Which team? Well, I choose Charlotte Bobcats simply because that was the last place that my feet were in contact with American soil. Arbitrary enough for my purposes. I have never seen a Charlotte Bobcat, but no matter.
I will arrange my ties in alphabetical order of home team (which mixes up the geographical regions in the FA listing) and then look at the Bobcats record for the last complete season, 2012-13. I will look for the highest number of POINTS SCORED in any individual game by the Bobcats (win or lose) - if this turns out to have been the 24th game of the regular season, then I will go to game number 24 in my list. If the Bobcats score the same number of points in more than one game, I will take the one with the best winning margin (or lowest losing margin). If that doesn't produce a unique winner, then all ties go on a shortlist and I will toss a coin or roll a die to make the final play. Hope that is clear. It's probably not random in the pure sense, technically speaking, but it is random enough and I have no idea at the time of writing what the outcome will be.
 |
| Charlotte, North Carolina, from the airport as I was leaving, July 2010 |
Enough small print, here we go... the ties are here, these are all grounds that I have not visited before that are hosting an FA Cup tie on Saturday:
1
|
Atherton
Collieries
|
v
|
Radcliffe Borough
|
2
|
Bamber
Bridge
|
v
|
Staveley MW
|
3
|
Basildon
United
|
v
|
Heybridge Swifts
|
4
|
Bedfont
Sports
|
v
|
North Leigh
|
5
|
Belper
Town
|
v
|
Retford United
|
6
|
Billingham
Synthonia
|
v
|
Brighouse Town
|
7
|
Bootle
|
v
|
Barton Town Old Boys
|
8
|
Boston
Town
|
v
|
Dereham Town
|
9
|
Bournemouth
|
v
|
Hallen
|
10
|
Bridport
|
v
|
Merthyr Town
|
11
|
Brislington
|
v
|
St Blazey
|
12
|
Bristol
Manor Farm
|
v
|
Lymington Town
|
13
|
Brockenhurst
|
v
|
Folland Sports
|
14
|
Brocton
|
v
|
Ellesmere Rangers
|
15
|
Cammell
Laird
|
v
|
Salford City
|
16
|
Carlton
Town
|
v
|
Borrowash Victoria
|
17
|
Chessington
& Hook United
|
v
|
Sittingbourne
|
18
|
Chipstead
|
v
|
Rye United
|
19
|
Cinderford
Town
|
v
|
Aylesbury United
|
20
|
Clapton
|
v
|
Mildenhall Town
|
21
|
Clevedon
Town
|
v
|
Bishop Sutton
|
22
|
Corinthian
Casuals
|
v
|
Erith Town
|
23
|
Corsham
Town
|
v
|
Sherborne Town
|
24
|
Coventry
Sphinx
|
v
|
Lye Town
|
25
|
Cray
Valley (PM)
|
v
|
Redhill
|
26
|
Croydon
|
v
|
Whyteleafe
|
27
|
Desborough
Town
|
v
|
Loughborough University
|
28
|
Dunkirk
|
v
|
Rainworth MW
|
29
|
Durham
City
|
v
|
Morpeth Town
|
30
|
Eastbourne
Town
|
v
|
Corinthian Casuals
|
31
|
Eastbourne
United
|
v
|
Herne Bay
|
32
|
Evesham
United
|
v
|
Bolehall Swifts
|
33
|
Farnham
Town
|
v
|
Camberley Town
|
34
|
Faversham
Town
|
v
|
Worthing
|
35
|
Folkestone
Invicta
|
v
|
Molesey
|
36
|
Formby
|
v
|
Northwich Victoria
|
37
|
Frimley
Green
|
v
|
Cove
|
38
|
Goole
AFC
|
v
|
Bishop Auckland
|
39
|
Gorleston
|
v
|
Thetford Town
|
40
|
Guisborough
Town
|
v
|
Bridlington Town
|
41
|
Harrogate
Railway Athletic
|
v
|
West Auckland Town
|
42
|
Hebburn
Town
|
v
|
Marske United
|
43
|
Horley
Town
|
v
|
Holmesdale
|
44
|
Jarrow
Roofing Boldon CA
|
v
|
Dunston UTS
|
45
|
Kings
Langley
|
v
|
Newport Pagnell Town
|
46
|
Long
Eaton United
|
v
|
Shepshed Dynamo
|
47
|
Loughborough
Dynamo
|
v
|
Eastwood Town
|
48
|
Mangotsfield
United
|
v
|
Bitton AFC
|
49
|
Market
Drayton Town
|
v
|
Kidsgrove Athletic
|
50
|
Merstham
|
v
|
Deal Town
|
51
|
Moneyfields
|
v
|
Longwell Green Sports
|
52
|
Newcastle
Town
|
v
|
Shawbury United
|
53
|
Newport
(IW)
|
v
|
Fareham Town
|
54
|
Newton
Aycliffe
|
v
|
Spennymoor Town
|
55
|
Ossett
Albion
|
v
|
Runcorn Linnets
|
56
|
Ossett
Town
|
v
|
AFC Emley
|
57
|
Padiham
|
v
|
Clitheroe
|
58
|
Peacehaven
& Telscombe
|
v
|
Ashford United
|
59
|
Petersfield
Town
|
v
|
Horndean
|
60
|
Plymouth
Parkway
|
v
|
Ilfracombe Town
|
61
|
Prescot
Cables
|
v
|
Congleton Town
|
62
|
Ramsbottom
United
|
v
|
AFC Liverpool
|
63
|
Raynes
Park Vale
|
v
|
Alton Town
|
64
|
Runcorn
Town
|
v
|
Glossop North End
|
65
|
Scarborough
Athletic
|
v
|
Ashington
|
66
|
Shildon
|
v
|
Penrith AFC
|
67
|
Shoreham
|
v
|
Walton Casuals
|
68
|
Shortwood
United
|
v
|
Egham Town
|
69
|
St
Ives Town
|
v
|
Soham Town Rangers
|
70
|
Street
|
v
|
Paulton Rovers
|
71
|
Swaffham
Town
|
v
|
Huntingdon Town
|
72
|
Taunton
Town
|
v
|
Bridgwater Town
|
73
|
Totton
& Eling
|
v
|
Sholing
|
74
|
VCD
Athletic
|
v
|
Burgess Hill Town
|
75
|
Wakefield
|
v
|
New Mills
|
76
|
Warrington
Town
|
v
|
Winsford United
|
77
|
Wells
City
|
v
|
Bodmin Town
|
78
|
West
Didsbury & Chorlton AFC
|
v
|
Burscough
|
79
|
Whitehaven
AFC
|
v
|
Team Northumbria
|
80
|
Wimborne
Town
|
v
|
Hamworthy United
|
81
|
Winchester
City
|
v
|
Swindon Supermarine
|
82
|
Yate
Town
|
v
|
Cowes Sports
|
So, now to:
for a list of the Bobcats' results. We find that their biggest points haul came in Game 67 of the regular season, against Washington Wizards, and this is the only time they scored 119 points. Gerald Henderson Jr scored 27 of them as they won, at home, 119-114. I even found this clip - little did they know that one day their efforts would have a greater significance ...
This is the perfectly reasonable explanation as to why I will be heading to Shoreham in Sussex for their FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against Walton Casuals on Saturday 31 August. Sorted.
