​Finally! Back to normal with a Tuesday evening game, the first of the season. There were a good few matches to chose from but the lure of the FA Vase proved to be the decider as I headed off to just South of the river and a re-arranged FA VAse 2nd Qualifying Round game between Molesey and Greenwich Borough. The initial game, on the previous Saturday, had been abandoned after 80 minutes, at 0-0, when the Borough keeper picked up a serious injury. The good news is that, from all accounts, he is OK and on the road to recovery.

The Ground
Molesey's Walton Road ground sits between East and West Molesey, just South of the Thames and not much more than a decent goal-kick away from Hampton Court Palace. It's very much a residential area and, as such, parking at the ground is fairly limited (maybe 30-35 cars), although I managed to get one the two remaining spots). Access to the ground is via a double turnstile entrance which brings you into a corner of the ground. Immediately to your left is the clubhouse - also accessible from the car park - and the rather unique main stand which has seating on the upper level and the snack bar on the lower level.
There is cover on all four sides of the ground, with identical covered standing areas behind each goal and a similar structure opposite the main stand.

​The Background
This was an FA Vase clash between two Step 5 sides who were both in Step 4 last season. Molesey were relegated from the Isthmian League Division 1 South Central after spending four season at that level. They have started life back in the Combined Counties League quite well and are currently in sixth spot, but would be in second were it not for a 3 point deduction (issues on the day of this game).
Borough, who had spent three seasons in Step 4, dropped down from the Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. Their return to Step 5 has not been quite as smooth and, before this game, they sat in 16th spot with only one win from their five league games. However, that said, their one win was their last league outing and they remain unbeaten in their last five in all competitions, so maybe things are turning around.

The sides have met in the FA Vase before, in the 2014-15 competition, when Borough won 2-1 at Walton Road. There was also an FA Cup meeting between the teams in 1993-94 in which Molesey won 4-0 at Greenwich before going out in a replay to Tooting & Mitcham United.

​The Game
There was a good pace and competitive edge about the game from the first minute.
Molesey settled into their rhythm quickly and were playing some nice football up until the final third. They got in down the right on several occasions but, each time, the final ball let them down. Greenwich had a little less of the ball but when they did break forward they too looked dangerous.
Moles striker Reis Stanislaus was causing some concern for the Borough defence with his pace and strength. However, the two Greenwich centre-halves were well capable of looking after themselves, which led to an intriguing, on-going battle throughout the half. Credit to the players that, even after a few hefty challenges and heated exchanges, it never really threatened to boil over.
For Borough left-back Billy Muckle was always willing and able to push forward. A lot of their more dangerous looking forays into the Molesey half came down the Borough left-flank, with Muckle pulling the strings.

Despite the fact that there were no goals the half seemed to pass by very quickly, a testament to the entertainment value of the game.

HT Molesey 0 Greenwich Borough 0. The Moles edged a fairly tight half, certainly on possession. Neither side has been able to find a cutting edge and Molesey's final ball has let them down on a several occasions. A better cross, or a better passing option in the final third may well have got them a goal.

​After being slightly second best in the first-half, Borough certainly stepped it up in the second and, with only six minutes gone, they took the lead. A long ball from goalkeeper James Boughtflower eluded the Moles defence. Richard Jimoh latched onto it and tried a lob over the advancing keeper. The ball had plenty of height but was not going in. A Moles defender tried to clear the ball but only succeeded in scooping it up in the air for Jimoh to seize his second chance and roll it into an empty net. 0-1

After setting up the first goal, it was now Boughtwater's turn to shore things up at the other end. First of all he reacted well to tip a stinging Reis Stanislaus drive over the bar then, in the 69th minute, he produced a a superb point-blank, reaction save to somehow keep it at 0-1. This for me may well have been the deciding moment of the game. Molesey were on the up at the time, pushing Greenwich deeper as they searched for the equaliser. If that effort had gone in the balance of the game could well have completely shifted. As it was, eight minutes later, Fred Obasa was left alone on the edge of the home penalty area and fired home a rocket to make it 0-2.

Molesey again tried to rally and, in the final minute, had the opportunity to set up a nail-biting added time for the visitors when they were awarded a penalty. Joe Pratley-Jones stepped up but once again was denied by Boughtflower in the Greenwich goal.

FT Molesey 0 Greenwich Borough 2. An entertaining game with both sides playing some good football at times. The difference between the sides in the end was Borough's goalkeeper James Boughtflower. Two excellent saves from open play, the second of which was as good a save as you will see anywhere, and a penalty save. Greenwich will now face Fisher FC in the next round.

Molesey: Allen, David, Meyers, Lewington, Pratley-Jones, Wales(c), Windsor, MArklew, Stanislaus, Gumbs, Di Guissepi. Subs: Grobler, Champion, McShane, Majembe, Jno-Baptiste

Greenwich Borough: Boughtflower, Amoam, Muckle, Foster, Josepgh(c), Fitzgerald, Obasa, Nelson, Darboe, Jimoh, Ita. Suns: Green, Richard, Zepo


Att: 
Ground Number: 212
Entrance: £8.00
Programme: £1.00

After drawing another blank Tuesday evening, I decided on a long trip down the M4 to the West Country on Wednesday evening for the Western League Division One clash between Oldland Abbotonians and Hengrove Athletic.

The Ground
Oldland Common is a village on the far eastern outskirts of Bristol. Once completely separate from the city, a glance at the map shows that urban sprawl is rapidly consuming the village. However, Oldland Abbotonians ground, off Castle Road, still has a village feel to it. Situated at the end of a very narrow single track road, there is a small clubhouse and car park, with an adjacent field used for overflow parking. The ground itself is surrounded by a new-looking green meshed fence with a gate and small hut in the corner of the car park end. There are two covered stands. The Alan Bush stand which sits on the right hand side of the ground as you look from the car park, provides covered seating nestled under trees that run the full length of the pitch. On the opposite side of the ground, along with the dugouts, there is a small box-shaped structure providing sheltered standing. This is apparently the Reg Hamblin Stand although, it seems, it is rarely open to the viewing public. For the reason behind this follow this link (Two Toe Tony).

​The Background
Oldland have alternated between good and bad seasons in recent years. A top four finish in 2016 was followed by a 17th spot in 2017. An improvement the following year saw the club gain 7th place before, last season, they dropped to third from bottom. This season, in keeping with the pattern, they have started well and, coming into this game, were top of the pile albeit having played a game more than most. Their only blip so far came in a 2-2 draw at Wincanton.
Hengrove lost a lot of players following last season's relegation from the top flight. This has meant that they have had to completely rebuild their squad and early results have reflected the Summer upheavals. Sitting second from bottom, they have massaged just one point so far, a 0-0 draw at Amesbury. They have also gone out of both the FA Cup and FA Vase. A trip to the league leaders is probably not what they would have wanted to face next. However, the game is a local derby and we all know that derbies can throw up some unexpected results.
The last time the sides were in the same league was Athletic's promotion season of 2016-17. Hengrove won 1-0 on their own patch before easing to a 4-0 victory in the corresponding fixture to tonight's game.

​The Game
Under already darkening skies - Autumn really is upon us now - Hengrove, in their change kit of all grey, were actually quite hard to pick out. Their kit blending in with the background. Shades of Manchester United at Southampton a few year's back? However, unlike United, Athletic didn't need to blame their kit for the way they played. In fact, as we progressed into the first half it was clear to see that they were not just here to make up the numbers. 
Neither goalkeeper was being unduly threatened but, despite the home side winning the possesion battle, it was Hengrove who looked slightly more dangerous on the attack.
Around midway through the half Oldland striker Joe Beardwell and Athletic defender Luke Crewe clashed whilst challenging for a ball in the air. The coming together left the defender on the ground and his team-mates claiming that Beardwell led with his elbow. The striker claimed that it was accidental and the referee agreed with him. I've definitely seen red cards brandished for less than that and the striker can count himself a little lucky to get away with it, accidental or not.

HT Oldland Abbotonians 0 Hengrove Athletic 0. Hengrove will be much the happier of the two teams. The rebuilding of their squad could well be coming together and they have more than held their own against the league leaders so far.
​

​As the second half wore on a certain amount of nervousness seemed to creep into the away team. They were still hanging in for a point but they had definitely started to drop deeper and were relying more and more on long balls out of defence to ease the pressure. Having said this, Carl Bush in goal, still had clean knees as we went into the last 15 minutes. He was to earn his corn at the very death of the game however.

Oldland brought on winger Owen McCallum quite early in the second half and he immediately pepped things up for the home team. His runs down the right flank, unfortunately for him often missed by his team-mates, were worrying the Athletic defenders. Twice balls were played inside the full-back and twice the winger got past his marker and was able to put a cross in. One of these crosses led to oddly muted appeals for a penalty when the ball appeared to be blocked by an outstretched Hengrove arm. It was a clear hand-ball, in front of the assistant but not given and hardly appealed for by the home side. A let off for The Grove.

As the clock ticked onto the 90th minute, Oldland almost snatched the points when a dangerous ball was played deep into the Hengrove area. A group of players tussled for the ball, with a head making final contact directing the ball towards the lower right-hand corner of Bush's net. The keeper, however, was having none of it and threw himself sideways to make a brilliant save, parrying the ball away for a corner.

FT Oldland Abbotonians 0 Hengrove Athletic 0. A deserved point for the away side who, overall, probably had the more clear cut chances in a game that wasn't overflowing with goalmouth action. The O's stay two points clear at the top but, having played two games more than most, coudl be caught by anyone down to tenth.

Oldland Abbotonians: Carter, Hyslop, Mills, Symonds, Vinall, Robson(c), Summerhill, Beazer, Beardwell, Taylor-Fox, Hart. Subs: McCallum, Hoyle, Dempsey, Cains, Bright
Hengrove Athletic: Bush, Crewe, Lock, Shorney, Trott, White(c), Parsons, Bond-Kendall, Knight, Burton, Jones. Subs: Ratcliffe, Hubbard, Mancini

Att: 55
Ground Number: 211
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: Included in entry

​We are into September and, for some reason, my normal modus operandi of watching games on Tuesday evening has yet to transpire this season. Once again Tuesday was forsaken in favour of a fixture later in the week, in this case a Wednesday evening Hampshire Premier League fixture between Overton United and Colden Common. Overton had popped up on my radar last season but I hadn't managed to get to a game, so seeing that they were at home this week, it seemed like am opportunity too good to be missed.

The Ground
Overton pay at the Overton Recreation Ground, a facility shared with the cricket team. It is on the Northern edge of Overton village, situated just over the Hampshire border from Berkshire and historically famous for producing the paper for banknotes (as well as being practically next door to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery, housed in an old paper mill). There is a small car park on site and a fair amount of on=road parking nearby (beware, the streets are quite narrow). The ground is open all round, no fencing, no turnstiles and is opposite a church that tolls it's bells every hour giving the rather pleasant feeling that you are watching football on a typical British village green. There is no cover at the ground although there is a bar on the first floor of the recreation centre itself. There are also a couple of benches on a rise at the car park end of the ground should you fancy resting the legs at any point. I have to say that the pitch looked to be in extremely good condition and has no pronounced slope.

​The Background
Coming into then game the visitors, Colden Common, had certainly had the better start to the season. Currently sitting in sixth spot with 13 points from their 7 games. Overton, admittedly after one fewer game, were down in 13th position having picked up just one win and two draws - their last two games, the latetr of which was a 4-4 draw at Sway. However, Overton had also played all six of their league games away from the village. This, presumably, is because they have to wait for the cricket season to finish before they can play at home.

Both clubs are founder members of the Hampshire Premier League (2007-8 season) and, again, it is Colden Common who have the historical upper-hand. They have won the league twice, in 2008-09 and again the following season. Overton's best league finish came last season when they managed 4th spot.
Last season saw the teams play out a 1-1 on the outskirts of Winchester, whilst Common triumphed 3-0 in the corresponding fixture to this evening.

Overton would need to be on their guard against Common's prolific forward-line. Sam Adams (7) and David Paskins (6) had already scored 13 goals between them in their seven games. 

​The Game
Common started like a team unbeaten in their last three games, pushing Overton backwards from the first whistle. However, in an early example of how the game would develop, it was the home side who were first to come really close to a goal when Amiable's cross looked to be looping in at the far post before the Common goalkeeper touched it onto the woodwork and clear.
One minute later, with around eight on the clock, Common showed their dominance of p the ball when their number 10 weaved through a number of home defenders before laying the ball off for David Paskins to even up the top-scorer chart with a low, driven finish. 0-1
After the goal, Common continued to press forward urged on by their vociferous coach, and it looked like it was a matter of time before they put the game to bed. However, it was a further 15 minutes before they managed to add to the score. Overton gave the ball away inside their own half and were immediately made to pay when a sharp exchange of passes set up Sam Adams to make it 0-2 and take the lad in the team scoring charts again.
At this point it looked as if the result was already in the bag for the away side, and it was just a matter of how many goals would they rack up. Aside from the cross that struck the post, Overton had rarely threatened the Common goal and they were clearly struggling to string their passes together.
Then, just after the half-hour mark, the game changed. It was hard to tell if Colden Common took their foot off the pedal or if Overton gained some confidence, I suspect a little of both. Whatever the case, on 34 minutes the home side were back in with a shout. A great run down the right from full-back Finley Hall produced a low cross which was controlled by Ben Nicholls, who swivelled and fired a shot into the far corner. 1-2.

HT Overton United 1 Colden Common 2. A strange half in a lot of ways. Colden Common were so much in control for the first half an hour that they could, and should, have been out of sight. However, they dropped their concentration and United, to their credit, came back at them and have given themselves a fighting chance.

​As I said before the ground has no fencing or entrance gate so there is no way that they can charge for entry. However, as half-time drew to a close a man appeared with what looked like a collection box from the church and began collecting some donations from the assembled supporters. I remember a similar system at Olney Town a few years ago. It's a vital way for the club to raise a few pounds towards running costs.

The second half was only seven minutes old when it burst into life. Common came very close to extending their lead when Paskins' snap-shot came back off the post and directly into the arms of Burrows. The keeper immediately started an Overton break, and then a lofted ball over the top of the Common defence saw Ben Nicholls go clear through to bury his second and the equaliser. 2-2. What a turn around from the home side after looking dead and buried in the first half, they were suddenly level.

The game, as well as the score, was now much more even. Confidence had re-appeared in the home ranks and we had a real game on our hands.
Just past the hour mark Colden Common re-established their lead when their Terry New volleyed in a superb effort from the edge of the box. 2-3. Could the away side have finally killed off Overton's resistance? It was certainly beginning to look that way as we approached the final 10 minutes.

However, Overton were not just going to sit back and wait for the final whistle.  They pressed forward and won themselves a corner on the right. When the ball was played in it was met by the head of Craig Williamson at the near post, who sent the ball into The Commoners net for the third time. 3-3
Seven minutes later a speculative low cross from the left was spilled by the Colden Common keeper. First to react was Finley Hall, who rolled the ball into the empty net to put Overton in front for the first time in the game. 4-3.
The home side hung on for the final few minutes of the game for a very unlikely (after the first 30 minutes) three points.

FT Overton United 4 Colden Common 3. For the neutral, a very entertaining game of football. Both managers will have plenty to address before their next game but United must be pleased with the way they stuck at it. All in all, a very enjoyable evening of football. Best of luck to both sides for the remainder of the season.

Overton United: Burrows, F.Hall, Swan, Williamson, Mellos(c), Reynolds, S.Nicholls, Rudge, B.Nicholls, Aimable, N.Hall. Subs: Jones, Darmody, McCann

Colden Common: 

Att: Approx. 40?
Ground Number: 210
Entrance: £0.00
Programme: N/A

Game three of the FA Vase mini-marathon weekend. After two trips North, into Leicestershire and Derbyshire, it was time to head South and the market town of Wokingham as the local side Wokingham & Emmbrook (The Satsumas) took on another market town, Chipping Sodbury Town (The Sods).

​The Ground
Lowther Road is situated in Emmbrook, a suburb of Wokingham. The football club share the facilities with the local cricket team so, as with my childhood team Stourbridge, the ground is effectively three sided, leaving one side open for the cricket outfield to expand over the football pitch.
The club has only recently returned to Lowther Road following an enforced nomadic period whilst the ground was upgraded to include floodlights (an extended period due to some complications with planning permission for the lights I believe, but this is not the place to get into that subject). Thankfully, the club is now back in the town and today signified a very special occasion, being the first time 20 years the The Town's Team, as they brand themselves, are playing an FA competition back in Wokingham. A great achievement to all associated with the club.

​I parked on Lowther Road, but there was ample, well-marshalled parking available within the sports ground itself. The clubhouse and main facilities are situated a short walk from the football pitch, presumably as they were originally built for as the cricket pavilion. I'm not sure if it was a special occasion foe the FA VAse but there was also a barbecue in full swing (I immediately regretted eating before I set out).
On the far side of the ground are the dugouts and a small covered seting area. theer are no other covered areas around the perimiter, not that it mattered on a warm late Summer's Sunday afternoon.

The Background
As far as I could see, this is the first meeting between these sides in any competition. Neither side has that much history in the FA Vase either. The Sumas did make Round 1 in the 2015-16 competition but after beating Shrivenham 6-1 to qualify they went down 3-1 at Hartley Wintney. The Sods have never made it out of the qualifying rounds, losing all three of there previous Vase matches.

The Game
The opening encounters of the game were pretty even with the sides testing each other out and getting used to the fairly blustery conditions. We were 15 minutes into the match when Sods winger Jack Parker saw his shot come back off the post with Woodward beaten. To make matters worse, Sumas then immediately broke through the middle. A long ball caused some confusing between defence and goalkeeper allowing Jake White to benefit from the hesitation, take the ball around the keeper and slot it into an empty net. 1-0
The game then ebbed and flowed with both sides playing some good football. Luke Scope and Jake White were a constant thorn in the side of the Sods defence. The home defence looked well organised but had to be constantly on  guard to snuff out threats, especially from Sods captain Sam Makepiece and left-sided player Jack Parker.
Just before half-time Sumas thought they had taken a two goal lead when, after a free-kick, Eagles' header was turned into the net only for the assistant to flag for offside.

HT Wokingham & Emmbrook 1 Chipping Sodbury Town 0. A fairly even game across the park in terms of possession. However, the difference has been the forward lines. The Sumas' strikers caused all sort of problems for the Sods defence. The same coudln't be said at the other end.

​Chipping Sodbury were out early for the second half and immediately looked like they were on a mission to hit back early in the second half. Wokingham, however, were equal to the task, quelling any Sodbury storm before it even began. Maybe this led to complacency setting in because, after 10 minutes of the second period they suddenly seemed to take their foot off the peal and began to sit back deeper and deeper, allowing Chipping Sodbury to push forward. It was not a good tactic because on the hour mark they were made to pay. A superb, threaded pass from Nuevo-Draper, following a free-kick, put Makepiece through and the captain made no mistake wit the finish. 1-1.
Conceding the goal seemed to shake Sumas from their slumber and we were then treated to a period where both sides were looking to get their noses in front again.
Chipping Sodbury came very close to scoring again after 84 minuets when a shot crashed against Woodward's bar and flew to safety. Then, almost immediately after that incident The Sods found themselves down to 10 men when Ben Chick picked up a second yellow, presumably for something he said to the referee. To be fair, this had been coming. All through the game there had been some very strange decisions from the official and, especially in the second half, there were constant breaks for his whistle and for him to have a word with various players. I'm all for referees keeping a strong hold on games but this seemed to be overly picky to me and the players, on both sides, were getting more and more frustrated with the decisions.
Sodbury saw out the remaining few minutes of normal time and we were set for an extra 30 minutes.
FT Wokingham & Emmbrook 1 Chipping Sodbury Town 1

The first half of extra-time passed with very little incident. To be fair to The Sods, going down to 10 men didn't seem to affect them too much, or maybe it should be said that Wokingham didn't take advantage of their extra number?
Whatever the case, the first 15 minutes of extra-time produced no change to the scoreline.
Six minutes into the second period extra-time came the deciding moment of the game. A corner from the Sumas left was cleared only as far as Elliott Rushforth on the edge of the box. His low drive flew past Parker's out-stretched right-hand and hit the back of the net. 2-1.
There was no coming back forChipping Sodbury after the goal. Heads didn't go down. They certainly gave it a go, but being down to 10 on a hot day after nearly 2 hours of football, there just wasn't enough left in their tank.

FT ET Wokingham & Emmbrook 2 Chipping Sodbury Town 1

A superb result for The Sumas and my first 'cupset' of the weekend. Wokingham will now entertain Thornbury Town in the next round after the Gloucestershire side beat Cheltenham Saracens 6-2 on Saturday.
Chipping Sodbury can focus on pulling themselves clear of the Western League premier relegation zone.

Wokingham & Emmbrook: Woodward, Carter, Broadhurst, C.Eagle, Day, L.Eagle(c), Harris, Bateman, Scope, White, Holland. Subs: Rushforth, Edwards, Guest, Dean, Byrne
Chipping Sodbury Town: Parker, McMillan, Barrett, Chick, Benzer, Nuevo-Draper, Burman, Brown, Muhammed, Makepiece(c), Parker. Subs: Invernizzi, Ahmed, Henderson, Naylor

Att: 220
Ground Number: 209
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00

​The second game of the FA Vase Weekend Trio took me back up the M1 to East Derbyshire and to the former coal-mining village of Pinxton. I know the surrounding area reasonably well because the company I work for has an office on the opposite side of the M1, just a couple of miles from Pinxton. However, I had never been to the village or the football ground before despite having a work colleague, Mark, who lives next door to Pinxton's Welfare Arena.
It was Mark who set up the interview with Pinxton's manager Kenny Shinfield (In the Ken), a former school-mate.
Having driven through an absolute monsoon on the way North, I was concerned that I would arrive to find the game postponed. However, after passing Nottingham the skies started to brighten a little and, by the time I turned off the M1, the sun was breaking through. Game on.

The Ground
The approach to the Welfare Arena is via a service road off the main village thoroughfare. There is a social club on the site, Pinxton Miner's Welfare Social Club, which gives the ground it's name. There is a fair amount of parking around the social club and on the approach road. The ground is perched above the social club looking out over the Derbyshire countryside. It's a short walk up alongside the ground to the single gated entrance which is situated pretty much on the halfway line.
The first thing that strikes you when you get into the ground is that it does not have the appearance of a Step 7 stadium. In fact, at first glance the facilities are on a par with the majority of Step 5 grounds I have been to.
To the right of the entrance, behind the far goal, is a grass bank and a snack bar/hospitality bar, raised above the ground and accessed by a few steps. There is also a sheltered standing area incorporated into the bank.
On the far side of the ground from the entrance are the dugouts and a small covered seating area. The ground is clearly well cared for, well appointed and a credit to the club. The pitch also looked in very good condition.

​The Background
Prior to this game the sides had never met in the FA Vase, or any other FA competition as far as I could see. 
Pinxtons best FA Vase run came in the 2015-16 season when they made it through to the Third Round before going down 4-3 at home to Nuneaton Griff. Birstall can boast a Fourth Round appearance in 1997-98 when Spalding United finally ended their run with a 2-1 victory in Lincolnshire.
​
The Game
A tight and competitive opening to the game with both sides giving as good as they got. As I commented to my colleague Mark, who had joined me to watch his first ever Pinxton game, with 20 minutes gone you couldn't tell that Pinxton played their football at a step below Birstall. It was very evenly matched.
The deadlock was broken after 31 minutes and it was the home side who grabbed the advantage. Some nifty footwork took Sion Nathan Green into the box allowing Robert Fretwell to slide the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to Pinxton.

irstall rallied and as we headed towards half-time began to exert some more pressure on the home defence. One such raid saw a moment of some controversy as Parkin was sent through. Power rushed out of his goal and clearly felled the attacker just outside the area. Parkin was quick to his feet and, with the keeper out of his goal, could well have had a sight of goal. However, the referee blew her whistle and called play back for the free-kick, much to the angst of the Birstall players, not helped when the free-kick came to nothing.

However, Birstall were to get themselves back into the game before half-time. With a couple of minutes remaining they forced a corner on the left. The cross was not properly cleared and Lee Barratt reacted quickest to loop a header over both goalkeeper and a defender on the line. 1-1.

HT Pinxton 1 Birstall United 1. Level at half-time and probably a fair reflection on the game.

The second-half was less that 5 minutes old when Birstall completed the turn around. An Ethan Bibby free-kick was well saved by Power in the Pinxton goal but Jake Robertson was on hand to lash the rebound back past the keeper and into the net for 1-2.
Two goals in, effectively, seven minutes. They say that there are good times to score goals - although I'm not sure that there is a bad time to score - and Birstall equalising just before the break and then going ahead so soon after half-time, certainly seemed to knock some of the stuffing out of Pinxton for a short while.
A few minutes past the hour mark and Birstall seemed to have hammered in the final nail. A swift break down the right led to a dangerous ball into the middle that appeared to take a final touch off a Pinxton defender before nestling into the back of the net. 1-3 and seemingly no way back for the home side.

​Friday Night Football for the second week running. After last week's jaunt to Winchester, this Friday was a trip North to Leicestershire for an FA Vase First Qualifying tie between two United Counties League sides, Aylestone Park (Division One) and Loughborough University (Premier League).

The Ground
There's something about non-league clubs in Leicestershire. They all seem to have very pleasant, well-kept grounds, and Aylestone Park are no exception to this rule. The ground boasts a large car park and a gated entrance to the ground, rather than a turnstile. The entrance brings you in behind one of the goals. The main clubhouse is immediately to the right and has a marquee attached to the front which means you could sit under shelter, with a beer and hot food, whilst being almost within touching distance of the back of one of the nets. To the right-hand side of the ground from the clubhouse are the dugouts. This side of the pitch is completely open, backed by a training pitch. On the opposite side is the main covered seating stand as well as, towards the far end, a new snack bar built in a wooden structure which also has indoor seating.
Behind the far goal is the full-size 3G pitch. The ground is well-tended and very neat. The pitch looked to be in prefect much perfect condition. All in all, another great Leicstershire ground.

​The Background
There is no FA Vase hsitory between these clubs despite the geographical proximity (less than 20 miles apart).
Aylestone PArk's best run in the competition came last season when they reached Round 1. Fater seeing off Clipstone and Kimberley Mners Welfare, bith by 2-1 scorelines, they suffered a giant-killing, 3-0 at home to Step 7 outfit Blidworth Welfare. So, could they stage their own 'cupset' this season?
In the league this season both sides have started their campaigns with a 100% record, so we are looking at two teams in very good form. Loughborough, however, crashed out of the FA Cup with a 4-1 defeat to Maltby Main.

The Game
The match started at a furious pace with neither side holding back in any challenges and there were clearly one or two 'let him know you're here' tackles flying in.
Barely 6 minutes in we had the first incident of the game when Park's Harry Sheffield went down in the box to very loud penalty claims from the home side.The referee waved play on immediately but it was certainly one that could easily have been given.
As if to rub salt in the wounds, five minutes later Loughborough took the lead. A pacy break through the middle before they switched the ball out to the left. When it was delivered back across the edge of the box Connor Smith drilled an absolute beauty past Dawe and into the far corner. 0-1.

Undaunted, the home side continued to play their football and were certainly not out of the game. If anything they were the better side for the next 20 minutes or so, causing the Uni defence plenty of problems.
The game, whilst not as feisty as the opening 5 minutes, was still very competitive, fast-moving and still had a few tasty tackles flying in. Tackles that were dealt with in an inconsistent manner by the referee. His decisions were rattling Aylestone Park more than Loughborough, possibly because they were a goal down and desperate to get back into the game. Whatever the reason, the more they complained about decisions, the more the decisions seemed to go against them, as often happens.

To make matters worse for Park, 37 minutes into the game The Scholars grabbed a second goal and it was Connor Smith again hitting one from the edge of the box, but this time his effort was taken past Dawes by a hefty deflection. 0-2.
A minute before half-time the frustrations of both teams boiled over after a challenge right in front of the dugouts. There was plenty of pushing and shoving, but not much else for the referee to sort out. The scuffle was clearly borne of frustration at some of the decisions, but no excuse for the actions.

HT Aylestone Park 0 Loughborough University 2. Loughborough looked to be an accomplished side, but Aylestone battled hard and, in the period between the two goals, had the better chances and looked more dangerous.

​The second half continued where the first left off. Both sides were playing an attractive style of football making the game entertaining to watch as a neutral. Aylestone Park were still pushing as hard as they could to get back into the game but were thwarted time and again by an extremely athletic University team.
Just past the hour mark the home side were given an absolute mountain to climb when combative midfielder Tom Hill received a second yellow card after a hefty clash in midfield. Once again though, it was a controversial decision. There was, undoubtedly a foul on the Loughborough player and it warranted a yellow card, but the home players and bench vociferously claimed that it was in fact Callum Armsden (who had not been booked) who committed the offence. The referee was having none of it though and duly sent Smith back to the dressing rooms. I'll be honest, from my position I could see the coming together but did not have a clear view of who committed the foul. Judging by the incredulous expressions of the players though, I would say that the wrong player received the card. At this point I thought that the game may descend into a series of fouls and arguing with the referee. I could see another red card coming, either for the home side or even for Loughborough in an attempt to even it up. However, credit to the teams - especially Aylestone Park - who settled back into the game and continued to offer up some good football.

The home side's fate was finally sealed in the 82 minute when Will Dawes was upended in the box. He took the penalty himself, sending Dawe the wrong way to make it 0-3.
There was still time for a battling Park side to see a Davoile effort headed off the line but, in truth, the game was probably up for them after the sending off.

FT Aylestone Park 0 Loughborough University 3. The game was certainly not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. Aylestone Park gave a good account of themselves, caused a very useful Step 5 side plenty of problems, and even came close to getting a consolation goal when down to 10 men.
Two very good footballing side on show this evening. Both should do very well in their respective leagues and both play very attractive styles of football.

Aylestone Park: Dawe, Edwards, Phillips, Kirby(c), Wormleighton, Grassby, Sheffield, Hill, Armsden, Davoile, Holdom.Subs: Webster, Bjelic, Hollyoak

Loughborough University. Hilton, Field, Davis, Townrow, Turner, Hourican-Harvey, Smith, Wilson, Akpobire, Dawes, Iaciofano. Subs: Ferrinho, Stallan, Silva, Connor

Att: 118
Ground Number: 207
Entrance: £6.00
Programme: £1.00

The third in a series of FA Vase build-up articles following on from the interview with Pinxton's Kenny Shinfield and the write-up of previous winners in the 1st Qualifying Round.
Although teams may have been around local football for a long time, often the FA Vase is their introduction to the game at a national level. The third FA Vase Build-Up Blog introduces a small selection of teams who are taking the FA Vase bow this season with apologies to the other first-timers (there are just too many teams and too little time to research).
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Catholic United (@CatholicUtdFC, https://www.catholicutd.co.uk/)
It will come as no surprise to find out that United were formed from the catholic community in Southend-on-Sea. They played under a few different guises from the 1930's onward but Catholic United, as they are now, came into being in 1959. They originally played in white shirts but, after writing to Celtic FC, changed their kit to the famous green and white hoops following a kit donation from the famous Glasgow club. For the full club history click on this link.
From local football, the club has climbed the ladder through the Essex Olympian League structure, gaining promotion to, and winning, the Premier League in the 2017-18 season. They currently ground-share with Bowers & Pitsea.

Friday 30th August, 745pm. Clapton FC v Catholic United FC - @Aveley FC, Parkside, RM15 4PX

​Egerton (@EgertonFC, www.egertonfootballclub.co.uk)
Knutsford, up until now, is probably best known for the fact that it has an M6 service station bearing the name of the town. However, the local football club is hoping to put the town on the map for an entirely different reason. Egerton FC was formed less that 20 years ago and was originally a football outlet for the local Youth Centre. Now, some 17 years down the line, they run 37 youth teams and 7 adult teams with the first-team now into their second season of Cheshire Premier League football.
Egerton travel to West Didsbury & Chorlton for their first ever experience of Vase football. West have made it into the First Round four times in recent seasons, so this promises to be a tricky baptism for Egerton.
Saturday 31 August, 3pm. West Didsbury & Chorlton v Egerton - Brockburn Road, M21 8FE

​Frenford (@Frenfordfc, www.frenfordfc.com)
Formed during the second world war, Frenford have made steady progress through the Essex Olympian League. They joined the Eastern Counties Division One South last season, finishing in a very creditable 9th spot and entering the FA Vase for the first time this season.
Frenford face a tough test against a Potton United side that has a wealth of history in the FA Vase, FA Trophy and the FA Cup as well as playing at a level above their opponents, since their promotion two seasons ago.
Saturday 31 August, 3pm. Potton United v Frenford. The Hutchinson Hollow, SG19 2LX.

​New Salamis (@NewSalamisFCUK, www.newsalamisfcuk.com)
Nothing at all to do with any type of sausage, New Salamis were actually formed in the early 1970's by British-based supporters of Cypriot First Division side Nea Salamis Famagusta, who also act as a parent club for their British supporters team. They began life playing in the British Cypriot League and were still playing as a Sunday League outfit until very recently. They joined the Hertfordshire County Senior League last season, finishing second and winning a place in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One where they have already racked up some very impressive scorelines.They will take their FA Vase bow against a Codicote side who find themselves back in Step 7 after seven seasons in Division One.
Saturday 31 August, 3pm. New Salamis v Codicote. Queen Elizabeth Stadium, EN1 3PL.

​PFC Victoria London (@pfcvictoria, https://www.facebook.com/PFCVictoria/)
PFC, formed by the local Polish community, are only three years old but have already managed to secure two promotions, starting from from the Middlesex Division Two, they have progressed all the way into the Premier League where they achieved second spot last season.
PFC haven't been handed an easy task in the Vase with a trip to Combined Counties Premier side Cobham on the cards. The Hammers recently earned an FA Cup draw at Step 4 Chertsey Town, before going down 4-2 in the replay.
Saturday 31 August, 3pm. Cobham v PFC Victoria London. Leg O'Mutton Field, KT11 1AA.

​Pilkington (@Pilkingtonfc, www.pilkingtonfc.com)
Having been formed in 1938, Pilkington played their football in local leagues around St Helens and Liverpool before joining the Mid-Cheshire League in 1980, which is where they stayed, albeit fluctuating between divisions, until last season when they won the premier League and earned a place in the North West Counties League. They have been granted a home tie in their first ever FA Vase fixture, taking on Atherton Laburnam Rovers, a team that they last played in Cheshire League 2 action in the 1981-82 season.
Saturday 31 August, 3pm. Pilkington v Atherton LR. ArcOframe Stadium, WA10 6RP.

After not being able to get to a midweek game it was good to see a number of FA Cup fixtures being played on Friday evening.There were a few to choose from but the opportunity to visit a ground that had been on my list for a few years was too good to miss. So, straight from the office, I did battle with the M25 and the M3 and headed South towards the city of Winchester and the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round tie between Winchester City and AFC Stoneham.

The Ground
As I said, this ground has been on my list for a little while now. So long, in fact, that I still think of it as the Denplan Stadium whereas it is now The Simplyhealth City Ground. There seems to be ample parking at the ground but I parked on a smallish, free, car park opposite the entrance, thinking it may be easier to make a getaway for the long journey home.
The ground is accessed through a turnstile block that brings you in at the corner of the ground that houses the clubhouse and changing facilities, which are set back a short way from the actual playing area. There is a separate snack hut on the rugby club side of the ground. Adjacent to the snack hut is the main covered seating area and then just a little further along is a small, uncovered seating stand. On the opposite side of the ground, between the dugouts, there is a covered standing area, with another, smaller, covered area at the car park end of the ground behind the goal.
Look out for the impressive variety of club stickers on the cistern in the Gents toilet, including quite a few from German level 4 outfit Alemannia Aachen.

The Background
Winchester City are in their fifth consecutive season of Step 4 football after a period of yo-yoing between the Wessex Premier and the Southern League for just under a decade. Stoneham gained promotion to the Wessex Premier for the first time in their history last season. Promotion, and the title, was clinched following a thoroughly entertaining 3-3 draw at Totton & Eling, a game that I had the privilege to be present at (Grand Finale).
There is no previous FA Cup history between the sides but, as the grounds are only around 12 miles apart, it's safe to assume that there have been meetings in local and county cup competitions over the years.
The Game
The opening encounters of the game gave pointers to the tight game that was to follow. Neither side was able to establish any kind of real dominance. However, it was Stoneham who seemed the more fluid, moving the game much more quickly than Winchester, an observation backed up by frequent shouts from the home bench to make their passing sharper and move the ball around more quickly.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, we were approaching the 15th minute before we saw the first shot on target and it was the away side who managed it, with Laycock forcing Pryce into action for the first time.
Winchester finally got a shot on target after 35 minutes when Danny King forced Fredericks to get down low at his near post. However, The Citizens were clearly missing the presence of top-score Simba Mlambo

HT Winchester City 0 AFC Stoneham 0. A close encounter. AFC Stoneham looked the more dangerous of the sides but Winchester started to look a little more lively towards the end of the half

​Despite home side starting to get a rhythm going at the end of the first-half, Stoneham still looked the most likely to break the deadlock. With that said, they were not giving Pryce too much to think about in a game of very little goalmouth incident.
On 65 minutes City's Olly Balmer got free and cracked an effort against Fredericks' left-hand post, reminding the away side that possession doesn't win games. They've not been threatened too much all game but could easily have found themselves a goal down.

After a little lull in the game, Stoneham seemed to be upping the pace again before, as often happens, getting caught out at the back by a rare Winchester foray on 79 minutes. 
A defensive mistake or maybe just a slip - hard to see from where I was - gave Citizens captain Jamie Barron a sight of goal from inside the box. He made no mistake, threading the ball past Fredericks to make it 1-0. Somewhat harsh on Stoneham who, despite playing in a division below their hosts, have looked the better side for large parts of the game.

Winchester almost immediately started finding more space on the pitch as Stoneham pressed forward searching for an equaliser. The last 10 minutes promised to be the most action-packed part of a game that, to be honest, has failed to spark.
Sure enough, in the tradition of last-gasp cup drama, Stoneham grabbed an equaliser in the 91st minute, when Matt Palmer popped up in the box to guide the ball past Pryce. 1-1 and a deserved leveller for Stoneham, and what sounded like a sizeable away following.

FT Winchester City 1 AFC Stoneham 1. I'm sure neither side particularly relishes a=having to wedge another fixture in but they will have to go again in midweek.

Winchester City: Pryce, Williamson, King, Emmerson, Douglas, Flooks, Griggs, Barron(c), Bailey, Hill, Balmer. Subs: Hayward, Birchnall, Smith, Gilbert, Nurse, Davis, Haylor

AFC Stoneham: Fredericks, Stupple, Dunne, J.Parker-Trott, Palmer, Clarke, Clark, Welch(c), Laycock, Bainbridge, Hills. Subs: Jiminez, T.Parker-Trott, Kerton, Galloway, Laptas, Snelling, Hogan

Att: 259
Ground Number: 206
Entrance: £ 10.00
Programme: Included

The First Qualifying Round of the FA Vase is rapidly approaching. So, following on from the recent interview with Pinxton FC boss Kenny Shinfield (In The Ken), the second in the series of build-up articles looks at eight ties featuring previous winners of the competition. The sides concerned are Whitley Bay (4 times winners), North Shields, St Helens Town, Brigg Town (2 wins), Diss Town, Hoddesdon Town, Arlesey Town and Whickham

Whitley Bay v Barnoldswick Town
Northern League Division One v North West Counties Premier
Whitley Bay have won the competition more than any other team but that doesn't stop them having to qualify. With 5 games gone in the current season, The Seahorses sit smack bang in the middle of the Northern League Division 1 table, having won 2, lost 2 and drawn 1. They'll be hoping for a better return in the Vase than they got in the FA Cup where they went down 7-1 at home to Hebburn Town. Balrlick have started quite well in the North West Counties Premier campaign with just one defeat in four, winning their last two outings. However, they too suffered a big FA Cup defeat, going out 6-1 to Longridge Town. The two actually met in last season FA Cup, at the Preliminary Round stage, with Whitley Bay running out 6-1 winners at Hillheads.
Hillheads Park, NE25 8HR. https://whitleybayfc.com/information/club-info-2/

Sunderland Ryhope CW v North Shields
Northern League Division One v Northern League Division One
At the time of writing these two are level on points in the Northern League Division One table, although one-time FA Vase winners Shields are two places higher on the back of their superior goal difference. In the FA Cup they also suffered similar fates after both initially drawing. The Robins went out 1-0 in their replay at Guisborough whilst Ryhope lost 2-1 at home to local rivals Sunderland RCA in their return match-up. They have met in the FA Vase as recently as the 2014-15 season, the year that North Shields went on to win the competition, with The Robins cruising to a 3-0 victory. North Shields are the first of only two previous winners to be drawn away from home in the 1st Qualifying Round.
Ryhope Recreation Ground, SR2 0AB. http://www.northernfootballleague.org/team/ryhope-cw/

St Helens Town v Rossington Main
North West Counties Division One North v Northern Counties East Division One
One time winners St Helens Town have not started their North West Counties Division One season as well as they would have hoped. Just one win and three defeats from their first four games has left them in 18th place, one place worse off than they finished last season. The plus point, so far. is that their only win was a resounding one, 6-0 over Cleator Moor Celtic. They take on a Rossington side who have also only won one league same far this season.This will be the first meeting of the teams.
Ruskin Drive, WA10 6RP. http://www.sthelenstownafc.com/

As always, many thanks to the utterly brilliant Football Club History Database for being such a great point of reference for research.

After a well needed break in the South of France, it was time to get back to some Tuesday night football and what better way to resume the season than an FA Cup match under lights?
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The Ground​
After leaving the Badshot Recreation Ground in 2007, The Baggies have had a nomadic existence. Groundshares with Farnborough, Godalming Town, Ash United and, most recently, Camberley Town have finally been replaced with a ground of their own. Westfield Lane was officially opened in July of this year when a crowd of 660 saw local rivals Aldershot Town run out 3-0 winners.

The new ground is situated in the village of Wrecclesham, just to the South-West of Farnham town centre. There is a reasonably sized car park adjacent to the ground. However, this was completely full for this game and there is not really much extra parking nearby (my only gripe about the ground). Access to the ground is through a new turnstile and to the rear of one of the goals.

​Also at this end of the ground are all of the facilities, the standard clubhouse, snack bar and players & officials area.  There are two stands, one adjacent to the clubhouse looking directly down the touchline and the other, a seating area, to the left of the pitch as you look from the clubhouse end. As you would expect with a new ground, it is very neat and tidy with lots of gleaming white fencing around the pitch. A very nice place to play and watch football.
​
One thing that I could never get used to, however many times I visited this ground, is the Welcome to the home of The Baggies sign. As a former West Bromwich Albion season ticket holder, there is something not right about this sign being written in claret & blue.

​The Background
The cup draw had thrown together the current two top teams in the Combined Counties Premier League both Badshot Lea and their opponents Ascot United went into Saturday's cup tie having played two and won two in the league. Badshot Lea opened with a 4-1 win at Sutton Common Rovers and followed that with a 5-0 thrashing of newly promoted local rivals Frimley Green.
Ascot, who due to ground resurfacing were forced into playing away from the Racecourse Ground at the opening of the season, had started with a 2-0 win at Cobham and a 3-0 win at Egham Town.
The meeting between the sides on Saturday (also played at Westfield Lane because of Ascot's ground refurbishment) had, by all accounts, been a very good game. The Yellamen raced into a 2-0 lead before The Baggies came back at them, equalising with practically the last kick of the game to force the replay.

Neither side has ever managed to make it out of the Qualifying Rounds of the FA Cup. Badshot Lea's best effort came in the 2012-13 season when they got to the 3rd Qualifying Round before going down 3-1 at Step 3 outfit Chippenham Town. Ascot's First Qualifying Round replay defeat to Tonbridge Angels signifies their best run but after a 2-2 draw at home the Yellamen were defeated 7-0 in Kent.

​The Game
The Baggies clearly had learned a lesson from going two goals down on Saturday. They started the game with a much higher tempo and verve than their opponents, pressing Ascot back almost from the kick-off. The pace and trickery of Danilo Cadete on the right-wing was obviously an area that they had targeted as a means to get in behind the defence. With former Farnham Town winger Nick Medcraft on the opposite flank and the very lively Meshach Williams through the middle, they were giving Louis Brouwers and his Yellamen defence plenty to think about. 

The home side came close to taking the lead on a number of occasions in the first 25 minutes, with both Williams and Hutchings missing reasonably good chances. Ascot spent a lot of this time in their own half, but did look a threat when they managed to break, James Richardson causing some concern with his runs.
Then, on 27 minutes, Ascot forced a corner with some very neat inter-passing play. The ball was sent over from the right and met with a powerful header from captain Brouwer. The effort was blocked on the line but fell invitingly for Harry Laflin to make no mistake from close range. 0-1. Against the run of play, but the Yellamen were not going to be concerned about that.
​
The goal had the dual effect of boosting Ascot and deflating Badhsot Lea. For the remainder of the half the side looked very much evenly matched, Cadete's runs down the right were curtailed and the Ascot defence didn't look under as much pressure as it had done earlier on. It was, in fact, Kallum Lunn  in the Badshot Lea goal who was probably the busier towards the end of the half making a great save from a Lalustani effort to keep his team in the game.

HT Badshot Lea 1 Ascot United 0. After a fairly one-sided opening 25 minutes, Ascot snatched a goal from nowhere and the game evened up. The Baggies will wonder how they managed to go into the break a goal down.

​Badshot Lea looked fired up for the second half but, to their credit, Ascot looked well drilled and withstood everything that was thrown at them, whilst still looking fairly dangerous themselves.
That was until the 67th minute when a period of two minutes completely changed the game.
First of all, a break down the left from The Baggies resulted in a superb cross being played into the gap between the last defender and the goalkeeper. Meshach Williams forced himself in front of his marked and was able to fire the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-1.
Before the Yellamen could even draw breath, Badshot Lea were at them again, winning a corner on the right. The delivery caused some chaos in the Ascot defence, the ball falling to substitute Nic Ciardini, who lashed it past Gray to make it 2-1.
In the blink of an eye, just like a Basil Brush punchline, "Boom, Boom!" Badshot Lea had gone from a goal down to taking the lead.

Ascot were reeling but soon picked themselves up and tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game. This led to a breathless last 5 minutes where the away side completely laid siege to the Baggies goal. They had one cleared off the line, one saved and also hit the post, but it just wasn't to be for them. The home side were hanging on a bit at the end but, overall, just about deserved to win the game.

FT Badshot Lea 2 Ascot United 1. The Baggies will now face Wessex Premier side Christchurch in the next round.

Badshot Lea: Lunn, Blake, Roberts(c), B.Hutchings, Flanaghan, Lloyd, Cadete, Matthews, Williams, Hawker, Medcraft. Subs: S.Hutchings, Thrupp, Carter, Ford, Ciardini, Smith
Ascot United: Gray, Burdon, Haworth, Carey, Bouwers(c), Ellis, Merrick, Denton, Lalustani, Laflin, Richardson,. Suns: Lock, Taylor, Carlisle, Hodges, Wensley, Bennett, Davies

Att: 123
Ground Number: 205
Entrance: £7.00 
Programme: £2.00