Saturday’s FA Cup predictions including Northampton vs. Kettering

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Rotherham United will welcome Cheltenham Town to the New York Stadium on Saturday for an FA Cup first-round tie.

The two teams last met in League One in the 2021-22 campaign with the hosts completing a double, while their visitors now sit 16th in England’s fourth tier.

We say: Rotherham United 2-0 Cheltenham Town

Even despite their struggles so far this season, particularly going forward, Rotherham United should have too much for their fourth-tier visitors on Saturday, and we can only see the Millers progressing in relatively comfortable fashion.

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A pair of top-half League Two sides vie for FA Cup progression at Holker Street on Saturday afternoon, as Barrow and Doncaster Rovers begin their latest tournament campaigns in the first round.

While both teams are competing in the upper echelons of the fourth-tier table, the hosts are enduring a dismal winless sequence, while their visitors are firmly in the promotion mix.

We say: Barrow 0-2 Doncaster Rovers

Barrow boss Clemence – who may or may not be on the touchline for this game – is still searching for solutions to his side’s attacking troubles, whereas Doncaster are scoring for fun on the road.

As a result, we have complete faith in Rovers to book their spot in the second round with minimal stress.

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League One’s Exeter City are set to face National League side Barnet in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon at St James Park.

This will mark the hosts’ first appearance in the competition this season, while the visitors secured their spot in this round with a commanding 4-0 victory over Chelmsford City in the fourth qualifying round.

We say: Exeter City 3-1 Barnet

Exeter competes two divisions higher than their visitors, and while Barnet are likely to give the hosts a difficult test, we expect the hosts to eventually secure the win.

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Fourth-tier Carlisle United will welcome League One Wigan Athletic to Brunton Park for Saturday’s FA Cup first-round clash.

The two sides are set to meet for the second tie in less than a month after Wigan clinched a 2-0 victory in an EFL Trophy clash on October 8.

We say: Carlisle United 1-2 Wigan Athletic

Wigan have already enjoyed success at Brunton Park this season, and we think they will draw inspiration from that EFL Trophy victory to claim another win against a Carlisle side that have lost six of their last eight competitive matches.

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League One meets National League in the first round of the FA Cup this weekend, as Wycombe Wanderers host York City at Adams Park on Saturday afternoon.

While the Chairboys commence their latest knockout campaign at this stage of the competition, Adam Hinshelwood’s team had to navigate their way past eighth-tier Biggleswade in qualifying.

We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 York City

The shackles should come off for a York City side with nothing to lose on Saturday, and the Minstermen have been in red-hot form in the National League, so Wycombe’s backline should not emerge unblemished.

However, even a second-string Chairboys team should avoid an embarrassing exit at the hands of the non-league leaders, although their victory may not be entirely convincing.

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National League side Aldershot Town make the trip Valley Parade to face League Two outfit Bradford City in the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams enter this contest on the back of losing in the league last weekend, with the Bantams suffering defeat at home to Doncaster Rovers and the Shots coming up short away against Hartlepool United.

We say: Bradford City 2-1 Aldershot Town

Aldershot will not be taken lightly by Bradford considering how far they pushed them in previous years, as well as other EFL clubs in this competition. However, the Bantams will still be regarded as favourites to come out on top, even if they decide to make a few changes.

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Hednesford Town and Gainsborough Trinity square off in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, guaranteeing that a team from either the seventh or eight tier will make the second round.

Both teams are in the bottom half of their respective divisions, Hednesford sitting in 16th place in the Northern League West and the visitors down in 20th position of the Northern League Premier.

We say: Hednesford Town 2-3 Gainsborough Trinity

Both teams defied their place in the league pyramid and own form to upset the odds in the fourth qualifying round, putting them on somewhat of an even platform here. While Hednesford rose to the occasion versus Gateshead, we feel that Gainsborough will prove too strong in attack given their recent exploits on their travels.

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Looking to advance into the second round of football’s oldest cup competition, Burton Albion and Scarborough Athletic will lock horns at the Pirelli Stadium in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Brewers are enduring a woeful start to the campaign in League One, whilst the Seadogs are marooned in the middle of National League North.

We say: Burton Albion 2-1 Scarborough Athletic

Low on confidence due to their League One struggles, Burton could be unnerved by a shaky start at the Pirelli Stadium against non-league opposition.

That being said, the Brewers should have too much quality for Scarborough, who could be having nightmares about Orsi and Bodin on Saturday night.

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The first round of the FA Cup will see a Merseyside-Greater Manchester affair, when Tranmere Rovers welcome Oldham Athletic to Prenton Park on Saturday.

In what was a second-tier fixture in the 1990s, both have fallen a long way since, with Tranmere still just about an EFL club after returning a few years ago, and Oldham now in non-league.

We say: Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Oldham Athletic

Despite being in the league below, Oldham are only nine places behind Tranmere in the football pyramid, and bring much more form and confidence into this one than their hosts.

Recent years have shown that those at the top of the National League are often stronger than those struggling at the bottom of League Two, and that could be proven again here.

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Both gunning for promotion in their respective divisions, Walsall and Bolton Wanderers will turn their attentions to the FA Cup as they meet for a first-round tie at the Poundland Bescot Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Saddlers were frustratingly held in League Two by a relegation candidate last time out, whilst Wanderers produced a stellar display on the road in League One.

We say: Walsall 1-2 Bolton Wanderers

Following a sensational start to the League Two season, Walsall face arguably their toughest assignment yet as Bolton visit the Bescot in the FA Cup.

Wanderers are enjoying a good run of form and should be confident of advancing past fourth-tier opposition, although we feel that the Saddlers will make Evatt’s troops work extremely hard for a second-round spot.

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Sixth-tier Weston-super-Mare will be looking to pull off an FA Cup shock when they travel to the Memorial Stadium for Saturday’s first-round clash with Bristol Rovers.

Weston-super-Mare will carry a 16-game unbeaten run into the contest, while the Gas have lost four of their previous five matches.

We say: Bristol Rovers 2-1 Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare will be full of confidence after putting together a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but while they could pose a problem or two, we believe Bristol Rovers’ football league quality will shine through to help them secure a place in the second round.

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Stockport County and Forest Green Rovers will be eager to make further progress in the FA Cup when they meet in the first round on Saturday afternoon.

At a time when the home side occupy 10th spot in the League One table, the visitors are riding high in second place in the National League standings.

We say: Stockport County 4-1 Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green’s form in the fifth tier means that they travel North with as much expectation as hope. Nevertheless, the gulf in class between the sides could show, leading us to predict a comprehensive home victory.

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Fighting it out in the first round of the FA Cup, Reading and Fleetwood Town will clash at Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday.

While the Royals ended a largely successful October with a heavy defeat, their League Two counterparts have just gone four games without a win.

We say: Reading 2-0 Fleetwood Town

Having scored first in five of their last six outings, Reading will expect to make a fast start against Fleetwood, who have been off-colour of late.

The hosts may be short of numbers, but there is still sufficient quality in their squad to ensure safe passage through to the next round.

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In the first round of the FA Cup, League One side Stevenage are set to host seventh-tier side Guiseley on Saturday at Lamex Stadium.

The home team are 15th with 17 points after 14 matches in League One and lost 4-1 against Bolton Wanderers on October 29, while the visitors are seventh in the Northern Premier Division with 22 points from 13 league games.

We say: Stevenage 2-1 Guiseley

While Stevenage may make changes from the team that faced Bolton, it is difficult to see how Guiseley can take advantage given the calibre of their opponents.

However, Guiseley have already won four FA Cup preliminary qualifying matches, and they could make Saturday’s match a close affair.

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League Two meets League One at the Peninsula Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Salford City play host to Shrewsbury Town in the first round of the FA Cup.

While the Ammies have won four of their last six games on home soil, the Shrews have only won one of their last 11 matches on the road.

We say: Salford City 2-1 Shrewsbury Town

Both teams will view Saturday’s fixture as a good opportunity to come out on top and progress to the next round. Although Shrewsbury are a division about Salford, the League One outfit are in a spell of poor form at present and the Ammies could capitalise on that in front of their own supporters.

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League One Barnsley will travel to Vale Park for Saturday’s FA Cup first-round clash against fourth-tier Port Vale.

The Tykes are hoping to avoid consecutive first-round exits, while the Valiants are looking to progress to round two for the second straight season.

We say: Port Vale 2-2 Barnsley

Barnsley may be competing in the league above Port Vale, but we think they could experience a tough outing at Vale Park on Saturday.

Having gone 11 games without defeat, we believe the hosts will hold the Tykes to a draw to take the tie to extra time where the benefit of their home support could help them get over the line against their League One opponents.

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National League Southend United will welcome League One Charlton Athletic to Roots Hall for Saturday’s FA Cup first-round clash.

The Shrimpers are unbeaten in four matches, while the visitors have gone five consecutive matches without defeat.

We say: Southend United 1-3 Charlton Athletic

Charlton will be the obvious favourites for Saturday’s first-round tie, and we believe they will live up to that tag by showcasing their extra quality against a Southend side that have lost three of their previous four home matches.

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League One outfit Crawley Town will be bidding to avoid a surprise elimination in the first round of the FA Cup when they head to National League side Maidenhead United on Saturday afternoon.

Crawley are currently 22nd in the League One table, boasting only 10 points from their 13 league games this term, while Maidenhead sit 19th in the National League table, collecting 16 points from their first 16 matches of the campaign.

We say: Maidenhead United 1-2 Crawley Town

Maidenhead are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Crawley, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline, but the away side’s superior quality should allow them to secure a spot in the next round of the competition.

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National League side Woking are set to host Cambridge United at The Laithwaite Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the two clash in the first round of the 2024-25 FA Cup.

The hosts narrowly secured their place in this round with a 2-1 win against Slough Town in the fourth qualifying round, while the visitors were automatically qualified for this stage.

We say: Woking 0-3 Cambridge United

With Woking struggling at the beginning of this campaign, while Cambridge have looked significantly improved in recent outings, we believe the visitors will comfortably win this one.

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Two sides who could do well with a win get underway in the FA Cup as Gillingham and Blackpool go head to head at the Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since April 2021, when the Seasiders cruised to a 4-1 victory in their League One clash through goals from Sullay KaiKai, Elliot Embleton and a first-half brace from Jerry Yates.

We say: Gillingham 0-2 Blackpool

Gillingham and Blackpool have struggled to get going in recent weeks and will head into Saturday’s clash in search of a huge result before their return to league action.

While the Gills’ home advantage gives them a slight edge, the gulf in quality between the two teams makes Bruce’s side firm favourites on paper, and we fancy them to come away with the desired result.

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Newport County will host Peterborough United at Rodney Parade on Saturday evening, with both teams aiming to book their place in the FA Cup second round.

This will be the second meeting between both sides in history, and their first ever in this competition, having only previously met once in the EFL Trophy just over a decade ago.

We say: Newport County 1-2 Peterborough United

Both teams have been largely inconsistent this season, but Peterborough have shown their quality in recent times and are favourites to edge this one, given how they tend to rise to the occasion in knockout competitions.

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Separated by 17 miles and three divisions of the English football pyramid, local rivals Northampton Town and Kettering Town will clash in the first round of the FA Cup at Sixfields Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cobblers have made a patchy start to their League One campaign during 2024-25, whilst the Poppies are flying high in the seventh tier, gunning for promotion to National League North.

We say: Northampton Town 3-1 Kettering Town

Before a 10-man defeat at Lincoln on Tuesday, Northampton were enjoying a productive spell of results, so we are expecting the Cobblers to get back to winning ways this weekend.

Kettering will be hyped up for only a third-ever competitive clash with neighbours Northampton, but we feel that the Poppies will be outdone by EFL quality at Sixfields.

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