Emirates FA Cup 3rd Round Qualifying
Tie to take place Saturday 3rd October 2026 – 3.00 pm kick-off
Harborough Town vs St Albans City
Harborough Town Community Football Ground, LE16 9HF
Author – Ben Monti
Image – RB MEDIA
Harborough Town will take on St Albans City at the Beehive in the Third Round Qualifying of the Emirates FA Cup, following today’s draw.
Harborough’s FA Cup journey continues after edging past a stubborn Rushall Olympic side on Saturday, courtesy of Michael Jacobs’ second-half goal. The reward is another home tie, this time against Isthmian League Premier Division outfit St Albans City. I don’t think the Harborough squad, coaching staff, or fans will be complaining about being drawn at home again. I definitely won’t.
The Bees face some pretty gruelling away trips over the course of the season, so another Saturday at the Beehive will certainly be welcome, and crucially, Harborough are now just one win away from reaching the Fourth Round Qualifying for the third successive season. We’ve had some pretty special FA Cup days over the last couple of years, and long may they continue.
St Albans, nicknamed the Saints, have made a decent start to their season and currently sit in the play-off positions after eight games. Kai Brown, Inih Effiong and Mickey Faulkner are a few of the names the Bees will need to watch, with all three regularly on the scoresheet.
This will be the Hertfordshire side’s third tie in this year’s edition and their third away from home. The Saints started their progress with a 2-0 win at Hashtag United in a replay after drawing 0-0 at Clarence Park before travelling to Witham Town, where they went one better, winning 3-0. They will come into the game full of FA Cup momentum, having scored five and conceded none, so the Bees, as they did in the previous round, will have to respect their opposition and be at the top of their game. Saturday’s victory over Rushall ended a three-game run without a goal and, most importantly, kept this season’s FA Cup adventure alive. It wasn’t spectacular, and the Pics made Harborough work incredibly hard for it, but that’s cup football. No tie can be taken for granted.
There’s also a slightly random fact about next Saturday’s visitors, for you rock fans out there, that I quite like. Local band Enter Shikari, who formed in St Albans before going on to become world-famous, are the club’s sponsors.
The fixture is provisionally scheduled for the weekend of the 3rd October, with ticket information to be announced in due course.
Elsewhere in the draw, there are a couple of ties the Bees’ fans may want to keep an eye on. AFC Rushden & Diamonds will host either Needham Market or Braintree Town, while local rivals Kettering Town face Worcester City at Latimer Park. Additionally, familiar foes Spalding United travel to Bury Town.
The FA Cup has been pretty good to Harborough recently. Let’s see what 26/27 has in store. It’s too early to start dreaming, isn’t it… isn’t it… is it?
Full Draw:
1 Macclesfield v Scarborough Athletic
2 Marine v Warrington Town
3 Trafford v Atherton Collieries
4 Guiseley v Bradford (Park Avenue)
5 Leamington or Gainsborough Trinity v Anstey Nomads
6 Morecambe v Darlington
7 Buxton v South Shields
8 Bury v Bromsgrove Sporting
9 Barton Town v Chorley
10 AFC Telford United or Worksop Town v FC United of Manchester
11 Stafford Rangers v Halesowen Town
12 Spennymoor Town v Chester
13 Mulbarton Wanderers v Gloucester City
14 Bury Town v Spalding United
15 Harborough Town v St Albans City
16 Bedford Town v Hemel Hempstead Town or Wingate & Finchley
17 Kettering Town v Worcester City
18 Cambridge City v Alvechurch
19 Brackley Town v Chelmsford City
20 Chesham United v Real Bedford
21 Oxford City v Enfield Town
22 Brentwood Town v Waltham Abbey or Dagenham & Redbridge
23 Leiston v Coventry United
24 Redditch United v Berkhamsted
25 AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Needham Market or Braintree Town
26 Southall or Dorking Wanderers v Chatham Town
27 Merthyr Town or Truro City v Cirencester Town or Farnham Town
28 Tonbridge Angels v Torquay United
29 Weymouth v SE Dons
30 Sheppey United v Chertsey Town
31 Cray Wanderers or Maidstone United v Yate Town or Chippenham Town
32 Hampton & Richmond Borough v Weston Super Mare or Wimborne Town
or Crowborough Athletic
33 Plymouth Parkway v Horsham
34 Uxbridge or Farnborough v Hungerford Town
35 Ebbsfleet United v Sholing
36 Salisbury v Dulwich Hamlet
37 Thame United or Exmouth Town v Eastbourne Borough
38 Hanwell Town v Dover Athletic
39 Tadley Calleva v Dartford
40 Leatherhead v Hanworth Villa