Devonshire pleased as Tranmere come out of the hat (From Braintree and Witham Times)

Devonshire pleased as Tranmere come out of the hat

5:31pm Sunday 21st October 2012 in Sport By Simon Spurgeon

Braintree Town manager Alan Devonshire was a happy man after getting his wish for a high-profile tie at the Amlin Stadium in the FA Cup first round proper.

The Iron boss was hoping to draw a big League One club at home after their fourth qualifying round win against Lowestoft on Saturday and got what he wanted with Tranmere Rovers coming out of the hat.

Devonshire said: “We were one of the last draws to come out, but we have got a home one against the highest ranked team we could have got.

“So it’s a great draw for us and I’m very happy with it.”

The game will only be Braintree's second-ever appearance in the first round of the FA Cup, with their previous game at that stage being a 4-1 defeat at Shrewsbury six years ago.

Tranmere are currently leading League One by four points after winning nine of their opening 13 games.

They are likely to offer a big test for the Iron, having lost just one of their seven games on the road so far and averaging two goals per fixture away from Prenton Park.

For more reaction to Braintree's FA Cup draw, see the Braintree and Witham Times this week.
The first round games are due to be played over the weekend of November 3 and 4.