youngster and Sam played against us for Hartlepool on Tuesday.”
The FA Cup is a competition much loved by Scott, who watched matches in eight successive rounds last season. That set included the Liversedge versus Kendal second qualifying round clash, which took place on the same day Town beat Luton 2-0 in a lunchtime Galpharm clash.
So far Scott has watched matches at 242 different grounds – South Kirkby was the most recent new addition – and he’s hoping to reach 250 by the end of the centenary campaign.
And the first round, which pitches 32 non-league clubs into the hat along with the 48 from Leagues I and II, could provide him with another.
