FA else to do - Midweek Matchgoing Sept 22-24

[Artificial Hipster]

Radcliffe v Workington for me.

Radcliffe's Twitter feed has put up a Spotify playlist for the evening which leans a bit too heavily towards the detritus of Madchester for my liking (both Gallagher brothers' solo bands for example) but with the likes of Buzzcocks, Black Grape and AC-DC included it's certainly more imaginative than most.

[Ray de Galles]

Chalfont St Peter v Farnborough for me, also in the Cup.

I'm unaware of any playlist the hosts may have curated for the occasion, Ozzy Osbourne used to live nearby so maybe 'Shot In The Dark' from his back catalogue will make an appearance over the PA?

[Uros Predic]

FA Cup action for me too; Whyteleafe vs Binfield who, for a team formed in 1892 and nicknamed The Moles, have a decidedly anticlimactic club crest.

[The Mighty Trin]

Barking 6 v Dunstable Town 1 FA Cup First Qualifying Round

I missed the opening Barking goal on seven minutes as I was taking a photo of an excellent dalmatian that had been brought into the ground. Barking also hit the post three times and missed a penalty.

[elguapo4]

Appropriate to take a picture of a dog when Barking are playing.

[cantagalo]

West Bridgford 0 Halesowen Town 1

Halesowen deserved their win but WB did well to stay in contention against a team two levels above them and even had a couple of half chances late on to take it to penalties.

A short distance away behind closed doors, Notts County were losing 1-0 to Harrogate in last season's FA Trophy semi-final in what could be their last competitive game for some considerable time.

[The Mighty Trin]

Appropriate to take a picture of a dog when Barking are playing.

A couple of 'wags' made that comment to me at the game.

[Ray de Galles]

Chalfont St Peter 2 Farnborough 3
FA Cup First Qualifying Round

The best match I've seen so far this season by some distance, an absolutely cracking cup tie full of attacking football. The excellent kit match up that was apparent when the teams ran out was very promising and the match lived up to it.

The hosts were 2-0 up within eleven minutes through a long range shot that seemed to bamboozle the keeper and a fantastic solo run and finish from a forward who looked to be about 6'7". Farnborough are a level up and seemed to be stung in to action, spending the rest of the half in all out attack and finally managing to pull one back just before the half hour. A header from a free kick was parried by the keeper but Farnborough's number 9 scored from an excellent diving header off the rebound (which I inadvertently caught on camera below).

The visitors kept up the pressure in the second half and equalised through a penalty on the 78th minute before immediately going looking for a winner. That came right as the clock hit the 90th minute after a shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down for the linesman to flag it had cross the line. They even had time to hit the bar in injury time trying to secure the win.

[Jumbo McGinnis]

337 watched Harlow v Waltham Abbey last night, which is some uplift from 177 on Saturday for Harlow’s game against FC Romania. For a bit of context, Waltham Abbey got 105 for their home game on Saturday, I’ve forgotten who they played though.

The game was effectively ended when a Harlow player was shown a second yellow only a couple of minutes after receiving his first. He and the Abbey keeper went for the ball but he caught the keeper so was sent off and rightly so, despite people around me claiming the ball was there to be won. Whilst Harlow were attempting to recover, Abbey scored almost immediately and the rest of the game was a battling performance from Harlow, with ten men, though they did go down to nine men deep into injury time after one of their players lunged quite dangerously at an Abbey player.

[Ray de Galles]

Does anyone know why it is "First Qualifying Round' in the FA Cup but "First Round Qualifying" in the FA Vase?

[Uros Predic]

Whyteleafe 2-0 Binfield
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round

I always like going to Whyteleafe, and that's still the case after last night's visit. Good competitive game on the pitch; though 'Leafe always looked the better footballing side and showed their divisional superiority with a goal in each half; a first half penalty and a well taken goal on the break in the second half. Binfield's main threat was set pieces, possessing both a guy with a very long throw and nine outfield giants. But the Whyteleafe central defenders did a really good job of dealing with these, so the only efforts the visitors had were wild swings from the edge of the box that disappeared over the stand roof; save for one that was well saved by the keeper.

Off the pitch Whyteleafe were certainly the most Covid cautious of all the clubs I've been to so far, and I was impressed by their set up. They'd closed off the car-park and used that as an outdoor bar/refreshments area to allow much more space. So you bought a ticket to enter the car-park, gave your details for track and chase; then used the ticket to enter the ground (and leave and re-enter if visiting the bar etc.) And in the ground they'd marked off seats to aid social distancing too, which I'd not yet seen a non-league club do. 253 in attendance apparently.

[Ray de Galles]

I love the idea of "track and chase". It conjures up an image of the Whyeleafe officials chasing Uros and his matchgoing companion around suburban Surrey with Yakkety Sax playing over the top.

[Uros Predic]

I love the idea of "track and chase". It conjures up an image of the Whyeleafe officials chasing Uros and his matchgoing companion around suburban Surrey with Yakkety Sax playing over the top.

I wouldn't give my details for any other kind of system.

[Artificial Hipster]

Radcliffe 5-3 Workington
FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round

So I missed AC-DC but caught Liam Gallagher which was a bit disappointing. The game wasn’t too shabby though!

A bonus for me before kick off was discovering that ex-Rochdale favourite, Jean Louis Akpa-Akpro was lining up for the home team. Jean never managed to nail down a regular starting spot with us but who doesn’t love having a bit of flair and unpredictability on the bench?

Radcliffe kicked off down a pronounced slope on a perfect pitch, lightly dusted with drizzle but it was the visitors, from a step below them who played by far the more eye-catching football in the first half, fizzing the ball from flank to flank with confidence and panache and reaping an early reward when a defensive lapse left, oh, one of their players to lift the ball neatly over ex-Bury stopper Cameron Belford in the Radcliffe goal.

Radcliffe’s approach was much more direct, bordering on route one at times with the 9 foot Andy Owens lining up alongside JLAA in their attack. Eventually the tactic of playing for knock downs worked with on this occasion Owens himself picking up the loose ball to slam home the equaliser on the half hour. My man JL could have given the home team an undeserved half time lead, racing on to what I’ll generously describe as a through ball rather than a long punt to dink the ball neatly over the Reds’ keeper only for it to drift agonisingly wide.

A decent half then but nothing compared to what was to follow. Boro’ boss (I’ve yet to comprehend why Radcliffe lost the Borough from their name but kept it as a nickname) Lee Fowler clearly had a few choice words to say at HT as his side were a completely different prospect after the re-start, both centre backs and their left back especially making surging runs out of defence with the ball at their feet rather than treating it as though it might carry the virus and needing to be got rid of as soon as possible. Workington simply carried on where they left off though, breaking with pace and purpose and by just after the hour mark were 3-1 ahead, with only the width of a post preventing it from being 4.

What I would describe as the game changing goal came with just less than 20 minutes to go. Radcliffe captain Matthew Crothers stepping up to the plate to curl a delightful free kick around the wall into the top corner of the Workington goal to reduce the deficit to 1. Akpa-Akpro then finally got in on the goal scoring act, poking home from close range following a corner.

It was still anybody’s game though. Belford made amends for only diverting an earlier shot into a Workington striker’s path for their third by diving spectacularly to deny them a fourth. Somewhere around this point Workington were reduced to 10 men, one of their centre backs picking up a second yellow card. Did this change the outcome? It didn’t stop Workington attacking but when Matthew Crothers received the ball right on 90 mintues, 25 yards from goal, in almost exactly the same position his earlier free kick was from, he had time to pick his spot again and smash the ball into the same corner of the goal. Cue delirium on the terraces. Cue 12 foot striker not wanting to be overshadowed by his captain. Incredibly, Owens’ second of the night was an near exact replica of that which preceded it, hit from the same spot and if anything with even more venom. Double the delirium on the terraces!

If I hope to see a better game all season I might as well spare myself the disappointment and give up now.

[Forest Gump]

Walthamstow 0-0 St Margaretsbury (Walthamstow won 4-3 on penalties)
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round

Walthamstow's third penalty shoot-out win this season, and second in four days. The St Mags keeper had a blinder, and was helped by some very last-ditch defending, I think at least five shots were blocked on the line. St Mags had one real chance all game when our keeper dropped a routine cross, but we had enough defenders back to somehow keep it out. Top scorer Charncey Dash was pushed over for a 90th minute penalty, but he smashed it over the bar (though not as badly as that poor bloke from Ayeslbury in the video doing the rounds). Dash had the balls to take our 5th penalty though, and got this one well on target.

We're now in the 2nd qualifying round for the third time in five years. Not bad for a step 5 side.

Another 300 attendance means we're averaging about 230 for the season, compared to about 70-80 last season. Admitedly three of our five home games have been in the FA Cup, but we had 109 for the visit of Southend Manor in the league. That's unheard of.

[Artificial Hipster]

Have I finally got picture posting sorted?

One of last night's 9 re-starts, the 5th I think.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Midland Football League Premier Division. AFC Wulfrunians 1-1 Lye Town.

My original plan of recompleting Hellenic Division 1 East went out of the window when Penn & Tylers Green vs AFC Aldermaston got postponed due to the away team having a positive covid test. So instead a third ground in the Midland Premier this season, still need another 4 to complete the division and getting one of Worcester City's 300 tickets could be tricky.
Wulfrunians have a cracking main stand, other than that it's just a metre's hard standing around the rest of the ground.

[cantagalo]

I'm just off to Selston now. Is that one of your missing Midland Premier grounds?

[Ray de Galles]

That Wulfrunians stand certainly is nice, it looks identical to the one at Met Police.

What's with The Mark of the Beast on the side, do they share with a rugby club?

[Merlin the happy pig]

Went to Selston vs Worcester City last season, so that's ticked off. Need Worcester, Haughmond, Newark & Long Eaton.

Wulfrunians lease the ground off of the RFU, there is a Rugby (and Cricket) ground on site as well.

[cantagalo]

I'm just amazed that I've managed to go to one ground (Long Eaton) that you haven't!

[Merlin the happy pig]

I'd imagine you've done a few more than one that I haven't given the amount of grounds in this country.
It can all be a bit random where I end up on a Saturday afternoon, especially if I'm trying to get a double header in. I'll be keeping a close eye on the FA Cup draw and hoping the early kick off is somewhere I haven't been.

[cantagalo]

Selston 0 Heather St John's 2

Things are looking up a bit for Selston after their 12-0 mauling by Long Eaton. The players were so embarrassed they paid for their fans' entrance to the Vase tie against Eastwood which they won on penalties after scoring a last minute equaliser.

Tonight they created the better chances against a good footballing side in Heather St John's. Two late goals won it for the visitors but Selston can take encouragement from their performance.

[fatbear]

Whyteleafe 2-0 Binfield
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round

Off the pitch Whyteleafe were certainly the most Covid cautious of all the clubs I've been to so far, and I was impressed by their set up. They'd closed off the car-park and used that as an outdoor bar/refreshments area to allow much more space. So you bought a ticket to enter the car-park, gave your details for track and chase; then used the ticket to enter the ground (and leave and re-enter if visiting the bar etc.) And in the ground they'd marked off seats to aid social distancing too, which I'd not yet seen a non-league club do. 253 in attendance apparently.

Thame United also taped off some seats in the stand to ensure social distancing.

[Jumbo McGinnis]

Harlow Town haven’t taped off any seats at all but they’ve closed off the covered terrace behind the dugouts. I’m not sure why to be honest, as when it rains, everyone congregates, understandably, in the seated area. Whereas, when I’ve been before and it’s rained, there’s still some distance between groups on the terracing.