MEN’S FOOTBALL: The long road to Wembley begins tonight as the first batch of the FA Cup’s 223 extra preliminary round matches kick off. 

Among tomorrow evening’s ties Bootle host fan-owned 1874 Northwich, Enfield, who lost to Barnsley after a fourth-round replay in 1981, play Wormley Rovers and Bristol’s oldest club, Roman Glass St George face Nailsea and Tickenham. 

All extra preliminary round winners receive £1.125 in prize money, the losers just £375.

MEN’S SWIMMING: Exactly a year after winning Olympic gold Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen finished last in Wednesday’s 800 metres freestyle final at the World Championships in Singapore. 

Ahmed Jaouadi took first place for Tunisia ahead of Germany’s Sven Schwartz and Lukas Martens. 

France’s Leon Marchand, who won four Olympic golds in Paris, cracked Ryan Lochte’s 14-year-old 200-metres medley world record by over a second in his semi-final heat.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL: Belfast’s Cliftonville needed extra time and a hat-trick from second half substitute Carla Devine to come from behind and beat Kosovan outfit KFF Mitrovika 3-1 in their Champions League qualifying fixture. 

They will face Georgia’s Lanchkuti on Saturday for a place in the second qualifying round. 

Irish champions Athlone eased to a 4-0 win over Cardiff and next take on Croatia’s ZNK Agram. 

MEN’S BOXING: California-born Ricardo Sandoval survived a fifth round knock-down to win the WBA and WBC flyweight belts on a split decision over former champion Kenshiro Teraji in Yokohama on Wednesday. 

Sandoval improves his record to 27 wins and two losses. 

On the undercard Texas’s Antonio Vargas retained his WBA bantamweight title after a late knock-down salvaged him a unanimous draw with home-favourite Daigo Hija.