​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).
​

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?
​
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

The First Qualifying Round of the FA Vase takes place at the end of August. It's an opportunity for those clubs lower down the pyramid to have a cup run, possibly make a few extra pounds and even secure a giant-killing. Plenty of Step 7 sides, especially those with promotion in mind, will relish the chance to pitch their wits against a team in a higher league. With that in mind, BotP managed to get the views of Step 7 Pinxton FC's manager Kenny Shinfield ahead of his club's tie with Step 6 Birstall United.

Pinxton FC, based in the village of Pinxton just off the M1 J28, play their football in the Central Midlands South. They are consistently - barring a blip 3 seasons ago - placed well above halfway in the league. They finished third last season and are once again tipped to be one of the contenders this term. As far as the FA Vase is concerned their best effort was reaching the Third Round in 2015-16, before going down 4-3 at home to Nuneaton Griff. The game was attended by The Wycombe Wanderer (@RussWWFC) . You can read his account here. 

Much as I  feel that the FA Vase is a wonderful competition, we were very interested to get the low-down on what it meant to a club such as Pinxton. Would it be seen as a necessary distraction or is the competition embraced by clubs further down the pyramid? I posed the question to Kenny. His reply, "The FA Vase means everything to a small club like Pinxton. This is the non-league FA Cup. We always like an away trip were we can share the bus with fans and family." In one answer epitomising everything that is good about this competition and non-league football at this level. It's not about personal gain. It's not even about personal or, for that matter, team glory. It's about fans, family and the community.

However, the FA Vase has limited prize money despite it being increased in recent years. The early rounds are very closely regionalised, which keeps travel costs down to a minimum and can create some interesting local derbies. I asked Kenny if there came a point, maybe if the team progresses to a less regionlised round, where the competition became an nonviable prospect for smaller clubs but he was having none of that, stating that every game for Pinxton was special.

So, how far could Pinxton realistically hope to progress this year? I loved the response to this question - "A decent return for a club like Pinxton would be 3 or 4 wins, but you never know and we will give every game our best".
That's the joy of the FA Vase, especially at this stage. The Step 7 sides, and even the majority of Step 6 sides, know that they should only, at the very best, expect to progress to the Second or Third Round. However, there is always that hope that this season they will be the 'minnow' who surprises everyone and keeps a run going to who knows what stage.

Having said Pinxton would give every game their best shot, I was reminded that they finished third in the league last season, an improvement of one place on the previous season. So, would, the focus be on promotion this season? Would progress in the Vase be seen as hindrance to this goal and, consequently, would Kenny consider saving players for league games rather than risk injury in a Vase match and reducing their chances of going up? 

No such thing in mind from the boss though. "Promotion is our main aim, we have been up there for too many seasons to mention, but we will always play our strongest team in the Vase." 

Pinxton's Welfare Ground stadium meets Step 6 requirements, so there would be no problem with them taking a place at that level should they attain promotion.

I was also interested in Kenny's personal thoughts about the FA Vase, especially around the prize money and how far he had managed to progress in the competition as a player. The answer to the latter being not far enough. Pinxton, who Kenny also played for for most of his career, did not enter the Vase until he was already in his 30s. As a result, a 2nd Round appearance was his best return. Maybe he can go further as a manager? 
As for the prize money, Kenny's take on this was - "The money is great, we are playing for nothing week in week out so every little helps for us"

The Vase has provided some lasting memories for Kenny. For instance, in Pinxton's first FA Vase adventure in 2010-11, when a last minute free-kick from Kieron Debrower secured a 2-1 win over Bottesford Town. The following season a depleted Pinxton side travelled down to Nottingham to play Dunkirk. With just 12 players in the squad and two 16 year-olds in the side they made the trip back up the M1 with an unexpected but thoroughly deserved 4-1 victory under their belts.

As the draw for the Second Qualifying Round has already been made, I asked Kenny about the possibility of facing his former club, Heanor Town, in the next round. In true managerial style, the answer was that all thoughts would be on Birstall first but, with Heanor being just a few miles away, the prospect of a local derby would make it a special match with plenty of local interest.

Pinxton v Birstall United - Saturday August 31st (3pm KO) at The Welfare Ground, Pinxton, NG16 6LG. 

​

​A sporting event at 7pm on a Friday evening in July. Not just any Friday evening. The Friday after what has been the hottest week on record for many places across the UK and Europe. Making the long, arduous journey North-East from a starting point near Slough to my destination just to the North of Stamford, Lincolnshire. Cricket you may think? No. Bowls perhaps? No. The reason for my 3 hour journey was, in fact, the first league game of the 2019-20 football season. Yep, football in July and I'm not talking qualifying rounds of the one of the European Greed Leagues. I'm talking proper football. Having said that, with one of the teams being called Peterborough Polonia, an outsider could well have been forgiven for thinking it was a Europa League tie.
What I was really here for was Stamford Lions v Peterborough Polonia, the opening game of the Peterborough and District Premier League season and the first game on the United Counties League & Peterborough District Football Groundhop 2019. 

​The Ground
Lions play their games at the Borderville Sports Centre on the Northern reaches of Stamford. The pitch is directly behind Stamford AFC's Vic Couzens Stadium which, it has to be said, looked in perfect condition for the start of their season in a couple of weeks time.
Lion's ground doesn't have the stands and plush dugouts that The Daniels can offer. However, they do have grass banks behind both goals which make for great viewing spots, adding a great grassroots feel to the place. They also have a couple of gazebos set up for dugouts. I've never seen this before but I think it could catch on at this level. There are constantly reports of vandalism to small grounds and the dugouts quite often bear the brunt. With a gazebo, you can just take it down and lock it away after the game. Great idea.

​The Background
Last season saw Lions finish in a creditable fourth spot. Polonia, in their first season of Premier League football, were stranded at the foot of the table. The sides met three times in total, twice in the league with Stamford winning 6-0 at home and 2-1 away. In the Peterborough Senior Cup meeting, also played at Polonia's Candy Street home, Stamford again came out on top, this time by 5-0.

Looking at the player lists from last season's meetings compared with the team sheet from today, it was clear that Polonia had made some major squad changes over the short break since the season ended and, if I'm not mistaken, have had something of a Lithuanian take over (at least based on the squad list). Of course, the North-Eastern corner of Poland shares a border with Lithuania and, in days gone by, that border has been somewhat fluid I believe. My father-in-law was born in that part of Poland, which is why the possible connection piqued my interest. I'd love to know more about the history of the team and the possible Lithuanian connection. Maybe I'll have to take in a home game at some point?

The Match
Thankfully for the players, the stifling heat of the previous few days had dropped a little by the time we got to kick-off. It was Lions, kicking up the slight incline, who started he stronger giving Kavaliauskas, resplendent in what looked like a Dutch national shirt, plenty to think about in the Polonia goal.
Several efforts had fizzed either at the Polonia keeper or narrowly wide of his goal before, on 19 minutes Stamford broke the deadlock.
Some superb work from Showler on the right flank, twisting his defender inside out before sliding the ball into the path of Duffy-Weekes for the simplest of tap-ins. 1-0.
That should have been the signal for the floodgates to open but Stamford just couldn't turn their dominance into any more goals.
Credit to Polonia. They were being pinned back for the majority of the game but never resorted to just hammering the ball downfield. At every opportunity they tried to get the ball down and play out from the back. You had to admire the way they stuck to their principles of play.

HT Stamford Lions 1 Peterborough Polonia 0. Lions have had the share that their name indicates. However, they've not made the most of their dominance in terms of goals and, at 1-0, Polonia are still in this game even though they have rarely threatened their opponents goal.

The second half started with a brief resurgence from Polonia, who probably spent more time in the Stamford half in the first ten minutes of the second-half than they had in the entire first-half. However, the game soon settled back into the pattern of the first 45 minutes, with Stamford well on top but constantly failing to take advantage due to either a sloppy final ball or good defending from Polonia.
As we approached the hour mark, Stamford had a couple of gilt-edged opportunities that went begging and you started to wonder if they woudl live to regret their profligacy. Sure enough, as if on cue, a rare Polonia raid led to the away side being awarded a penalty after Pentney fouled Puzara. Lukas Bielskis calmly sent Swales the wrong way and it was suddenly 1-1.

The goal gave Polonia belief and for a few minutes after the equaliser it looked as if they might go on to snatch an unlikely there points. However, Stamford regained their composure and started to press for a winner. Their cause was helped on 85 minutes when Vladicka was sent off for a second yellow card offence. However, Lions could not take advantage of the extra man and Polonia saw out the final few minutes to take a share of the spoils.

FT Stamford Lions 1 Peterborough Polonia 1. The away side would, undoubtedly, be the happier. Stamford should really have seen this game off in the first half alone. Still, it's goals that count and they just couldn't add to their tally.
It was great to be back out watching competitive football. Thanks to Stamford Lions for being great hosts - good burgers and decent tea. Good luck to both sides for the rest of the season. Let's hope that the crowds continue to flock to the rest of the ground hop (see below for a list of games). 

Stamford Lions: Swales, Pentney, Aust, Kelly, Gove, Walton, Dunn, Speck, Edwards (c), Duffy-Weekes, Showler. Subs: Ball, Searson, Hunnings, Collins, Hedley
Peterborough Polonia: Kavaliauskas, Macianskis (c), Pratasas, Venckaitis, Krasuckis, Bielskis, Buzas, Zickevicius, Vladicka, Puzara, Aurikas. Subs: Kolojauskas, Zaburas, Akopian, Stalioraitis, Buivydas

Att: 204
Ground Number: 203
Entrance: £5.00 
Programme: £1.00

​Fifty years ago, in a field in New York State, a load of like-minded people got together to celebrate 3 days of peace and music. On July 20th, 2019, a load of like-minded people got together on four football pitches in Berkshire to celebrate their love of football. Now I'm not saying that the Caversham Cup was a big as Woodstock but, believe me, it was certainly an event that has made a mark on the world of grassroots football (and the weather was better).

The Caversham Cup was the idea of Caversham United, The Billy Goats, a Sunday league team from just outside Reading in Berkshire. Over the past year Caversham have gone from almost folding to promotion from Division 4 to Division 2, a cup semi-final appearance  and, through their social media presence, over 4000 Twitter followers including the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma. They have also struck up a deal with the rather brilliant footballkitbox.com (more about them shortly), designing a fantastic new kit (a signed replica of which I am proud to say I have in my possession).
Add to that an alliance with men's charity Balls To Cancer, the main beneficiary of the Caversham Cup idea, and you can see that it has been a busy but fantastically successful year for the club.

Arriving at Burghfield Community Sports Association site I was initially met by a group of Triumph Motorcycle Club enthusiasts who pointed me in the direction of the football tournament - after trying to persuade me to shell out £4 to join their gathering. Having declined their kind offer I ventured across the car park and towards the distant sound of football being played. The first sight I was met with was a ambulance leaving the ground. Not the sort of thing you want to see. It transpired that the Hashtag United goalkeeper had suffered a fractured Tibia. Wishing you speedy recovery @HashtagJacko.

The first person I met was Paul Behan owner of footballkitbox.com who, on spotting my Base of the Pyramid t-shirt, introduced himself. 
Paul had come over from Galway, where his company is based, to support the Caversham Cup. Paul Gutteridge, Caversham United's Chairman, player, tournament organiser and the brains behind their social media campaign, then came over to give me my signed Caversham United shirt. The kit was designed in conjunction with footballkitbox - who are also the Caversham shirt sponsors - following an online shirt design competition.It's a great example of the kind of bespoke shirts that footballkitbox can provide for teams.  The company's mantra is every team should take to the pitch looking and feeling good. Well worth a look in my opinion. Click on this hyperlink for more details.


On the pitches sixteen teams, from far and wide, were taking part. The tournament format was a group stage followed by two separate knockout phases, the top two in each group going into the Quarter-Finals of the main trophy, the Caversham Cup. The remainder would fall into the Quarter-Final draw for the Goat Milk Cup, ensuring that all teams retained an interest in the day for as long as possible.

Group A - Caversham United (Reading), Harchester Hawks (Reading), Hashtag United (Tilbury), Britannia FC (Telford)
Group B - Calcot FC (Reading), Iver Heath (Iver), White Horse (Sittingbourne), Park Rangers (Telford)
Group C - Hurst Reserves (Hurst), Loxwood Park Rangers (Reading), El Valiente (East London), Rectory Rovers (Southend)
Group D - Watlington Town Reserves (Watlington), Reading United (Reading), Bilbrook Juniors Spartans (Wolverhampton), Stacey Bushes (Milton Keynes)

​After a number of hours of entertaining football, played in very dry and sunny conditions despite the weather forecast of thunderstorms, it all boiled down to two Finals. Hashtag United defeating Park Rangers to win the Caversham Cup and hosts Caversham United beating Rectory Rovers to lift the inaugural Goat Milk Cup.

Judging by the comments on Twitter during and after the tournament the day was a massive success with many teams hinting at wanting another crack at the winning it next year. Personally, I hope that it does become a fixture in the footballing calendar. It must have been hard work for the organisers, especially Paul who I know put in a lot of hours. The day seemed to run very smoothly but I can imagine there was still quite a lot going on behind the scenes. I also know that there was a late withdrawal from one of the original teams with a replacement hastily organised, a referee pulled out, and Caversham's captain Sadiq Aneal picked up a nasty injury in a friendly the week before the tournament. He still managed to make an appearance in his wheelchair.

It's not possible to do justice to the Caversham Cup in a short blog post. I suggest checking out the @CavershamUnited Twitter feed or searching #CavershamCup to see the pictures and comments from the day. One thing is for certain. If there is to be a Caversham Cup repeat next year I plan to be there form the opening whistle until the final trophy is lifted. It's too good to miss a minute.

Att: 
Ground Number: 202
Entrance: £0.00 
Programme: £2.00

​A late season opportunity to keep the live football action going before the Summer. Not only that but this wa to be my 200th different stadium visited to watch non-league football. I'm not sure how I feel about this landmark figure being reached at the home of a professional club, although it looks unlikely to be the home of Coventry City next season. In fact, at the time of writing, the entire future of The Sky Blues seems to be in doubt. A sorry state of affairs

The Background
I didn't really know a lot about the Coventry Telegraph Cup before this evening but was very pleased to find a nice piece on the history of the competiton in the match day programme. The first Coventry Challenge Cup Final was won by Leamington Town in 1893. Both of the sides in this evening's final, current holders Coventry Copsewood and Triumph Athletic, have won the cup twice under their current guises. However, once again thanks to the match day programme, it appears that Copsewood can claim 8 trophies over the years, under various names, whilst Triumph can lay claim to nine cup wins again under different names.
In this season's competition both sides began with a bye in the First Round. Coventry Copsewood then travelled to Stratford in Round Two, coming back with a resounding 5-1 victory. Triump took on another Coventry side, Alvis, beating them 1-0 at home. In Round Three Coventry Copsewood were at home to Chelmsley Town, beating them 2-1 whislt Triumph gave Whitnash a 5-1 lesson in Leamington.
In the Semi-Finals Coventry Copsewood went through with a 3-0 scoreline against Christ The King. Triumph were up against, somewhat confusingly, Copsewood (Coventry) a fellow Coventry Alliance League side. After a 1-1 draw Athletic progressed to the final with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory.

​The Ground
Entrance to the West Stand at the Ricoh Stadium is certainly one of the more unusual approaches to a ground. Entering the main entrance to the complex from the car park, you find yourself in an atrium not dissimilar to a US style office block. A hotel and casino are off to the right hand side but, on this evening, an attendant pointed the football crowd off to the left where a table was set up to take the entrance fee and sell the programmes. From there, you walked through a door into the concessions area behind the west Stand.

The Game
The game kicked off in old-fashioned football style with both sides getting in some crunching 'let them know you're here' tackles, much to the satisfaction of the assembled crowd in the West Stand of the Ricoh.
Triumph, defying the fact that they play their league games at a step lower than their opponents, made the brighter start of the two sides, certainly for the opening two or three minutes. Having said that, they were almost caught out after 5 minutes when Copsewood's lively striker, Daniel Kavanagh shot wide. The effort seemed to wake Copsewood up and they began to get a foothold on the game. Indeed, after 8 minutes, they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box which produced an effort no too far off target.

The pace of Kavanagh and the quick feet and trickery of Jak Redhead were causing a few problems for the Triumph defence but, on the other hand, Athletic also looked like they could pose plenty of problems at the the other end, especially with the long throw-ins from Kyle Walker, who seemed to be able to reach the penalty are from pretty much anywhere inside the Copsewood half.
Just over halfway through the first-half Copsewood were awarded another free-kick on the edge of the box. The attempt at goal was absolutely hammered and would have given the keeper no chance if it had been a foot or so lower.

Then, as the half was drawing to a close the breakthrough finally came, not for Copsewood as the balance of play would have suggested, but for Triumph. Luke Comasky chased a ball into the Copsewood penalty area and was brought down by keeper Dale O'Donnell. Nick Walker stepped up and calmly stroked home the spot-kick to give Athletic the lead. 0-1.
The response from Copsewood was almost immediate. They surged forward with some urgency, creating some havoc in the Triumph penalty area. Kavanagh was first to react to a loose ball, turning it into the net only to see the assistant's flag up for offside after the referee had already blown for the goal. Some consultation followed before the referee took the assistant's advice and cancelled out the goal. I have to say that from my position, which wasn't quite in line but wasn't too far off, Kavanagh looked to be easily onside and it looked to be a very harsh decision on Copsewood.

HT Coventry Copsewood 0 Triumph Athletic 1. A great start from Triumph countered well by Copsewood who then had the better of the half. However, Triumph took their chance and lead slightly against the run of play.

​If Kavanagh was disappointed that his name wasn't on the score sheet after the disallowed effort, he certainly didn't show it and just a few minutes into the second half it was the same player who burst through, latching onto a ball over the top of the Triumph defence before finishing powerfully past the keeper. 1-1.
Just past the hour mark Copsewood were awarded another free-kick also just outside the penalty but this time a few yards right of centre. Captain Daniel Fraser stood over it before curling in a beautiful effort which went in off the far post giving Bryce no chance whatsoever. 2-1

Triumph didn't let their heads drop after going behind but Copsewood were looking a lot more composed now. They were the current cup holders and they were clearly not going to let the trophy go easily.
With there minutes left on the clock and with Triumph pushing people forward in search of an equaliser, Kavanagh was again able to use his pace to get in behind the defence. Once again his finish was clinical, making it 3-1 and seemingly sealing the victory.
Again, great credit to Athletic though, they dusted themselves down and even with just a few minutes to go did not throw in the towel. On the 90 minute mark they got some rewards for their persistence when Owen Wassall was sent through by a delightful, clipped ball. He, in turn, applied a deft finish to make it 3-2.

As it turned out, there was not enough time for Triumph to get back on level terms despite pushing almost everyone up front for a frantic minute or so.

FT Coventry Copsewood 3 Triumph Athletic 2. Athletic played their part in an entertainign Cup Final but on the balance of the entire game Copsewood gained a thoroughly deserved victory and retained the Challenge Cup.


Coventry Copsewood: O'Donnell, Bartram, Fraser(c), Fesel, Rooney, Stringer, Dodds, Welland, Piper, Kavanagh, Redhead. Subs: Whitelaw, Rawlings, Brandish, Davies, Osborne
Triumph Athletic: Bryce, T.Atkins, Suddick, K.Walker, R.Atkins(c), Chamberlain, N.Walker, Normoyle, Comasky, Freeman, Cooper. Subs: Wassall, Barlow, Irwin, Budd, Fletcher
Att:
Ground Number: 200
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: £1.00

As I was already in the Midlands on Tuesday, it seemed like a reasonable idea to head over to Walsall in the evening to take in the final of the Les James Challenge Cup, being played at Walsall's Banks's Stadium.

The Background
A little pre-match research showed that, of the two sides, it was Knowle who had the greater pedigree in the competition, although it had been a while since they manged to take the trophy home. In the 1996-97 season they had won the cup 5-4 on penalties after drawing 3-3 with Kings Heath. Borough, although not yet victors, had made the final just two season's previously, going down 2-1 to Paget Rangers.
 
Progress in this season's competition (thanks to the very informative match-day programme for making this research very easy) looked like this:

Knowle - FC Shush (h) 3-3 (5-4 pens), GNP SPorts (a) 3-3 (P), Birmingham Tigers (h) 3-0, Enville Athletic (a) 1-0
Borough - Feckenham (h) 5-1, Bolmere Sports & Social (h) 1-0, Continental Star (a) 1-0, Inkberrow (h) 4-0

League-wise neither side has set the world alight this season. Knowle finished in 8th spot with 42 points. Borough four places and ten points lower. The two league meetings had both ended in home wins, Redditch winning 2-1 and Knowle 3-0, giving no real indication of the possible outcome on a neutral ground. Interestingly, both sides had played Coventry Alvis in their final league outings and both had lost. Knowle went down 2-1 whilst Borough had been beaten 6-1 on their own patch. 

​The Game
It was Redditch, playing in their change kit of all blue, who made the better start of the two sides with Jak Albutt immediately making a real nuisance of himself with his bustling, battling style. However, they failed to make the most of their good start, allowing Knowle to gradually work their way back into the game.

​Then, as so often happens when a side has been on the back foot for a while, Knowle suddenly looked the more dangerous, forcing a corner on their right after 24 minutes. The ball was delivered into a dangerous area  where it was met by a Knowle head. Only a slight deflection prevented a goal, the ball clipping the top of the bar and going for another corner. Borough, however, did not learn their lesson and, when this corner was delivered deeper, towards the back post, it was met by the head of Louis Bridges, who powered the ball back across the keeper and into the far corner. 1-0.

​Redditch, after looking the better side for the opening 15 minutes, found themselves behind and wobbling a little. Five minutes after going a goal behind, they really should have conceded again. A move down the Knowle left flank led to a cross finding their number 8, unmarked in the box but he couldn't get his header on target when he maybe should have scored. A let off for Borough, and one that they capitalised on after 35 minutes when they were awarded a penalty. Billy Garvey stepped up and calmly slotted home the spot-kick. 1-1
The boot was now firmly back on the other foot with Redditch winning the ball back almost immediately from the restart, raiding down their left flank. The cross was delivered over to the back post and was then hooked back into the mix where Khurum Iqbal was on hand to steer the ball low past Johnson's despairing dive to make it 1-2. A great turnaround from the Robins.

HT Knowle 1 Redditch Borough 2. Redditch deserve their lead and have been the better side despite conceding the first goal.

​It's hard to know what to write about the second-half. Knowle came out with a steely determination to get themselves back on level terms and, to their credit, the majority of the half was played in the Borough half of the pitch. However, Redditch defended resolutely whilst still looking quite dangerous on the break. Knowle, despite all of their efforts, just could not find a way through the Borough back-line and Redditch were able to see out the half, including 7 minutes of stoppage time, to take the trophy for the first time.




​FT Knowle 1 Redditch Borough 2. Great spirit from Redditch to fight back from a goal down but Knowle showed equal spirit in their second half performance. It was hard to separate them sides overall and a shame that there had to be a loser.

Knowle (from): Bridges, Cullen, Davis, Else, Ingram, Payne, Powell, Ruck, Seeley, Weeks, Johnson. Subs: Ajayi, Brooks, Healey, Fox, Oakley
Redditch Borough: Gandy, Turner, Bruce, Iqbal, Hatfield (c), Denham, Westwood, Hall, Albutt, Garvey, Wilkinson. Subs: Bennett, Birch, Sargent, Davies, Ruppenthal, Smith

Att: 203
Ground Number: 199
Entrance: £5.00
Programme: £1.00