Chippenham Town host Havant & Waterlooville in FA Cup Qualification Round 1, with a place in the next qualifying round at stake. CheckLive favour the home side at 68 per cent, and the signal is strong — but that still leaves real scope for a draw or an upset in a cup tie.
Chippenham come in after a mixed league run: wins over Malvern Town (2-1) and Plymouth Parkway (3-2), losses to Berkhamsted Town (1-2) and Chichester City (0-4), and a 1-1 draw with Yate Town. Havant & Waterlooville have only one win in their last five — 1-0 at Frome Town — alongside a 3-3 draw at Gloucester City and defeats to Chichester City (2-3), Plymouth Parkway (1-2) and Uxbridge (0-2). Neither side has much consistent momentum behind them.
The head-to-head favours Chippenham: eight meetings, with four wins, two draws and two defeats, and a 1-0 win for Chippenham in the most recent meeting in January 2024. The key is whether Havant can tighten up after conceding three goals in two of their last five, while Chippenham will want to avoid the heavy losses that have punctuated their season. A competitive tie with a draw as a genuine possibility is the most honest way to frame this one.
