West Ham United begin their 2020/21 Emirates FA Cup challenge with a third-round tie at Stockport County on Monday evening at 8pm.
David Moyes' Premier League Hammers take on a Stockport side who sit fourth in the National League, 86 places below them in the English football pyramid.
There are no replays in the FA Cup this season, so if the scores are level after 90 minutes there will be a period of 30 minutes extra-time and if the scores still remain level after extra-time then the tie will be decided on penalties.
Both clubs are permitted to name nine substitutes, of which five can be used. However, teams can only take three opportunities to make these substitutions in normal time, with an additional opportunity to make changes during extra-time. Also, there is no VAR or HawkEye Goal line technology for this fixture, as it is being held at a non-Premier League stadium.
The two clubs meet for the first time since 18 December 1996, when an Iain Dowie own-goal helped the Greater Manchester side, then in the third tier, secure a shock 2-1 League Cup fourth-round replay win over the Premier League Irons at Edgeley Park.
Stockport also won an FA Cup third-round replay against West Ham 1-0 at the same venue in January 1935, but the Hammers won the second and most-recent FA Cup meeting between the two, a fourth-round tie, 3-2 at the Boleyn Ground in January 1958.
Stockport manager Jim Gannon is taking charge of the Hatters for the 504th time across three spells. The 52-year-old, who was born in Southwark in south London, previously spent most of his playing career at Edgeley Park, too, making 480 appearances and scoring 64 goals while playing a variety of positions.
West Ham face non-league opposition for the seventh time in the FA Cup, having won the previous six. The Irons overcame Corinthians in 1929 and 1933 in the fourth and third rounds respectively, Hereford United in 1972 after a fourth-round replay, Farnborough Town after a third-round replay in 1992, Kidderminster Harriers in the fifth round in 1994 and Emley in the third round in 1998.
With England now subject to a COVID-19 national lockdown, Monday's tie will be played without supporters present. However, the match will be shown live in the UK by BT Sport 1 (Sky 413/BTTV and Talk Talk 408) and BT Sport Ultimate, meaning our fans will be able to follow the action, safely, from home.
Supporters can click here now to purchase a monthly BT Sport pass for just £25, giving you access to all of BT Sports content over the next 30 days.
Team news
West Ham United manager David Moyes could make changes to the team which scored a 1-0 Premier League win at Everton on New Year's Day.
The Hammers have permission from Brentford and Watford respectively for loanees Saïd Benrahma and Watford to play in the FA Cup.
Injury-wise, the Scot has a near fully-fit squad to choose from, but goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański is hoping to recover from the thigh problem which forced him out of the Everton game, while left wing-back Arthur Masuaku is definitely unavailable after undergoing surgery to mend a long-standing knee problem.
The opposition – Stockport County
Stockport County are desperate to end their ten-year absence from the Football League by winning promotion from the National League this season, and go into Monday's tie sitting fourth in the table, albeit 14 points behind leaders Torquay United.
The Hatters have enjoyed an encouraging 2020/21 campaign, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, losing just four of their 14 National League matches.
Stockport have enjoyed an eventful run to the third round, too.
The Greater Manchester club were originally knocked out by Chesterfield in the fourth qualifying round, only for the FA to order a replay after the victors were found to have fielded an ineligible player. Stockport took full advantage, winning 4-0.
County then won 2-1 at EFL League One side Rochdale (pictured, above) before edging National League rivals Yeovil Town 3-2 in extra-time to reach the third round for the first time since 2007.
Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, Stockport took on its current name in 1890 and initially joined the Football League in 1900, before moving to its current Edgeley Road stadium two years later.
County won the Third Division (League One) title twice, in 1922 and 1937, and the Fourth Division (League Two) title once, in 1967, and also won the League Two Play-Off final in 2008. The club also reached the EFL Trophy final in 1992 and 1993, and the League Cup semi-finals in 1997.
Their highest-ever league finish came in 1997/98, when they came eighth in Division One (Championship).
When it comes to the FA Cup, Stockport's best runs came in 1935, 1950 and 2001, when they reached the fifth round. County beat West Ham in the third round in 1935.
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Stockport County have met 14 times in competitive fixtures.
The first was in Division Two (Championship) at Edgeley Park on 26 April 1920, near the end of West Ham's first season in the Football League, and ended in a 1-0 win for the home side. However, the Irons got their own back a week later, winning the reverse fixture 3-0 at the Boleyn Ground.
All in all, though, Stockport have won seven of the 14 meetings to West Ham's four victories, with three draws, although the Hammers have outscored their Greater Manchester rivals 17 goals to 15.
As mentioned, the most-recent meeting was on 18 December 1996, when an Iain Dowie own-goal (pictured, above) helped Stockport, then in the third tier, secure a shock 2-1 League Cup fourth-round replay win over the Premier League Irons at Edgeley Park.
Stockport also won an FA Cup third-round replay against West Ham 1-0 at the same venue in January 1935, but the Hammers won the second and most-recent FA Cup meeting between the two, a fourth-round tie, 3-2 at the Boleyn Ground in January 1958.
Match officials
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant Referees: Darren Cann and Daniel Robathan
Fourth Official: Kevin Friend
Monday's match will be refereed by the experienced Mike Dean.
Dean was born in Wirral, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool, in June 1968, making him 52-years-old.
A Tranmere Rovers supporter, Dean began his refereeing career in the Northern Premier League before graduating to the Football League list of assistant referees in 1995.
After two seasons running the line and three as a Football League referee, Dean was promoted to the Select Group of Premier League officials in 2000.
Since then, Dean has refereed a succession of high-profile fixtures, including the FA Cup and League Cup finals and Championship Play-Off final.
Dean also took charge of international qualifiers and friendly matches up until 2013, when he reached FIFA’s mandatory retirement age of 45.
In April 2019, he became the first Premier League referee to show 100 red cards.
Dean has refereed West Ham United on 57 occasions, most recently officiating the 3-1 home Premier League defeat by Arsenal in September 2019, but this will be the first Hammers FA Cup tie he has taken charge of.
