Sheffield Wednesday will enter the FA Cup in the first round this season after dropping to League One. Their potential opponents range from ninth-tier sides to struggling local rivals.

The Owls, who will be ball number 39 in the draw, are one of the biggest teams in this round. That means plenty of teams will be hoping to draw them at Hillsborough.

Before Marine played Hartlepool United in the fourth-round qualifying, their chairman Paul Leary discussed the possibility of facing a side like Wednesday in the First Round proper. He told BBC Merseyside:

“It’s a huge game for both football clubs, Hartlepool and Marine. To get to the first round proper, the opportunity, financially, is almost endless, as Marine experienced five years ago. There are some big clubs now in League One, Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday. They have crowds in excess of 30,000 and if we were to get a result and get through into that first round proper, wouldn’t it be nice to play Leicester or Sheffield Wednesday away.”

Marine beat Hartlepool United, who the Owls beat in the League One play-offs all them years ago, 2-0 on Saturday, meaning Leary’s dream of a trip to Hillsborough is on.

Marine, who play in the National League North, aren’t the lowest ranked side Henrik Pedersen’s side could face in the first round in November.

Potential Ninth-Tier Opposition for Sheffield Wednesday

Tadley Calleva are the lowest-ranked team in the draw. They drew 2-2 with National League side Aldershot Town over the weekend, which means they could still be drawn against the Owls.

The side from Hampshire play their football in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South. They’re currently 11th in the league, but have played fewer games than anyone else due to their cup run.

AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who were the “phoenix club” for Rushden & Diamonds, are also in the draw for the first round. They play their football in the eighth tier and beat Morecambe 2-1 in the final qualifying round.

Wimborne Town, Leatherhead, Sholing, Dover Athletic, and Plymouth Parkway are some other non-league names to keep an eye out for.

Reunion With Sheffield Wednesday Hero?

Oxford City recently signed former Owl Fernando Forestieri. The 36-year-old had been training with the PFA over the summer and signed for the sixth-tier side a couple of weeks ago.

His side beat Torquay United 1-0, with Forestieri coming on for the final 15 minutes, lining up a potential reunion with Wednesday.

Speaking about the potential conditions of the National League South compared to the EFL, FF told BBC Radio Oxford:

“When I started playing in Argentina, sometimes the pitch doesn’t have grass.

“I was born like this in Argentina, when I went out from the school, we took the ball with my friends and we played all the time so sometimes no grass sometimes it was on stone.

“A team-mate said come on it’s hard to play how you like here after 20 years of professional football, yes I need to adapt and I don’t need to forget where I come from.

“When you are born with nothing, everything in life is a bonus and it’s something good for me.

“Any pitch is something nice to me and I appreciate everything.”

Local Rival Clash

Rotherham United are struggling in League Two under Alex Bruce; the FA Cup could be a welcome break for them. Maybe a clash with their local rivals Sheffield Wednesday could kick-start their season?

They also have a former Owl, Dominic Iorfa. The fastest man in Yorkshire obviously didn’t want to lose that tag, so moved just down the road to the New York stadium.

Full FA Cup First Round Ball Numbers

1. Accrington Stanley 
2. AFC Wimbledon
3. Barnet
4. Barnsley
5. Blackpool
6. Bradford City
7. Bristol Rovers
8. Bromley
9. Burton Albion
10. Cambridge United
11. Cheltenham Town
12. Chesterfield
13. Colchester United
14. Crawley Town
15. Crewe Alexandra
16. Doncaster Rovers
17. Exeter City
18. Fleetwood Town
19. Gillingham  
20. Grimsby Town
21. Huddersfield Town
22. Leicester City
23. Leyton Orient
24. Luton Town
25. Mansfield Town
26. Milton Keynes Dons
27. Newport County
28. Northampton Town
29. Notts County
30. Oldham Athletic
31. Oxford United
32. Peterborough United
33. Plymouth Argyle
34. Port Vale
35. Reading
36. Rochdale
37. Rotherham United
38. Salford City
39. Sheffield Wednesday 
40. Shrewsbury Town
41. Stevenage
42. Stockport County
43. Swindon Town
44. Tranmere Rovers 
45. Walsall
46. Wigan Athletic
47. Wycombe Wanderers
48. York City
49. Harborough Town
50. Chorley or Worcester City
51. Gateshead or Stafford Rangers
52. FC Halifax Town
53. Guiseley 
54. Barrow or Gloucester City
55. Marine
56. Scunthorpe United
57. Macclesfield or Anstey Nomads
58. Altrincham or FC United of Manchester  
59. Bury or Harrogate Town 
60. Spalding United or Alvechurch 
61. AFC Rushden & Diamonds 
62. Kidderminster Harriers
63. Carlisle United
64. AFC Fylde
65. Salisbury
66. Sutton United
67. Chesham United or Forest Green Rovers
68. Leatherhead or Yeovil Town
69. Bedford Town or Cray Wanderers
70. Hornchurch 
71. Aldershot Town or Tadley Calleva
72. Oxford City
73. Wimborne Town
74. Wealdstone
75. Boreham Wood
76. Eastleigh
77. Berkhamsted
78. Sholing
79. Plymouth Parkway
80. Dover Athletic.