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Cup tie going to put Rushall Olympic 'on the map'

Map showing Hednesford's Keys Park and Rushall's Dales Lane homes - both to the north of WalsallGoogle

Hednesford's Keys Park, Rushall's Dales Lane and Walsall's Bescot home are all within an 11-mile radius

Ged Scott
BBC Sport England

Walsall's Bescot Stadium ought to be the epicentre of FA Cup excitement in the West Midlands this Saturday when the majority of this year's first-round ties kick off, as of old, at 3pm.

Walsall, one of the promotion front runners in League Two, host last season's beaten League One play-off finalists, 1958 FA Cup winners Bolton Wanderers - a meeting that has potential 'tie of the round' written all over it.

Instead, Saddlers-Wanderers is a mere sideshow - one of three first-round ties taking place all within an 11-mile radius of each other - as two of Walsall's local non-league neighbours also face big tests in a schedule that's created a logistical and political nightmare for the local radio station, BBC Radio WM.

National League North side Rushall Olympic, who play on a FIFA-approved artificial 3G pitch just three miles to the north-west of Walsall, host League Two side Accrington Stanley.

A few more miles further north, after a few lean years, in which their very existence was threatened, Hednesford Town are back in the competition, taking on Gainsborough Trinity.

Hednesford stole some of the local thunder, headlines-wise, by sacking manager Steve King on Thursday night but this is still a keenly-awaited weekend best summed up by Rushall's long-serving chairman John Allen, who once worked for Hednesford, who said this is all about putting their club "on the map".

Rushall Olympic v Accrington Stanley

Rushall Olympic's 3G playing surface at their Dales Lane homeRichard Wilford - BBC Sport

Rushall Olympic play on a FIFA-approved 3G playing surface at their Dales Lane home

When Accrington Stanley got paired with Rushall, having for so long been on the end of years of mickey-taking following a famous 1980s TV advert for milk, the Lancashire side probably had every right to say "Rushall Olympic? Who are they">