Oxford relish tilt at Arsenal

OXFORD boss Ian Atkins was delighted with his side's reward for their hard-fought FA Cup der

They go to Premiership champions Arsenal in next month's third round and Atkins hopes the draw will capture his supporters' imagination.

He said: ''It's great for the city and for the supporters. We will take 10,000-plus to the champions and it will be great for the younger players. They rarely get the opportunity to be on live television and they rarely get the opportunity to play against Premiership opposition. ''It's one you wouldn't expect us to win but we'll go there and give it our best shot.''

Shrewsbury manager Kevin Ratcliffe believes his side are capable of upsetting former club Everton after being paired with the Premiership outfit.

The Third Division Shrews booked their place in the third round with a 3-1 win over Barrow yesterday.

Their reward is a home tie against the club Ratcliffe spent the majority of his playing career with. Manchester United host Division One leaders Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round.

There are six all-Premiership ties, with Liverpool travelling to Manchester City, Chelsea facing Middlesbrough and Tottenham heading to Southampton.

West Ham, who are still looking for their first win at Upton Park this season, are at home to Nottingham Forest, while Wolves play Newcastle.

Morecambe boss Jim Harvey was happy to see his side pitted with Ipswich for the second time in three years. The Conference outfit are desperate to climb into the Football League and Harvey believes FA Cup success is vital before that can happen.

Harvey, whose side sunk fellow Conference side Chester 3-2 to earn their chance, said: ''A little bit of success in the Cup is going to help our development because we do eventually want to achieve Football League status ourselves.

''It's a good draw. We met them a couple of years ago and it was a tremendous experience.

''We're a much improved side now and Ipswich have slipped a little, so we've got every chance and we're really looking forward to this one.''

Conference side Farnborough missed out on a glamour tie after being drawn against Third Division Darlington, but club chief Graham Westley is still looking forward to the game.

He said: ''You only have to look at what Rushden & Diamonds are doing in the Third Division to see the standard (between League and Conference) is close.

''Come the day I'm sure we'll have every chance of winning."