Redcar Town handed FA Cup spotlight as BBC selects Darlington tie for live coverage
The cameras are coming to Mo Mowlam Memorial Park.
BBC Sport has chosen Redcar Town’s Emirates FA Cup second round qualifying clash with Darlington for live broadcast, thrusting the debutants into the national spotlight in the very first season they’ve entered the competition.
The tie will kick off at 12:30pm on Saturday 19 September and will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, the Red Button, BBC Football’s YouTube channel and the BBC Sport website, giving a nationwide audience a close-up look at one of this season’s early Cup stories.
For Redcar Town, this is already a campaign to remember. Competing in the FA Cup for the first time in their history, they have pieced together a stirring run, knocking out Newcastle Benfield, Bridlington Town and then Blyth Spartans to reach the second round qualifying stage.
Each step has nudged them further into uncharted territory. Now comes the biggest test yet.
National League North side Darlington enter the competition at this point and will make the short trip to Redcar as strong favourites, carrying the weight and expectation that comes with playing two tiers higher in the pyramid. Redcar, by contrast, bring momentum, belief and the kind of freedom that only a first-time Cup adventure can offer.
It is exactly the sort of collision the FA Cup was built on: a non-league newcomer with nothing to lose against an established club expected to handle the occasion.
This time, the whole country gets to watch how they cope.
