Signing off
We’re wrapping up our coverage of the FA Trophy draw now. Thanks for joining us and to confirm Chester will visit FC Halifax Town or Barrow on Saturday, February 6. It’s a tough draw but one that the Blues will see as winnable.
Keep an eye out tomorrow night
FC Halifax Town host Barrow in the second round on Tuesday evening. The game was postponed at the weekend so if there’s a draw tomorrow night will be required.
Chester will travel to the winners of the tie on Saturday, February 6.
Full draw
Here’s the draw in full:
Torquay United v Truro City or Macclesfield Town
Grimsby Town v Havant & Waterlooville
Gateshead v AFC Fylde
FC Halifax Town or Barrow v Chester
Woking v Oxford City or Cheltenham Town
Dover Athletic v Guiseley
Sutton United v Bognor Regis Town or Altrincham
Bradford Park Avenue or Nantwich Town v Stourbidge
Blues handed away draw
Chester will travel to FC Halifax Town or Barrow AFC in the FA Trophy third round.
No surprise
The draws for previous rounds have been late too. I’m not sure what goes on at Wembley but clearly pairing an FA Trophy draw with lunchtime doesn’t work particularly well. Maybe there’s a big queue at Pret a Manger.
Anyone at home
It’s a cliché but one that makes sense to me. Chester have been poor on the road this season and I wouldn’t be overly confident of making progress if the Blues get an away draw. But they’ve shown this season that, when on song, they can give anyone a game at home so for me that’s the most important thing.
Last year's winners
It was the turn of North Ferriby United to lift the FA Trophy in 2015. Who did they beat in the final again?!
Waiting game
The draw has been completed this morning so now we just have to wait for it to be released. We are at the mercy of the FA.
How much is it worth?
Chester have banked £11,000 in prize money for beating AFC Telford United and Hungerford Town. Reaching the fourth round would pocket them a further £7,000 so it’s not to be sniffed at.
When is the third round?
Worth noting that the third round will be played on Saturday, February 6. That means Chester’s home game with Aldershot Town which was scheduled for that date will have to be rearranged.
Potential opponents
Who do you want in the third round? There’s some intriguing possibilities but the consensus from Blues fans seems to be that as long as it’s home draw then Steve Burr’s men will have a chance.
Chester know all about fellow National League clubs such as Grimsby Town, Dover Athletic Gateshead and Woking.
Stourbridge from the Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division could be an interesting one but given they’ve beaten four National League teams already this season, that would be a tricky one. Meanwhile, the Blues know AFC Fylde well and of course Dave Challinor’s squad includes Bradley Barnes and Matty Hughes.
Ones to avoid would be road tips to Torquay United, Truro City, Havant & Waterlooville and the aforementioned Dover.
Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @ChesterFC_Chron.
'Professional job'
What did you make of Chester’s performance against Hungerford? The end result was a 4-0 win which will hopefully give the squad some confidence back but it was hard work for an hour. Following the game, assistant Jon McCarthy described it as a ‘professional’ performance. Click here to read his thoughts in full.
Bookies
Who are the favourites to lift the FA Trophy at Wembley?
Grimsby Town lead the market with Betway, who are offering 4/1 on the Mariners, with Cheltenham Town and Dover Athletic next at 9/1. Fancy a dabble on Chester? Betway have the Blues at 10/1 so the 20/1 on offer from BetVictor looks far more appealing.
Here’s the Betway market:
Grimsby Town 4/1
Cheltenham Town and Dover Athletic 9/1
Chester FC and Woking 10/1
Gateshead 12/1
Havant & Waterlooville, Macclesfield Town, Sutton United and AFC Fylde 16/1
Altrincham, Torquay and Guiseley 20/1
Barrow AFC 25/1
Who else is in the hat?
I doubt the FA still use an actual hat for the draw. Did they ever? I can remember them using a velvet bag but even that’s probably been replaced. I reckon the draw is probably done using a perspex bowl.
Anyway who else is that bowl? Well these are the clubs that will make up the 16 balls:
Guiseley
Dover Athletic
Havant & Waterlooville
Stourbridge
Chester FC
AFC Fylde
Sutton United
Torquay United
Grimsby Town
Gateshead
Woking
Macclesfield Town/Truro City
FC Halifax Town/Barrow AFC
Bognor Regis Town/Altrincham
Bradford Park Avenue/Nantwich Town
Cheltenham Town/Oxford City
Blues see off stubborn Hungerford
Chester are in the hat for the third round thanks to a 4-0 win over Hungerford Town on Saturday. It wasn’t anywhere as near as convincing as the scoreline suggests but class told in the end. Click here to read our report on the game.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to The Chronicle’s live coverage of the FA Trophy third round draw.
The draw is taking place this morning at Wembley and will be released at lunchtime. We’ve been advised it should be available about 12 noon but based on past experiences let’s not hold the FA to that.
We’ll be looking at potential opponents, results from the second round and, once the draw is known, the Blues opposition in the third round.
You are welcome to get involved so please contact us on Twitter @ChesterFC_Chron and tell us your thoughts on the weekend’s game and who you want to draw.