Altrincham Chase Another Giant-Killing FA Cup Upset Against Notts County

Non-league club Altrincham aim to defeat Notts County in the FA Cup to secure their 18th win against Football League opponents. The fifth-tier team currently sits seventh in the National League and hopes to add to a long history of cup upsets.

Club Legend Reflects

Former midfielder Graham Heathcote made more than 500 appearances for Altrincham during the 1970s and 1980s. He played in an era when the part-time team reached the FA Cup third round in four straight seasons between 1978 and 1982. Heathcote scored a penalty against Liverpool at Anfield in 1981 and played in draws against Everton in 1975 and Tottenham Hotspur in 1979. He also recalled how the club was denied promotion to the Football League by a single vote in a 1980 ballot system. Altrincham later knocked out first-division Birmingham City away from home in 1986.

Current Aspirations

Current manager Neil Gibson leads the team into the upcoming match against League One side Notts County in front of a live television audience and a large crowd at Moss Lane. Gibson joined the club last year to help avoid relegation and now targets a promotion push to the English Football League alongside cup success. Five players in the Altrincham squad previously played for Notts County. Gibson previously played in an FA Cup upset for Southport against Notts County 24 years ago.

Family Legacy

Graham Heathcote's son, Sam Heathcote, followed his father by playing for Altrincham and helped them beat Barnsley in 2015. Sam later joined local rivals Macclesfield and helped them stun holders Crystal Palace this year in a match featuring a 117-place gap between the teams. Graham will travel to watch Sam play for Macclesfield against Mansfield while tracking Altrincham's match at Moss Lane.

Context

The FA Cup features teams from across different tiers of English football, allowing lower-division clubs to face top professional teams in knockout matches. Altrincham holds a historic reputation for these kinds of giant-killing performances against higher-ranked opponents despite spending its entire existence outside the top professional divisions.