Newport County may be a little-known League Two side from Wales but when it comes to the FA Cup the Exiles don't shy away from the big guns. In 2018 they almost beat Tottenham Hotspur and following year they took on league champions Manchester City. Tomorrow their fourth round opponents are Manchester United.
You can be sure that United will not be taking their trip to the small Rodney Parade ground lightly especially as the FA Cup is their best chance of winning a trophy this season.
Newport, under manager Graham Coughlan, are currently 14th in League Two. Despite their modest league position they have been performing well recently and defeated non-league Eastleigh in a replay to set up the big fixture with United. A temporary stand has been set up to give the boost the ground capacity to 9,000. "It's an exciting opportunity for us and we've got to take it with both hands," Coughlan said earlier this week.
Newport share the ground with the Dragons rugby club which helps explain the sometimes uninviting state of the pitch. United are used to playing on the pristine surface at Old Trafford and other Premier League grounds. But they will find it very different on the Newport pitch although of course they will still be overwhelming favourites.
It is something of a miracle that Newport are still in existence considering that in 1989 they went bankrupt and fell out of the league. But thanks to the efforts of fans and local businessmen Newport AFC was born later to become Newport County AFC. They managed to get a place in the Hellenic League, five divisions below the Football League and slowly worked their way up.
Owing to a legal dispute in the 1989-90 season their home games were played at the Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh, about 130km from Newport. This meant that many of their "home'' games were further away than the away fixtures, so they adopted the nickname "The Exiles''.
The biggest shock in the third round was the lowest-ranked team left in the competition non-league Maidstone overcoming League One opponents Stevenage. Today the Stones face a much tougher opponent with an away game at powerful Ipswich Town, currently second in the Championship.
Despite the formidable task facing them Maidstone manager George Elokobi said he was "delighted" with the Ipswich fixture. "It is terrific and we must make the most of it." He added, "win or lose it's a win for Maidstone United."
There are some tasty Cup clashes between Premier League teams, two of which were played last night. The most eye-catching is defending champions Manchester City visiting Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs have a rich FA Cup history but haven't won the trophy since 1991. They will have to be at their best to overcome City who are in a rich vein of form.
Another clash last night was scheduled at Stamford Bridge where unpredictable Chelsea, who this week clinched a place in the League Cup final, were facing Aston Villa who are enjoying an excellent season.
There are three more matches between top flight teams with Everton hosting Luton, Sheffield United at home to Brighton and Newcastle United visiting Fulham. Eddie Howe's Magpies are desperate for a trophy and it could be quite a scrap at Craven Cottage.
There is a huge match in the Midlands where West Brom host improving Wolves in what is sure to be a fiercely contested Cup derby.
League leaders Liverpool will be expected to overcome visiting Norwich City tomorrow but the beauty of the FA Cup is that you can never be sure.