FA Cup: Hartlepool United (or Salford City) are ball 62 for BBC2 third-round draw

Jake Gray is denied at Salford City by keeper Jay Lynch

Just 72 hours after drawing 1-1 at Salford City on the Beeb on Friday night, Pools will be switching on at 7pm for the third round draw.

They will be ball 62 this evening as this country’s biggest clubs enter the fray.

While certainly players and coaches will be well versed with the line “we must beat Salford first”, it will be interesting to see who Pools (or City) will meet on the weekend of January 8-11.

There could also be a major incentive to win next Tuesday’s replay if a plum tie comes out.

Pools being in the third round is hardly an everyday occurrence though its not completely alien

As recently as 2008-09, Pools drew Stoke City at this stage, beating the Premier League outfit 2-0.

They got top-flight opposition again in round four, a home match with West Ham and live ITV coverage.

Pools will be hoping for another lucrative opportunity.

They have raked in a few quid already, picking up a £72,000 television fee for Friday night while a win in the replay would bring £27,000 in prize-money.

With gate receipts from Moor Lane and the Vic to add in, a victory would be worth considerably in excess of 100 grand.

There is also the possibility, faint admittedly, one of the broadcasters may show the replay a week on Tuesday.

On the face of it, the fare served up on Friday night is hardly likely to tempt either the BBC back - or BT Sport for that matter.

But, second-round replays are thin on the ground and given Salford City’s impeccable form on the road, the possibility of an upset is very much still there.

There are, thus far, only four replays with Whitehawk-Dagenham & Redbridge, Walsall-Chesterfield and Scunthorpe-Leyton Orient the other ties.

Currently though, Pools v Salford City is scheduled for a week on Tuesday with a 7.45pm kick-off.