Two-and-a-half months of the season have flown by and it is already time for the first-round draw of the FA Cup. League One and League Two clubs enter the draw on Monday evening.
Non-league clubs have been battling it out in recent weeks for a coveted place in the first round proper, with the hopes of pulling a plum draw when the ties are decided this evening.
Bristol Rovers have a relatively poor record in the FA Cup over the past decade, not making it beyond the third round since they lost to West Bromwich Albion in the quarter-finals in 2008. However, the Gas have made it to the third round in the past three seasons, losing to Peterborough United, Sheffield United and Coventry City respectively.
And although the priority for Joey Barton and his players is securing League One status this season, he will hope to steer the Gas back to the third round in hope of drawing the glamour tie the club has craved since playing the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s.
When is the draw and how can I watch?
The draw will be shown live on BBC Two this evening, with the first tie being drawn at approximately 7.15pm. The draw will also be streamed on the FA Cup Twitter and Facebook pages.
The ball numbers to keep an eye out for
Bristol Rovers are one of the 48 EFL clubs entering the competition this evening and are ball number seven.
From non-league, there were two local hopefuls bidding for a place in the first round proper. Scott Bartlett's Weston-super-Mare have made an incredible start to the season in the Southern League and they were unbeaten when they arrived at The Hive to face National League side Barnet on Saturday. Ultimately, the Bees ran out 3-0 winners.
However, National League South side Taunton Town can be proud of their 0-0 draw at Yeovil Town on Saturday, forcing a replay at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium tomorrow. They are ball number 65.
When are the ties played?
The ties will be played across the weekend of November 5-6.
What is the prize money?
In addition to a place in the second round, the winners of the first-round ties will receive £41,000 in prize money. In the second and third round respectively, the prize money is £67,000 and £105,000.
Ball numbers in full
- 1. Accrington Stanley
- 2. AFC Wimbledon
- 3. Barnsley
- 4. Barrow AFC
- 5. Bolton Wanderers
- 6. Bradford City
- 7. Bristol Rovers
- 8. Burton Albion
- 9. Cambridge United
- 10. Carlisle United
- 11. Charlton Athletic
- 12. Cheltenham Town
- 13. Colchester United
- 14. Crawley Town
- 15. Crewe Alexandra
- 16. Derby County
- 17. Doncaster Rovers
- 18. Exeter City
- 19. Fleetwood Town
- 20. Forest Green Rovers
- 21. Gillingham
- 22. Grimsby Town
- 23. Harrogate Town
- 24. Hartlepool United
- 25. Ipswich Town
- 26. Leyton Orient
- 27. Lincoln City
- 28. Mansfield Town
- 29. Milton Keynes Dons
- 30. Morecambe
- 31. Newport County AFC
- 32. Northampton Town
- 33. Oxford United
- 34. Peterborough United
- 35. Plymouth Argyle
- 36. Port Vale
- 37. Portsmouth
- 38. Rochdale AFC
- 39. Salford City
- 40. Sheffield Wednesday
- 41. Shrewsbury Town
- 42. Stevenage
- 43. Stockport County
- 44. Sutton United
- 45. Swindon Town
- 46. Tranmere Rovers
- 47. Walsall
- 48. Wycombe Wanderers
- 49. Oldham Athletic AFC or Chester
- 50. Kidderminster Harriers or AFC Fylde
- 51. King’s Lynn Town
- 52. York City
- 53. South Shields
- 54. Solihull Moors
- 55. Curzon Ashton
- 56. Blyth Spartans or Wrexham
- 57. Altrincham or Gateshead
- 58. Chesterfield
- 59. Alvechurch
- 60. Buxton
- 61.Coalville Town
- 62. FC Halifax Town
- 63. Hereford
- 64. Torquay United or Hampton & Richmond Borough
- 65. Yeovil Town or Taunton Town
- 66. Maidenhead United
- 67. Eastleigh
- 68. Ebbsfleet United
- 69. Woking
- 70. Dagenham & Redbridge
- 71. Hendon or Chippenham Town
- 72. Weymouth
- 73. Oxford City
- 74. Bracknell Town
- 75. Boreham Wood
- 76. Barnet
- 77. Needham Market
- 78. Chelmsford City
- 79. Merthyr Town
- 80. Farnborough
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