THIS weekend will see both Worcester City and Stourport Swifts play their FA Vase second-round matches, with hopes high of another cup run.

In recent years, both City and Swifts have enjoyed lengthy runs in the competition, reaching the fifth and sixth round respectively, with Swifts going within two games of a Wembley final in 2021.

City were knocked out by Atherstone Town on penalties in a replay at the Victoria Ground back in the 2019-20 campaign, whilst Swifts lost to Walsall Wood in the quarter-finals the following season, just before Covid-19 hit the country.

Both sides have winnable ties on Saturday. City make the trip to MFL Premier side Wolverhampton Casuals and Swifts go to AFC Wulfrunians, a side they drew with 1-1 last month in the league.

City are on a current 10-match winning run in all competitions and are flying high at the top of the Hellenic League Premier with 12 wins from 14 matches, and play a side in Casuals who have taken just 10 points from their 11 games in the MFL Premier.

But City have not gone past this stage of the competition since 2019 and that was their only venture past the second-round in the club's history.

Swifts reached the third round last season and generally have proven to be a tough team to beat in one-off knockout ties, as we saw last season when they won the Worcestershire Senior Cup after beating the likes of Kidderminster Harriers and Redditch United.

The Vase also offers an opportunity for Step 5 and 6 clubs to pick up some much-needed prize money. Winners of the second-round will pocket £900 after earning £825 in the first-round proper.

City and Stourport are both enjoying successful league campaigns but both will fancy a cup run now they have got to this point and win on Saturday and those Wembley dreams will start to feel a little more real.