Hanley Town v Droitwich Spa

FA Cup Preliminary Round

Potteries Park. Saturday 22 August 2026

The Saltmen take to the road today as their dreams of a cup final at Wembley next spring remain a very real possibility. They travel up the M5 and M6 to face Step Four Hanley Town of the Northern Premier League.

Hanley is one of the Five Towns who collectively make up the city of Stoke on Trent, an area with a rich footballing tradition. One of the world’s most legendary football figures is inextricably linked with the area. No, not the owner of mysteriously speckled facial hair at the World Cup Final that is Robbie Williams. I’m on about Sir Stanley Matthews, a man who could reasonably be described as the Lionel Messi of the post-war game. A man who could well be Stoke City’s greatest ever player, unless they signed Carlton Palmer without me noticing.

In the interests of balanced journalism, I should point out that over in Burslem, Port Vale had the great Neil Aspin to boast about.

Other than its football club and rich history of ceramics production, Hanley is the home to the Victoria Hall – a legendary music venue where such diverse musical attractions as Sir Edward Elgar and Slash have appeared. Unlikely as it seems, LA rock band Guns n Roses’ iconic axeman, was born and for a short time raised in Stoke.

It’s gonna be a tough task for the lads today but with the backing of the red and black army, who knows?

See you there.

Cheers

FTS