SUNDAY’S third round cross-border blockbuster between Shrewsbury and Wrexham will attract a sell-out near 10,000 crowd - and that’s in stark contrast to the 1,829 who turned up to watch the arch rivals’ last FA Cup encounter 51 years ago.

But there’s a good reason why there was such a small turn-out at The Gay Meadow. The first round replay in 1973 kicked off at 1.45pm on Tuesday November 27 because of emergency measures introduced by Prime Minister Edward Heath.

Floodlights were banned in a bid to reduce electricity consumption and conserve coal stocks as the three-day working week took a grip on the nation.

After a 1-1 draw at The Racecourse three days earlier where Brian Tinnion hit a late leveller, Wrexham won the replay 1-0 thanks to a Geoff Davies goal.

Wrexham legend Mickey Thomas played in that Gay Meadow game in a season where John Neal’s side made it all the way to the quarter-finals before bowing out at Burnley.

And Thomas didn’t realise how much Shrewsbury Town fans hated Wrexham until he signed for the cross-border rivals.

The much-travelled Wrexham and Wales man had been playing in America for Wichita Wings in 1988 when former Shrews’ boss Ian McNeill offered him a deal at The Gay Meadow.

“I knew how much Wrexham and Chester hated each other but Shrewsbury fans were the same and they booed me all through my first pre-season game for them,” said Thomas.

“But I soon turned them around. I think I played every game the one season I was there - and was probably man of the match in most of them!”

Thomas’ form was so impressive that Leeds United boss Howard Wilkinson offered the 35-year-old midfielder a deal at Elland Road, although it took a phone call to former Manchester United manager Dave Sexton to convince him.

Sexton was the Old Trafford chief who splashed out £350,000 to take Thomas from Wrexham the season after Arfon Griffiths’ side lifted the Division Three title.

“Wilko was interested in signing me and phoned Sexton for advice,” added Thomas. “Sexton told him he might have a few problems off the pitch, but you’ll never have any trouble with him on it.”

Although Wrexham got the better of Shrewsbury in 1973, that wasn’t the case six years earlier.

Despite having 6,000 travelling Reds’ fans in the 12,430 attendance, Wrexham were thumped 5-1 in the second round - a defeat that came just five months after The Shrews had tamed Wrexham in a 6-1 League Cup hammering.

The only other FA Cup meeting between the two clubs came in 1945 where Wrexham won a two-legged second round clash 2-1 on aggregate.