FC United await new home go-ahead

FC United aim to make another piece of history by reaching the FA Cup second round by beating Rochdale at Spotland tonight – but a far more important battle will take place at Manchester Town Hall on November 25.

While manager Karl Marginson is charged with the task of steering the progressive Evo-Stick League outfit past a side four levels above them in football’s pyramid, behind the scenes finishing touches are being applied to a planning application for a new ground at Ten Acres Lane, close to Manchester United’s spiritual home at Newton Heath.