Hastings bid for Cup glory

They are almost repeating a journey made by the previous United club at the same stage of the competition in 1954-55. They also travelled to Yorkshire to face Selby Town and won 2-0, earning themselves a return to the same county in the third round when they were beaten 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday.

It was the second successive season in which they had reached the third round. A year earlier they lost 3-0 at Norwich after a 3-3 draw at the Pilot Field. In the previous round they had beaten Swindon 4-1, stunning the Football League club with three goals in the first 18 minutes.

The old United were never to do as well again, though they made several further appearances in the competition proper before folding in 1985.

Their name was adopted by the present club, previously known as Hastings Town, in 2002. They also have a great FA Cup pedigree, though rather more ancient.

Under another previous name, Hasting & St Leonards, they reached the first round proper (the last 64, the equivalent of the present third round) in three successive seasons, 1906-9, losing to Norwich, Portsmouth and Blackpool.

They never survived the qualifying rounds as Hastings Town, a name they adopted in 1976, but did so in their first season as United, losing 1-0 at Stevenage in the first round proper.

That was ten years ago and, until now, they had not repeated the feat. Indeed, they lost their first game in the competition in each of the last five seasons, making this year’s run all the more impressive.

Victory finally came their way on September 8 this year, a 3-1 home win over Ryman North side Chatham. That was followed by a notable 3-2 triumph at Conference South side Staines, followed by a 2-1 replay success at Hitchin, of the Southern League, after a 2-2 draw at the Pilot Field.

Luck came their way in the final qualifying round, when they were handed a home draw against one of the lowest-ranked clubs left in the competition and duly despatched Wessex League outfit Blackfield & Langley 3-0.

In the first round they travelled to Bishop’s Stortford, of Conference North, and fell behind early. But inspirational player-manager Sean Ray equalised with 20 minutes left and Zac Attwood snatched a late winner.

Harrogate are five places above Stortford in the same division. They have never before reached the second round, though they came close in 2005, when they lost a penalty shoot-out in a replay at Torquay.