"Willand may just be a tiny village in Devon that consists of little more than a post office and a pub, but their football team's FA Cup run has captured the locals' imagination.

Willand Rovers, who play in the ninth tier of English football, are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition and will this weekend play an FA Cup game in October for the first time in their history, having never progressed beyond the second round of qualifying before.

They have progressed through five rounds to earn a tie against Essex-based Aveley and are just two wins away from reaching the first-round proper.

"With the amount of games we have played already it is like a League Two side reaching the semi-final, so the game against Aveley is a semi-final tie for us," says Willand player-manager Scott Rogers.

Willand Rovers are the lowest ranked team left in the FA Cup
"Even to reach the next round would be amazing because there are clubs like Bristol Rovers and Torquay coming into it. Their average attendance is probably larger than the population of Willand.

"But that is the goal, to get through and get a game against a team like that. If we did, I've told the lads that even if we are losing 5-0, if we score they should celebrate like crazy, because how often do clubs like ours score in front of 4-5,000 people?"

While Willand's FA Cup run is their best in their history, the game will also represent a significant landmark moment for Aveley.

The 446-mile round trip from the village in Essex to Willand represents their longest-ever away trip.

For club secretary Craig Johnson, it is a journey worth making.

"This is a massive game for us," he says.

"It is only the second time in 30 years we have reached third qualifying round. "We have never played a Football League club and now we are just two rounds away from doing that.

"Every season there is a club similar to ours that reached the promised land of FA Cup first round, hopefully it can be us." "