Oxford boss Ian Atkins was delighted with his side's reward for their hard-fought FA Cup derby victory over Swindon.
The Us go to Premiership champions Arsenal in next month's third round and
Atkins hopes the draw will capture his supporters' imagination.
He said: 'It's great for the city and for the supporters. We will take
10,000-plus to the champions and it will be great for the younger players. They rarely get the opportunity to be on live television and they rarely get
the opportunity to play against Premiership opposition.
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'We went to Charlton last year and beat them and we gave Villa a hell of a
run until the last 15 minutes. It's one you wouldn't expect us to win but we'll go there and give it our
best shot.'
Morecambe boss Jim Harvey was happy to see his side pitted with Ipswich for
the second time in three years.
The Conference outfit are desperate to climb into the Football League and
Harvey believes FA Cup success is vital before that can happen.
Harvey, whose side sunk fellow Conference side Chester 3-2 to earn their
chance, said: 'A little bit of success in the Cup is going to help our
development because we do eventually want to achieve Football League status
ourselves.
'It's a good draw. We met them a couple of years ago and it was a tremendous
experience. We're a much improved side now and Ipswich have slipped a little, so we've
got every chance and we're really looking forward to this one.'
Shrewsbury manager Kevin Ratcliffe believes his side are capable of upsetting
former club Everton after being paired with the Premiership outfit.
The Third Division Shrews booked their place in the third round with a 3-1 win
over Barrow yesterday.
Their reward is a home tie against the club Ratcliffe spent the majority of
his playing career with.
Ratcliffe, who became the youngest captain since Bobby Moore to lift the FA
Cup when Everton beat Watford in 1984, told Sky Sports News: 'Obviously there
might be a slight bit of nervousness on their side, because there is a potential
banana skin in there. It is a nice tie for the club.
'But we've got an important game against Port Vale on Tuesday and then an
even more important game the following Saturday. We'll keep our minds focussed on that before that game comes round in
January.'
When asked whether his side can win, the Everton legend replied: 'I can't see
why not. It is a cup game and anything can happen.'
Conference side Farnborough missed out out on a glamour tie after being drawn
against Third Division Darlington, but club chief Graham Westley is still
looking forward to the game.
He said: 'You only have to look at what Rushden & Diamonds are doing in the
Third Division to see the standard (between League and Conference) is close. Come the day I'm sure we'll have every chance of winning.
'We maybe don't suit their agenda but I'm sure both sides will think they
have a really good chance.'
- NEWS
