Base of the Pyramid
  • Home
    • About
  • Blog
  • Hops, Stats & More
    • Ground Hops
    • Match Details
    • All Time Hop Stats
    • Teams
    • Guest Blogs
  • SRWFL
    • SRWFL Archive
    • SRWFL Match Blogs
    • SRWFL SoReg Review

FA Vase - First Round Review

17/10/2017

0 Comments

 

​The FA Vase takes centre stage again this weekend, with 202 teams all dreaming of a Wembley Final as they battle it out in the First Round. This is often called the First Round Proper, a title that I struggle with. Referring to this as the first 'proper' round seems to belittle the efforts of the sides who have fallen along the way in the preliminary and qualifying rounds. For each of the teams involved, the first 'proper' round is the first game that they themselves have taken part in. So, I prefer to just call it the First Round.

The Vase is very much a favourite FA competition here at BotP. Don't get me wrong, the FA Cup and the FA Trophy are also fantastic (especially when Stourbridge are still in them), but there is something extra magical about the Vase. It gives small clubs the opportunity to make a mark, put their club and community on the map as well as have that, possibly, once in a lifetime chance to play in a Wembley Final. Surely the dream of every budding footballer from an early age?
​
Picture
One of the biggest names in the hat this year is Worcester City. It's The Blues first ever appearance in the Vase after dropping down three levels in the Summer. They have been drawn to play Step 7 side Sherwood Colliery, of the Central Midlands League South at home in the First Round. For Colliery, this is just their second FA Vase adventure. However, in their inaugural outing they reached Round 2, knocking out two Step 5 sides in Clipstone and Penistone Church, before going down 3-2 to Midland League outfit Westfields.

Picture
​There are eight further Step 7 remaining in the competition:
Eastwood Community  play in the Central Midlands South, alongside Sherwood Colliery. The club was formed after Eastwood Town folded in 2014 and this is just their third FA Vase outing, having never progressed past the qualifiers previously. They will be grateful for a home time as they face Step 6 side, Dunkirk.

Picture
​Swanage Town & Herston have made the second round four times since their formation in 1966, the latest of which was in 1991-92 when they eventually went out at Tiverton Town, losing 2-0. This season they face a trip West for an away tie at Bodmin Town of the South West Peninsula Premier League.

Picture
​Staying on the peninsula, Bovey Tracy, who currently ply their trade in Division One East, face a daunting trip to the Isle of Wight to take on five time fifth-rounders Newport in Round One. The Moorlanders have made the First Round on two previous occasions, losing to St Austell in the 2012-13 season and at home to Shepton Mallet a year later.

Picture
​A little way North of Bovey Tracey lies Crediton, home of United. They also play in Division One East and are currently in second place, one place above The Moorlanders. Having played in Round One twice before, they now face a tricky trip to the New Forest to face Brockenhurst.

Picture
Cricklewood Wanderers, who were only formed in 2011, are playing their third FA Vase competition. They did make Round Two in the 2015-16 campaign, disposing of 
Risborough Rangers and Welwyn Garden City before bowing out with a 1-0 defeat at Ipswich Wanderers. They face a tricky trip to Step 5 outfit Cray Valley (PM).

Picture
​Pinxton are  small village side who have a Step 2 side, in Alfreton Town, on their doorstep. They fell at Round One last season but the season before progressed to the Third Round before narrowly going down 4-3 at home to Nuneaton Griff. They will be pleased to have been given a home tie, although high-flying Midland Division One side, Heather St John's, will be tough opponents.

Picture
Further down the M1, Bardon Hill of the Leicestershire Senior League have progressed into Round One for the first time in their history. In the 2015-16 qualifying stages, they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Hereford, but this was their best performance so far. They face a tough tie against fellow Leicestershire side Quorn who are currently mid-table in the Midland premier.

Picture
Finally, Westella & Willerby who were relegated from the NCEL Division One into the Humber Premier League last season, are another side who are into the First Round for the first time in their history. They will be pleased to have been drawn at home but still face a very tough game against record-breaking, four time Vase winning, Whitley Bay.

​The Seahorses are one of seven previous winners left in the competition. Of the remaining six, Bridlington Town just about have the edge in terms of Vase qualifications, having won once and been runners-up once. They last won the competition in 1993 with 1-0 win over Tiverton Town, three years after losing a replay, by the same score, to Yeading. The Seasiders travel to Tow Law Town, runners-up in 1998, in Round One.

2015 winners, North Shields, are also into Round One and face an interesting home tie against NCEL Premier high-flyers, Handsworth Parramore.
Another Northern League side, Whickham, who won the Vase when still a Wearside League team, face an all North-East clash when they welcome Stockton Town, freshly promoted into Northern League Division One.

Moving away from the North-East for a while, both Sholing who won in 2014 and Deal Town, who were the last winners at the old Wembley Stadium in 2000, face tricky away ties. The Hoops travel to freshly promoted Combined Counties Premier side, Balham whilst The Boatmen face the daunting prospect of taking on Hellenic 
League leaders, Highworth Town, who have a 100% record this season.

Finally, travelling back to the North-East, Dunston UTS who won the competition in the 2011-12 season, have been drawn at home but face a difficult task against North-West Counties Premier side Burscough, who were playing Step 4 football last season in the NPL North. The Fed's Wembley victory, 6 seasons back, came against fellow Northern League outfit, West Auckland Town, who are one of four beaten finalists still battling it out this season. The other three being Tow Law Town, Bedlington Terriers and Epsom & Ewell.

As mentioned above, Tow Law face a home tie with Bridlington Town in Round One. The Lawyers lost 1-0 in the 1998 Final to Tiverton Town. A year later, Tiverton defeated Bedlington Terriers by the same score. This season Terriers have a Round One home clash with North-West Counties side, Charnock Richard.

Epsom & Ewell were beaten 2-1 by Hoddesdon Town in the first ever FA Vase Final back in 1975. They have since been to Round Four on three occasions, the last one being in 2009-10 campaign. They face a tough away tie at newly promoted SCEL Premier side Rusthall.

From this point of the Vase onward, BotP will be following (in most case, virtually because getting to all the games is not an option) a team all the way to the Final in May. Our start point will be Pinxton FC, who feature in this weekend's Six of the Best.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    October 2012

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly