FA Vase Fifth Round Draw: North Shields v Rugby

Rugby Town will travel to North Tyneside to face North Shields in the FA Vase Fifth Round.

TICKETS: Admission for all will be readily available on the cash turnstile on the day. Adult tickets are also available to buy online from North Shields - click here.

TRAVEL ADVICE: Those travelling to the ground may need to travel through the Tyne Tunnel which has a toll charge which needs to be paid online by midnight the next day - for details click here.

Valley won through to the last 16 thanks to a comprehensive 5-1 win over Lakenheath in the Fourth Round at Butlin Road and are currently the joint-highest scorers of teams left in the competition with 19 goals in the six preceding rounds.

Rugby started the competition in the First Qualifying Round back in September at Coventry Copsewood before victories over AFC Wulfrunians, Belper United, Hinckley Leicester Road, Stourport Swifts and lastly Lakenheath seen Valley qualify for the Fifth Round Proper for the first time since going on to win the trophy back in 1983.

Like Rugby, North Shields are previous winners of the Vase winning 2-1 at Wembley in 2015 with a 2-1 win over Glossop North End and last made the Fifth Round in that very season.

North Shields beat Valley's local rivals Harborough Town in the last round on penalties to progress and have also beaten Padiham, Whickham, Vauxhall Motors, North Ferriby and Barton Town en-route.

The Robins are the 3-1 bookies' favourites to lift the trophy and currently sit third in the Northern League Division 1 (step 5 - same as Rugby) having lost just two games this season.

They have played in this division since winning promotion from Northern League Division 2 in 2014 and one of their finest achievements was reaching the Second Round of the FA Cup in 1982/83 when they bowed out at home to Walsall.

However after suffering a five-division relegation in 1992 due to financial difficulties, The Robins have been working their way back up the pyramid.

The match will be played at The Daren Persson Stadium on Saturday 12 February 2022, kick-off 3pm.

FA Vase

Valley famously won the FA Vase in 1983 with a 1-0 win over Halesowen Town at the old Wembley Stadium.

That campaign was also the only previous time Rugby have won through to the Fifth Round Proper as Brantham Athletic were beaten 2-1 in Essex on the run to Wembley with goals from Gordon Beecham and Alan Brotherton for Valley.

Due to being promoted to the Southern League, Rugby then had a 32-year hiatus from the competition before returning to play in 2017-18 after relegation to the Midland Football League.

Since re-joinining the Vase in 2017, Valley have only made it as far as the Second Round on two occassions before this season.