All afternoon I was crossing names off the list of potential games for this evening. By the time I left the office only one fixture remained on my Post-It note, Oxford City Nomads v Binfield. I must admit, I was in two minds. Although there was no snow around, it was bitter cold outside and I still haven't quite shaken off a chest infection. However, the lure of live football was too strong, so I wrapped up in as many layers as I could and set off for Marston.

The City Stadium, as it is now known, is far from a new ground for me. In fact, as one of the closer grounds to home, I probably visit a couple of times a season, although this was my first trip for a little while. I knew of at least one change to the ground since my last visit and, as soon as I entered the ground, I spotted another one. The change that I knew of was the artificial surface, which is probably the reason that this game survived the weather when everyone else had fallen foul. The change that I wasn't aware of was the addition of a new stand, a covered seating area on the A40 side of the ground.

​On a bitterly cold night, it was the home side who were fastest out of the traps and they had the ball in the Binfield net within a few minutes of kick-off. Unfortunately for them, he referees assistant already had his flag up for offside. Undeterred, Nomads continued to press their visitors back and came close on another couple of occasions in the opening ten minutes.
Binfield were struggling to get themselves going. Passes were going astray, tackles being missed and they looked generally off the pace.
After 17 minutes Nomads took full advantage of their visitors lethargy, breaking down their right-flank. The ball was played in low towards the front post where Craig Fasanmade was on hand to finish very neatly. 1-0
Anyone expecting an immediate response from The Moles would have been disappointed. In fact, it was Nomads who continued to look the more likely team to score. Binfield did wake up in the final few minutes of the half, and finally got a shot on target. However, as the referee blew for the break, it was the Oxford bench that looked the happier.

HT Oxford City Nomads 1 Binfield 0. A deserved lead for the home side who were much the better team. The half was summed up by a Binfield supporter's comments as the whistle went, "1-0 down. I'll take that".

​I don't know if it was, as I suggested later, an inspirational talk from the manager, the half-time cup of tea, the introduction of some fresh legs, or just that they had collectively thawed out but Binfield looked like a different side in the second half.
Within ten minutes of the restart a pair of those fresh legs, sub Fitzgerald, was pulled down in the home box and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Ian Davies, placing his spot-kick to the left of keeper Luke Sanders. 1-1.
There was some confusion on the night around the actual goal-scorer. I tweeted that it was Davies but then noticed that Binfield had credited the goal to Carlo Santoro, so I corrected my tweet only to find out the following morning that I had been right all along. To be fair, numbers 7 and 9 don't look dissimilar from a distance.
Nomads were seeing far less of the ball than in the first half and, when they did get it, they were being closed down a lot quicker than in the first 45 minutes. The second-half, in fact, was an entirely different game to the first-half (trying to avoid using the age old cliche. You know the one).

After 69 minutes it was the turn of another substitute, Liam Gavin, to make his mark when he rose at the far post to head in a right-wing corner. 1-2. Eight minutes later Binfield were awarded a free-kick out on the right-flank some thirty yards out. The ball was sent into the Nomads box where Gavin was on hand again, this time bundling the ball over the line, to make it 1-3.

With the clock ticking off added time and some of the sparse crowd, me included, starting to edge towards the exits, Connor Mattimore, a Nomads substitute, popped up with the goal of the game when he curled in an effort from the edge of the box. 2-3. Nomads retrieved the ball as quickly as possible, trying to mount one last attack in order to grab an equaliser. However, it was not to be.

FT Oxford City Nomads 2 Binfield 3. A much improved second-half from Binfield but Nomads will be kicking themseleves for not going into half-time more than a goal in front.


Oxford City Nomads: Sanders, Bestley, Simms, Brown, Gibbens (c), Talboys, Martei, Tutton, Collins, Singh, Fasanmade. Subs:Barrett, Peart, Mattimore, O’Donoghue.

Binfield: Craven, Thompson-Wheeler, Shaw, Campbell, Smith, Leonetti, Santoro, Knight (c), Davies, Moore, Gritt. Subs: Gerrard, Fitzgerald, Gavin, Pagliaroli

Att: 27
Ground Number: Not a new ground
Entrance: £6
Programme: £1

Stop Press: The Full-Time site listed a red card against Nomads keeper Luke Sanders. I was pretty certain even I would have spotted that during the game. A tweet to the club cleared it up. Apparently, the red card was shown after the final whistle.

I awoke to a clear, bright, beautiful yet very cold morning and was immediately reminded that it was FA Vase Quarter Final day. A buzz of excitement went through me, or was that the first coffee of the day? No, it was excitement, and I didn't even support one of the remaining eight teams. How must the the supporters, staff and most of all, the players of Bracknell Town, Leighton Town, Melksham Town, Stockton Town, Windsor, Markse United, Thatcham Town and 1874 Northwich feel? I could only guess. Two games away from a Wembley appearance. The stakes were high today, the rewards massive, and the disappointment unimaginable.

Despite getting up at 5:30 (daily habits don't stop at weekends), the morning passed quickly and it was time to head to my chosen game, Leighton Town v 1874 Northwich. Just before I got to Leighton Buzzard I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and, after finding a suitable parking spot, I discovered that it was a message from Andy Oakes, editor of the brilliant 1874 Northwich programme, Ever Glorious, who I had arranged to meet up with before the game. Andy and I had exchanged many an email and he has very kindly reproduced a couple of my articles in his programme. So, it was great to finally meet him in person, put a face to the name and chew the footballing cud for a while.

​This was not my first visit to Leighton Town, although it was the first time I had seem the landlords play there. My previous  trip came in September 2013 when I saw then tenants, Aylesbury United take on Royston Town. In that blog one of the first things I noted about the ground was the stand at the far end of the ground, which featured the club crest on the top of the stand, right behind the goal. On this visit, the first thing I spotted was that this club crest is now, unfortunately, no longer there. Apart from that, there didn't seem to be too many differences. I wonder if the club crest fell or if it was removed because it was unstable? Either way, it's a shame. it was a great feature. One thing that did make me smile was a board leaning against the side of the main stand that featured a footballer in typical programme from the 70s pose (not quite sideburns Bob, but not far off), and the words 'ave it' printed next to him. Maybe a doff of the cap to Peter Kay? We may never know.

Judging by the amount of green around the stadium, even 30 minutes before kick-off, I presume that the predicted 4 coach loads of 1874 supporters was correct. By the time we go to kick-off, I would say that the crowd was pretty much split 50-50 between red and green.

The Leighton pitch was looking in much better shape than it did when I picked my ticket up last Sunday. Maybe the postponement of their midweek league game with Welwyn Garden City saved the day? There was no sign of the early morning frost that I had seen 25 miles North, and we looked all set for a good game. Would Leighton's midweek postponement mean they had slightly fresher legs? Northwich had not had the luxury of a week off and had, in fact, travelled to league leaders Runcorn Linnets on Tuesday evening. A game that they had eventually lost 2-1.

The game kicked off with a Leighton player slicing a ball wildly into the air. This was followed, almost immediately, by a Northwich player also mis-kicking. There was certainly an air of nervousness around both teams. Maybe the occasion had got to them? Maybe the atmosphere generated by the large and vociferous crowd was causing a few jitters?

​Leighton's Lea Coulter tried his best to settle the home side's nerves with a a first minute effort that flashed across Greg Hall's goal but went wide of the far post. 1874 retaliated by launching their own attack, although this also failed to trouble the keeper with Sam Hind firing over the bar after McGowan had tested Wyant. 
It took around 10 minutes, but gradually both sides looked to have settled into the game and we were treated to a period of tit-for-tat attacking, with both teams looking to get that decisive opener.

With about fifteen minutes gone and with the Northwich fans behind the far goal in full voice, some locals decided it was time to head down that end of the ground and make some noise for the home side. I must admit to having a grin to myself, for the second time, as they passed by singing 'When the Town go steaming in'. Looking at the average age of the group, I can only assume that the steaming in question was a reference to Thomas the Tank Engine. Still, they added to the atmosphere of the game and gave the Northwich fans a target to aim their chants at.

The accumulated Reds almost had a something to cheer about after 20 minutes when Alex O'Brien tried his luck with a viciously dipping drive for all of 30 yards. The effort was definitely dropping under the bar until Hall managed to scramble backwards and get a fingertip to it, pushing it over for a corner.

As it transpired, that effort may have been the wake-up call that Northwich required because four minutes later, they won themselves a penalty. A swift break saw Parker break into the box and get tripped by a Leighton defender. the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Scott McGowan stepped up and drove the ball low to Wyant's right hand and into the net. 0-1.

The remainder of the first half was an evenly contested battle, fought mainly in the midfield area. Neither keeper was stretched to any great extent with both defences doing well to contain the opposing attackers.

HT Leighton Town 0 1874 Northwich 1. A fairly even first half with the sides separated by McGowans penalty.

​It wasn't long after the half-time break that The Sodor Ultras made a re-appearance, presumably after watering in Tidmouth Sheds during half-time. Their behaviour, although thinly veiled as 'banter', was definitely designed to provoke the Northwich fans. Luckily, a couple of stewards stepped in to form a thin fluorescent yellow line and, to be fair to the 1874 fans, they didn't seem to be too bothered about this bunch of kids. I'm in no way blaming Leighton Town for this by the way. The club, I know, is a friendly football club where all are welcome. Unfortunately, when there is a big game anywhere, you get a few idiots wanting to make a name for themselves. On this occasion, I think most people saw the funny side but it could, on a different day, have led to some confrontations.

On the pitch, Northwich started the second-half fairly brightly but then, quite rapidly, found themselves getting deeper and deeper, isolating McGowan up front. The striker ran his socks off but couldn't prevent the Leighton defence from mopping up the majority of attacks and setting up wave upon wave of Leighton pressure.

The more possession the home side got, the deeper the ranks of green fell back. Leighton were getting closer and closer to an equaliser and it really looked like it they had to get a break at some point. However, time and again, attacks broke down, the final ball wasn't good enough or just the ball didn't run for them. 

Leighton huffed and puffed, Northwich defended well but, I thought, were starting to tire visibly towards the latter part of the half. Tackles were still flying in, with both sides leaving a bit in there on one or two occasions, although it never boiled over into anything more.

By the time we got into an extended added time period Leighton were laying siege to the Northwich goal. There was plenty of nail-biting from the travelling fans in the last five minutes, but the green defence held firm. 

FT Leighton Town 0 1874 Northwich 1. A scrappy second half in which Northwich had their backs to the wall for long periods. Leighton cannot be faulted for effort. They pushed their visitors back time and time again in the second period but it just wasn't to be. 

Leighton Town: Wyant, Towell, Hall, Tappin, Guiney (c), Murphy, Marsala, O'Brien, Hatch, Coulter, McBride. Subs: Boland, Smith, Fryer, Bryant, Kirkwood

1874 Northwich: Hall, Connor, Mitchell, Pritchard, Russell, Jones, Hind, Woolley, McGowan, Parker, Kinnerley. Subs: Meadowcroft, Fallon, Whitlock, Riley, Woods

Att: 800
Ground Number: Not a new ground
Entrance: £6
Programme: £1

Well, it took a while, but I finally got around to visiting The Memorial Ground, home of Farnham Town Football Club. The ground has been near the top of my list all season and this re-arranged game, against fellow Premier League strugglers Godalming Town, was the perfect opportunity for a trip to Surrey.

The ground is down a small lane (Mead Lane) off the main road through Farnham. There's not too much on-site parking available, which I knew beforehand, so it's probably best to park either in the town or at the Millennium Centre (Crosby Way), which is on the far side of the ground from the main entrance. I chose the town option and made the short walk down West Street and Mead Lane to the stadium.

Although the stadium has been around for a while, the players & officials facilities and the turnstile entrance look to have been renewed quite recently. Note that the clubhouse is separate to the ground and there isn't a snack bar inside the stadium. You can. however, easily go back to the club house after entry so long as you retain your entrance ticket. Programmes were also on sale in the club house.

Once inside the first thing you notice is the bank and stand behind the town end goal. This is a great example of the quirkiness of non-league stadia. As the ground is significantly lower than the High Street that runs above it, the buildings on West Street tower above the town end of the ground. There is a large bank upon which is perched a covered seating area, some six or seven feet above the pitch level. There is also a raised walkway around that end of the ground that gives access to the opposite side of the pitch. On that side there are the dugouts and another covered area, this time covered standing. There is only spectator access to three sides of the stadium. The goal opposite the West Street end does not have access at all and is, in fact, very tightly hemmed in by houses (at least one stray shot ended in a garden). There is a public pathway that runs directly behind this goal, so passers-by get a good view of the game. 

The game itself was a massive six-pointer with the bottom of the Combined Counties Premier looking like this before kick-off:

​So, a Farnham win would take them above Banstead and to within two points of Godalming. An away win would leave Farnham in big trouble whilst significantly easing Godalming's worries. A draw, quite frankly, would not be much use to either side.

Taking up a position on the far side of the ground, in the covered standing area, I encountered another non-league quirk. Much like pink polo shirt man at the Ashford Town game in early January, there was a Godalming supporter, complete with scarf but wearing shorts, who at very regular intervals shouted 'Come on G's'. It's one of the less complicated football chants that I have heard but, effective nonetheless. To be fair there were quite a few Godalming supporters scattered around the ground but none were as vocal as Shorts Man. A proper non-league character. Whoever you are sir, I salute you, and I am sure your club is grateful for your support.

Four minutes into the game Shorts Man would have had a birds-eye view of the opening goal and what a superb goal it was. Farnham attacked down their right flank and, when the ball was played in towards the edge of the Godalming 18-yard area, Max Meaton met it on the volley, lofting it over the keeper and into the net. A sweet strike worthy of breaking the deadlock in any game. 1-0.

Godalming responded well to going behind and, just eight minutes later, they thought they had found an equaliser when captain Steve Betancourt was on hand to fire home after a scramble in the home six yard area. However, the assistant's flag was up before the ball even hit the net and the referee, much to the annoyance of the Godalming players, ruled it out for offside.
At this stage the game was quite open with both sides struggling to get on top. Shorts Man urged his side on with plenty more 'Come On G's'.

After 22 minutes, and with Farnham pressing, Godalming won the ball back and launched a long punt forward for Luke Haskell to chase. The more direct play seemed to catch out the home defenders and goalkeeper Adrian Giles started to come off his line. He was left in no-mans land as Haskell managed to gain possession of the ball, allowing him to loft a good finish over the stranded keeper. 1-1. 'Come on G's' was heard to be shouted at this point, several times.

HT Farnham Town 1 Godalming Town 1. An even first half. Farnham probably just about edged it on number of chances but all-square is just about right.

​The second half was a very scrappy affair. Too many stoppages and lots of little niggly fouls. It says a lot about the second period in that two things that I noticed were that Shorts Man was now behind the town end goal, still wearing shorts and still shouting 'Come on G's'. The second thing was that I was sure the Godalming keeper was wearing black shorts in the first half but appeared to be wearing green ones for the second.

Farnham keeper Adrian Giles was called into action about midway through the half, tipping over a long range effort that moved around in the wind. Apart from that, the half was quite even although, whereas in the first half Farnham maybe edged possession, in the second it was Godalming who weer seeing a little bit more of the ball.

With just under twenty minutes to go I tweeted that one more goal, either way, would win the game and, on 82 minutes, I was proved right when Robert Webbe was allowed too much time. He let fly from 25 yards or so and saw his effort scream past Giles into the top corner. 1-2.

'Come on G's' was now ringing out behind the Godalming goalkeeper as Shorts Man urged his side to defend their lead and secure the vital three points. There were several short stoppages for 'injured' Godalming players to receive treatment. A ploy employed by many teams when trying to run down the clock. Annoying for the losing team and neutral spectators alike, but understandable in the circumstances.

Farnham didn't give up the ghost and, in the last minute, a driven cross from the right flashed across the Godalming six-yard box with several home players just failing to get a touch. A heart in mouth moment for Shorts Man, but a few moments later he was celebrating as the referee blew for full-time.

FT Farnham Town 1 Godalming Town 2. A tight and mostly scrappy game that was lit up by three very well taken goals. A disappointing result for the home side that sees them in a real relegation battle now. No lack of effort from the players but, as the Farnham Twitter feed pointed out, they have lost confidence in themselves. A little bit of luck and a win of any kind, could just turn it around for them but it's going to be a nervous end to the season.
Godalming are by no means out of danger, but the these three points could prove to be very important. At least Shorts Man went home happy, presumably to iron his Speedos in preparation for warmer weather.

Farnham Town: Giles, Flynn, Smith, Spiers, Jordan Stepney, Marker, Correia, Meaton, Lancashire, Morton, Medcraft, Cardona. Subs: Dillon, Bath, Staines

Godalming Town: Upward, Lodge, Hardisty, Betancourt (c), Goulter, Howard, Bennett, Hart, Haskell, Webbe, Oldland. Subs: Ogunseye, Trowers, Nzelo, Cotton, Palmer

Att: 66
Ground Number: 148
Entrance: £7
Programme: £1

The FA Vase Quarter Finals are upon us and, with the exception of Markse United and Thatcham Town, this is new territory for every club. Thatcham reached this stage once before, going down 2-0 to Hungerford Town in the 1988-89 season. However, as far as experience goes, favourites Marske United have the edge. They have made the Quarter-Final twice before, going out after a replay to Bedlington Terriers in 2000-01 and then being beaten by Glossop North End in the 2008-09 competition.

A few interesting facts about this year's competition:

• The Quarter-Final will be the first game that Thatcham have played away from home.
• Windsor are the only remaining side who have played more away games than home games in the competition
• Windsor have also scored exactly the same number of goals on the road as at home
• Six teams who were exempted into the Second Round qualified for the last sixteen. Only one got through, MelkshamTown
• Between them, the eight remaining sides have scored a colossal 166 goals in the competition so far. They have conceded a total of just 47.

​
How did they get here?
​

​Despite predicting the outcome of all eight matches in the previous round, I am feeling far less confident of doing the same in the Quarter-Finals. Also, call me sentimental, but I genuinely feel for any team that gets this far and then goes out of the competition. I know that is the nature of the game but all eight of these teams have done magnificently well to get this far and I can only imagine the feeling of losing when so close to a Wembley final.

So, I have to admit, I have struggled to write the conclusion to this blog. After the success of the last sixteen predictions, I had set out to do exactly the same for the Quarter-Finals. However, despite a number of late nights and early mornings studying form and looking for clues, I am still none the wiser. I honestly think that these four ties could go either way. Whatever the case, I am certain that there will be plenty of entertainment at all four matches. BotP will be at Leighton Town for their clash with 1874 Northwich but, whichever game you choose (and you really should choose one), expect it to be a close run thing.

Quarter-Final fixtures. Saturday 24th February. All 3pm ko.
Bracknell Town V Marske United.
Larges Lane, Bracknell, RG12 9AN. 
http://www.bracknelltownfc.com/theclub/

Melksham Town V Thatcham Town
The Oakfield Stadium, Melksham, SN12 7GU.
http://www.melkshamtownfc.com/contact/

Stockton Town V Windsor
Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD.
http://stocktontownfc.com/directions/

Leighton Town V 1874 Northwich
Bell Close, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX.
 http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/leightontown/contact/

A much more in-depth look at each of the eight sides can be found in this week's Non-League Paper which you can subscribe to through the link at the top of this page.

​After finally feeling well enough to get out and watch a game of football, I was hit by another challenge. The weather. With games dropping like flies all day, I was very pleased to hear from Didcot that the Floodlit Cup game between their Reserves and Bracknell Town was going to go ahead. The Loop is far from a new ground for me, but it is relatively close to home, and always a good stadium to visit.

Following on from their FA Vase exploits, Bracknell were fielding a much changed starting eleven. However, it was still a strong team, with the majority of Saturday's bench being given an opportunity to shine.

Considering the amount of rain that has fallen recently, the pitch looked to be in remarkably good condition. This was just as well, because, from the first minute, it was obvious that both of these sides liked to play their football on the ground as much as they could.

For the first 30 minutes of the game, honours were pretty much even. If anything, Didcot may have held sway as far as possession went. They also were the first to cause the opposition keeper to make a save.

However, on 32 minutes, Bracknell took the lead with a well worked move that culminated with Herbert's left-wing cross being headed home by an unmarked Jon Bennett. 0-1.
Three minutes later Bennett was on the score sheet again, this time chesting down a delightful long ball from Wilson before firing in from the edge of the area. 0-2.

Bracknell had suddenly upped their game and, in the space of a few minutes, taken a firm grasp on the game. As the half went into added time a cross from Cornell found Bennet again unmarked in the penalty area. Some deft chest control, followed by a crisp volley and it was 0-3 and a hat-trick for the Bracknell striker.

HT Didcot Town Reserves 0 Bracknell Town 3. The home side more than held their own for the first half hour but Bracknell stepped it up a gear and seem to have put the tie to bed before half-time.

Speaking of half-time. In all of my previous visits to The Loop, I had never been into the bar. However, on such a chilly night and with no tea bar available outside, it was time to venture in for a bit of warmth. Once I had got my tea, I took some time to take a look at the many signed shirts that they have around the bar, including a 1997-98 season West Brom shirt. Being a former season ticket holder at The Hawthorns, this one caught my eye. Although, ironically when you think of this season, I took the photo whilst standing in the shadow of a Wolves shirt hanging on the wall behind me. One interesting piece of trivia. The 1997-98 season, in which West Brom finished one place behind Wolves in the second tier, also saw Manchester City get relegated into the third tier. What a difference a few years and several billion pounds make eh?

The second half sprang into life 10 minutes in. First of all Joe Gater got his head to a Withers cross and planted the ball into the Didcot net. However, the goal was ruled out for a foul on a home defender. Just over a minute later, Withers was handed a straight red for an off the ball incident that, I'll be honest, I didn't see clearly. I am informed that he kicked out at a Didcot player after a challenge in midfield.

Initially, after Bracknell went down to 10 men, Didcot pressed forward in a an attempt to make their greater numbers count and get back into the game. They were, however, caught short at the back when Bracknell hit them on the break. Roberts was played in only to be forced wide by the keeper. He pulled the ball back, square across the penalty area, and Max Herbert was on hand to make it 0-4. 

We were then treated to the goal of the game from Didcot's Alex Marshall when, on 67 minutes, he unleashed a fantastic long-range effort that flew into the top corner of Steinborn-Busse's net. 1-4.
Three minutes later and Didcot reduced the arrears to two. A right-wing corner was met in the penalty area, Steinborn-Busse made a good reaction stop but Chris Mortimore was on hand to lash the rebound into the net. 2-4.

Could we have a great comeback on our hands? Well, just over 10 minutes later we had our answer, and it was no. A Bracknell raid led to Fitzgerald being hauled down in the area and the referee had no option than to point to the spot. Dan Read stepped up and converted the penalty to the keepers left. 2-5.

Then with five minutes remaining , Bennett burst through the Didcot defence, held off a challenge and planted his shot, firmly into the far corner. 2-6.

FT Didcot Town Reserves 2 Bracknell Town 6.

Bracknell Town: Steinborn-Busse, Mugoya, Senussi, Fitzgerald, Wilson, Gater, Roberts, Withers, Cornell, Bennett, Herbert.

Att: 28
Ground Number: Not a new ground
Entrance: £4
Programme: £1