THE long road to Wembley for Somerset’s football clubs begins on the weekend of Friday, August 29, as the first batch of matches in the Extra-Preliminary Round of the FA Cup take place.

Due to ground shares and cricket pitches - meaning some grounds are unavailable in August - some games take place on the Friday or the Sunday.

In the Preliminary Round, Taunton Town are home to Western League Premier Division side Odd Down, or Ashton and Backwell United from Division One - while Bridgwater Town visit the winners of the Barnstaple Town versus Willand Rovers game, for what will be an awkward tie at either ground.

No local sides are in the early round of the FA Vase, but in the FA Trophy Bridgwater Town have a long trip to Oxfordshire to take on fellow Division One S and W side Didcot Town, while Taunton Town have a less arduous game at home to Godalming Town, who play nowadays in the Southern League Central.

Taunton’s prize for beating Godalming would be another home game, against Burnham or Dorking Wanderers - and Bridgwater have an even longer trip if they win at Didcot as they will have to go to Molesey on the banks of the Thames or Fleet Town.

Down in Devon there is a mouth watering tie between two former FA Vase finalists.

Tiverton Town have a proud record in that competition and they play AFC Totton, from Southampton, who were Vase runners up to Truro eight years ago.

The winners of that game have a long trip to Sussex to take on Peacehaven and Telscombe in the next round.