- Home form: Wimborne Town have been very solid at home, winning five from five in all competitions and conceding just three times.
- Away form: Crawley Town have struggled away from home of late, winning one and losing four of their last five.
- Head-to-head: This is the first meeting between the two sides.
Wimborne’s great form is a concern for Crawley
Crawley Town have been handed the odds-on bet for Sunday's FA Cup 2026-2027 first-round game at The Wyatt Homes Stadium, but Kevin Blackwell's side have been rather lacklustre of late. The odds reflect the fact that the away side are two leagues above the Magpies in the English football pyramid, but there is plenty to suggest that this tie won't be a cakewalk for the Red Devils.
Wimborne are in terrific form across all current competitions, winning eight, drawing one and only losing one of their past ten outings, while Crawley have won two, drawn two and lost six of their ten most recent fixtures.
Crawley have been shaky on their travels
The Magpies have won four and drawn one of their previous five games, beating Taunton Town 4-1 away in the FA Trophy 2026/2027, drawing 0-0 away at Yate Town in the Southern League Premier Division South 2026 and beating Chippenham Town 2-0 at home in the same competition. They have also been flawless at the Wyatt Homes Stadium in all of their five home games in all current competitions, while they have conceded just three goals in those five games.
Crawley have been much more erratic, particularly when on the road, where they have won one and lost four of their most recent five. Their last two games have been respectable, however, as they drew 1-1 with Tranmere Rovers at home and then beat Oldham Athletic 1-0 away.
The cup tie is set up to be a good one
Tie unpredictability
This is the first-ever meeting between these two sides, so there is no previous results to take into consideration and there is nothing about this tie that is a given. That makes this first-round clash feel more cup-like than normal, and with the visitors set at 1.44, the bet on Wimborne at 6.21 and the draw at 4.65 appear to be massive missteps by the oddsmakers.
Tactics and players
These two teams couldn't be more contrastive, so it is difficult to call, but it appears as though Crawley's superior quality and physicality should see them through to the next round. Wimborne's home form, however, is so impressive that it would be foolish to take the favorite on the draw no bet market, so we'll take Over 2.5 goals and Both Teams To Score Yes at 1.47 and 1.65.
- Blackwell has given Crawley a slightly more cautious edge, while his 4-1-4-1 system should give them more midfield cover and control.
- However, the Red Devils are not an expansive side and have needed Dylan Morgan's predatory instincts to provide their cutting edge, as the forward has bagged four of their seven goals in the past five.
- Tim Sills' Wimborne play on the front foot, press high and combine well with their width in numbers, while they are also flexible enough to change shape, and Joe Smith has been their livewire, with three goals in their previous five.
