Ebbsfleet United have been drawn at home to Ryman League Division One South side Folkestone Invicta in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.

Ties take place on Saturday, September 28th, kick-off 3pm. Any replay required would take place the following Tuesday, October 1st, at 7.45pm.

It will be the first meeting of the clubs in the FA Cup, with us having only met in Kent Senior and Southern League cup ties before. Folkestone Town were, of course, regular opponents through the Fifties and Sixties and we last met in the FA Cup in 1966, Town winning 3-2. Fleet won two previous encounters, 4-1 in 1954, and 2-1 in 1946 – though that club shares no formal connection with Folkestone Invicta.

Our opponents lie 22nd in Ryman Division One South, though reached the play-off semi-final last season, losing out to Maidstone United. They reached this stage of the cup beating Molesey and Eastbourne United.

Fleet’s last experience of the 2nd Qualifying Round was in 2010-11 in a minor epic against Cray Wanderers, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Hayes Lane, followed by a 4-2 win for the Fleet in the replay at Stonebridge Road.

The full draw is here (once the FA site is back up).