10:15am: The bus departs from the Butcher's Arms with a worryingly few number of players on board - I count about six or seven. Nobody seems too bothered though and we're off on our FA Cup adventure, cheered off by 20 or so hardy fans. I'm sat next to Tony Durose - former Northants fast bowler and City groundsman - now groundsman with the Bloods and a thoroughly nice chap.

10.45am: The player mystery is solved, as about 10 of the lads jump on by a roundabout off the M62. Now fully staffed up we head out over the Pennines, with manager/chairman Dave Pace and assistant boss Aeon Lattie settling down to talk tactics. Most of the players are towards the back, ipods and oversized headphones clamped on. Bloods' coach Martin Grose warns me that victory will result in his favourite reggae tunes being blasted out on the way back - something to look forward to.

12:25pm: We stop about 20 minutes away from the ground at Scotch Corner, friend of truckers, weary travellers and non-league football teams alike. I catch a quick word with Lattie and the anticipation is beginning to grow. "The lads are calm now but we'll get them buzzing closer to the time with a few pep talks," he says. The Bloods have been doing their homework on Darlington, watching DVDs and getting scouting reports, but other than that are determined to treat it like just any other game, reports Lattie.

1:15pm: We pull into the ground and the players go for a quick walk around the pitch - Wembley style. It's an impressive arena too with a capacity of a shade over 25,000. Sadly over 22,000 of those seats will be unoccupied today though - what were Darlo thinking when they built this place?

1:30pm: Time for a spot of lunch with the club committee in the carvery, and there are a few grimaces as Arsenal's Samir Nasir sticks in the second against United. There are a few cheers as well though, so there are clearly split loyalties on the Bloods board.

3pm: It's time for the big kick off, and although there are vast expanses of red seats, the four coachloads of the Bloods faithful are making as much noise as they can away to our right. That's dedication for you.

4:55pm: Pace and Lattie embrace on the touchline after Droylsden earn a replay. Apart from one stunning save from substitute keeper Kyle Clancy and a few early scares it was a relatively comfortable draw.

5:05pm: Pace comes out to give his thoughts on the game and he seems satisfied with the result but disappointed that his team didn't play better. Next up he has to wait on the line to talk to the BBC - everyone wants a piece of Droylsden now! News filters through that Curzon Ashton have pulled off one of the shocks of the day by beating Shrewsbury 3-2 and Pace is genuinely pleased for them.

5:15: It's time for a pint with the players in the bar upstairs - and they're upbeat. Young Domaine Rouse, on loan from Bury, is looking a bit down after not getting on, but Lattie is on hand to reassure the young striker he will get some game time over the coming weeks. Lattie seems to perform the key role of the link between Pace and the players and he does it well.

6pm: We're back on the coach but there's no sign of any reggae music and we stop off shortly after for the players to grab a quick KFC. We're soon back and all of a sudden there's a plentiful flow of booze.

7:30pm: The coach TV crackles into life but sadly it's showing X-Factor - nightmare. Pace is obviously bored by the entertainment so comes over for a chat. He's been doing the job for 16 years and is rightly proud of his efforts. You've got to hand it to Pace for keeping the spirit of local football alive in a time when billionaire owners seem to be taking the game away from the fan on the street.

9pm: About 40 fans sing us off the coach to cap off a fine day. Pace and his staff then head into the Butcher's Arms, followed by their supporters. The job's not done yet though, and with a good result next Tuesday in the replay, there may be more FA Cup trips in store.

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