Former Newcastle and England winger Chris Waddle
at Blyth Spartans for Football Focus

"I'm from Gateshead, so I don't know Blyth that well. When I was learning to drive my instructor got me three tests in three weeks in Blyth... and I failed every single one!"

So Blyth's tie with Birmingham wins the vote for most likely upset.

As many as 120 places in the football pyramid separate the sides. Elsewhere today there is an 86-place gap between West Brom and Gateshead and an 89-place divide between Derby and Southport.

Birmingham beware...

We've been asking which of today's games offers the most likely opportunity for an upset, and 36% of you think seventh-tier Blyth could be the unfancied team celebrating this evening. Thanks for voting.

Football Focus

Football Focus is starting now on BBC One and at the top of this page.

Dan Walker and guests Chris Waddle and Danny Higginbotham are at Blyth Spartans ahead of the seventh-tier side's game against Birmingham City this afternoon.

BBC Radio 5 live

On BBC Radio 5 live now, there's a chance to listen again to John Motson's top 10 FA Cup third round upsets.

You voted for your favourite on the BBC Sport website yesterday.

Read more about them here and if you can't catch the programme today, you can download the podcast to listen at your leisure.

Preston North End - two-time FA Cup winners - welcome Norwich City to Deepdale this afternoon and boss Simon Grayson has admitted his priorities are elsewhere ahead of the fixture.

"The priority is the league game at Sheffield United and the JPT tie with Walsall but we go into every game with the intention of winning it," says Grayson.

Stat: Preston played the first FA Cup final to be broadcast on television when they beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 in 1938.

Here are your Saturday headlines at midday:

• Liverpool confirm Steven Gerrard will move to Major League Soccer

• Alan Pardew confirmed as Crystal Palace manager

• French side Nice agree a deal to sign Hatem Ben Arfa

• 17 FA Cup third round ties kick-off at 15:00 GMT

Image source, Getty Images

More of your recollections of non-football conversations you've had with famous footballers, prompted by The Danny Baker Show on BBC Radio 5 live:

Colin Young: At a charity golf day Jason McAteer and I had a chat about squirrels and the American crayfish...

Colin Williamson: Once met George Best at Heathrow. Told him my mum was his sister's French teacher and he signed my plane sickness bag.

Robbie Derbs: I chatted to Daniel Agger about tattoos near the exit of Anfield.

Image source, @Gatesheadfc

Conference side Gateshead have trained at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground ahead of their trip to face West Brom at the Hawthorns.

This is Gateshead's first appearance in the third round for 60 years and boss Gary Mills says: "As a Premier League side, we shouldn't get near West Brom - but I feel we can."

Their side includes 36-year-old John Oster, the former Everton and Sunderland player, and the South Africa international Matty Pattison, once of Newcastle and Norwich. Player-assistant manager Darren Caskey, 40, started his career at Tottenham.

Stat: West Brom have lost their last three FA Cup matches at the Hawthorns.

As we run through today's 17 FA Cup matches, a reminder you will be able to see highlights of all of them on the video page of the BBC Sport website from 17:15 GMT.

Image source, Youtube

A "dolphin-trainer", advice on the next Newcastle manager and being better than your brother - this impromptu Blyth Spartans news conference is well worth a watch., external

If they play as good a game as they talk, Birmingham could be in for some trouble this afternoon.

Stat: Birmingham have lost just one of their last 15 FA Cup matches against lower league opposition (W11 D3 L1).

Image source, @southport_fc

It is 16 years since Southport last appeared in the FA Cup third round and the Merseyside part-timers are clearly determined to make the most of the occasion. The Conference club's final training session ahead of today's tie at Championship high-flyers Derby County took place at St George's Park, the FA's national football centre.

Eighty-nine places separate the two clubs but 2,700 Port fans are making their way to the Ipro Stadium in the hope of witnessing a shock. Southport's team includes forward John Marsden who was helping out with the family run micro-brewery, external after being released by Shrewsbury Town this time last year.

Could there be an upset brewing?

Stat: Derby have failed to score in three of their last four FA Cup matches.

Bradford could field some fresh faces when they travel to 2004 finalists Millwall this afternoon.

"We have a couple of bumps and knocks in the squad going into the game on top of this, so it means we have had to put the second years (scholars) in our plans for the weekend," said Bradford boss Phil Parkinson.

"There is no youth football over the Christmas period so we normally allow most of them time with their families.

"Given the injuries we have in the camp at the moment, however, we have had to bring all the second years back in early to help us prepare for the game."

Stat: Bradford have lost nine of their last 13 FA Cup matches away from home.

Image source, @robhank53

Rob Hankinson tweets:, external @BlackpoolFC 1953 FA Cup winner's medal #genuine #FACupAdventure #getcarriedaway come on you pool!

Keep tweeting us about your FA Cup excitement on #getcarriedaway.

Steven Gerrard confirms he will move to the US, external at the end of the season but does not reveal which team he will join.

The Liverpool captain, who announced he will leave the club on Friday, was widely expected to move to Major League Soccer after stating he will find it too difficult to face the Reds.

Image source, @PaddyMcguinness

Comedian Paddy McGuinness has honoured a promise - that he would clean Emile Heskey's boots if he scored for Bolton. The former England striker did just that against Blackburn on Boxing Day.

Paddy tweeted the above picture:, external There you go, a man of my word. @EmileHeskeyUK, external boots, spotless!!!

But will Paddy's spit and polish pay off when 36-year-old Heskey - an FA Cup winner with Liverpool in 2001 - faces his former club Wigan later in a third round derby?

A few of your texts about non-football conversations you've had with famous footballers.

Simon in Newcastle: I had a conversation with Nikos Dabizas in the late 90s about his family's role in the production of cheese in Greece.

John in Leighton Buzzard: I once had a detailed conversation, in a Southampton nightclub, with Le Tissier, Beresford and Hirst, about the affect wags have on your finances!

This has just happened on BBC Two...

Ronnie Radford with a rocket for Hereford against Newcastle 43 years ago. It really does warm you up for what this competition could throw up this year. How he scores that goal on such a surface is anyone's guess.

Tune in to BBC Two now for more classic FA Cup moments - or use the Play symbol at the top of this page.

BBC Radio 5 live

The FA Cup tends to throw up plenty of heart-warming human interest stories and this weekend is no different. One sees twin brothers Stephen and Phil Turnbull both playing for separate non-league clubs in the third round.

Gateshead midfielder Phil says he is sick of Blyth's Stephen talking about Alan Shearer's praise for his winning goal against Hartlepool in the FA Cup second round last month.

"It's very relaxed with the gaffer here," says Phil ahead of the trip to West Bromwich Albion. "We eat together on the night and then it is each to your own until breakfast at 9am before we meet for a walk at 11am. I'm relaxed and think all the lads are. It's a no-lose situation for us."

Stephen and his Blyth team mates take on Birmingham City.