FA Cup Third Qualifying Round

The First Round proper is now in tantalising reach of many clubs and this weekend sees 40 ties taking place up and down the country at the last stage before the entry of National League sides into the competition.

Saturday is a huge day for Ashton Athletic, of the North West Counties Football League, as they host Chorley FC in a 12.30pm kick-off that is being streamed live by the BBC.

pic.twitter.com/NgXyixjxQi

— Ashton Athletic FC (@AshtonAthletic) 27 September 2017

Admission is as above but a mention also to neighbours Ashton Town AFC, who are not only urging their own supporters to go and watch the FA Cup tie but are also offering free admission to their 3pm kick-off against Knutsford to anyone who has come straight from the other game.

Free International Football At Saint Mirren

The Paisley 2021 Stadium will host Scotland Women's National Team when they take on Albania in a World Cup qualifier on 24 October.

Admission to the 7.30pm kick-off will be free to all and a big crowd will hopefully be in attendance to welcome back the team for their first home fixture since taking part in Euro 2017.

One other line from the Women's game and a number of clubs will be playing at the main stadium of their Men's counterparts next month.

Bramall Lane will host Sheffield United Ladies against Leeds United in the SSE Women's FA Cup on Sunday 8th October at 12pm (admission £3/£2) while Orient WFC will take on Billericay in the same competition at the Matchroom Stadium (Sun 8th at 2.30pm, admission £3 & £1 and free for Leyton Orient season ticket holders).

And in the FA Women's Premier League, on 11 October at 7.45pm, Charlton Athletic Ladies take on West Ham at The Valley. Admission is priced at £5 and £2.

Felixstowe & Walton United, Tonbridge Angels (Non-League Day)

Good times for the Seasiders of Felixstowe & Walton United, Saturday's victory against Wivenhoe Town making it 11 wins out of 11 in the Eastern Counties League this season.

That goes some way to explaining increased attendances in 2017/18 but the club themselves say that gates are up by 500% over the past five years at the Goldstar Ground.

A thriving set-up at all levels will be celebrated on Non-League Day 2017 which Felixstowe are combining with their 'Youth Day'.

Admission to the home fixture with Ely City will be 'Pay What You Want' in addition to the usual free entry for Under 16's.

In the Bostik (Isthmian) Premier League on NLD there is Football for a Fiver at Tonbridge Angels for the visit of Wingate & Finchley FC.

That price is for Adults and Seniors, 13-17's can come in for £4 while accompanied Under 13's are free.

Upcoming Premier League 2 Fixtures

The new season of matches in Premier League 2 has given supporters an opportunity to see games at the Emirates Stadium and Anfield, among others, usually for less than a fiver and at family-friendly times.

 

Unscientifically, over the years I have been writing the blog, it seems that more clubs are making more of an effort to make something of these fixtures. The likes of Norwich City and Reading have always been good at promoting them and Derby County are very active as well but even the bigger clubs are now making it easier to find about when the games are taking place and how much it will cost to attend them.

 

Even if fixtures are not played at a club’s main stadium, playing at an accessible venue, with a decent kick-off time, is a positive. Manchester United, for example, are regulars at Leigh Sports Village with entry to the matches being free of charge.

 

On Monday 23 October, United Under 23's take on Liverpool at the stadium, kick-off 7pm.

 

The official Premier League website provides a starting point for finding a game to go to but the official club websites are the best place to go to for specific details and to keep up with any changes.

 

Scheduled for the next month or so are matches at the London Stadium (West Ham versus Manchester United on Sunday 15 October), the Emirates (Arsenal against Sunderland the following evening) and the King Power (Leicester take on Swansea on Monday 23 October).

Swindon Supermarine FC

Supermarine have featured on these pages before with their innovative efforts to keep admission prices low.

This season, for instance, thanks to a sponsorship deal with Imagine Cruising, prices have been reduced to £6 Adults, £4 Concessions and free for Under 11's and supporters enjoying those prices will also be pleased with an unbeaten start to the campaign in both the league and the FA Cup where Gosport Borough, of one division higher, were beaten last Saturday to earn a home tie against Paulton Rovers on 30 September.

Before that, this coming Saturday, for the visit of Didcot Town in the Southern League, West Division, it will be free entry to the Webbswood Stadium to celebrate the 50th birthday of chairman Jez Webb.

West Didsbury & Chorlton

A warm welcome as always at Brookburn Road for Saturday's game between West Didsbury & Chorlton and Runcorn Town, the visitors making it eight wins out of eight at the top of the North West Counties League with a 4-2 victory.

Next up for West, at home, is the FA Vase tie with Stockport Town this coming Saturday. Admission to this very friendly club is £5 Adults, £3 Concessions and free for Under 12's.

Newmarket Town, Chesham United (Non-League Day)

The nicknames of some clubs are easy to have a guess at, a horseracing theme at Newmarket Town always likely to be a firm favourite.

The Jockeys host their annual Youth Day to coincide with this season's Non-League Day when Histon are the visitors  to the Ridgeons Stadium on Saturday 7 October in the Eastern Counties League.

Admission is just £2 for Adults and free for Under 16's when purchased via the club website (usual adult prices will apply on the gate).

Entry to the game between Chesham United against Royston Town in the Southern League Premier Division on Non-League Day is on a 'Pay What You Want' basis with the club also distributing hundreds of free tickets to Under 18's in the local area via schools, youth and sports clubs.

Chairman Brian McCarthy told the club website: "We are delighted to be able to participate in the celebrations of Non-League Day by encouraging more and more of the local community along to the club to see what goes on at a football match in Chesham, enjoying the unique atmosphere of non-league football and hopefully be impressed with the facilities we enjoy at The Meadow."

Links

The following sites have been invaluable to me in writing this blog and are well worth a visit.

The London Football Guide - James Doe is the man behind Non-League Day and set up TLFG to provide a comprehensive guide to football (at all levels) in the capital and its suburbs. On a weekly basis he runs through all of the fixtures of note and is also happy to answer queries from anyone coming to London and looking to catch a match.

With its focus on a similar patch geographically, The Cold End combines news and match previews with reports, highlights and some great photographs of Non-League football in London, Hertfordshire & Beyond.

If there is anything you need to know about football in Oxfordshire then the Oxon Football blog covers everything from Oxford United downwards while Football in Bracknell is an excellent not for profit site that doesn't leave a stone unturned when reporting on football at all levels in the Berkshire town.

Women’s football features regularly on these pages and the excellent She Kicks website has features, stats and regular fixture updates covering all levels of the game in the UK with Scottish Women's Football performing a similar function in its area.

The official FA WSL site also has an easy-to-navigate fixture list with ticket info and links.

Non-League Matters is a good resource for fixtures, tables and stats from all levels of the game below the Football League and the Forum part of the site has a section where special ticket offers, free and reduced admission and ‘Pay What You Want’ fixtures can be publicised.

The Northern Counties East Football League is my local Step 5 league and the home of Hallam FC who have featured regularly on the site. The NCEFL website is an excellent resource for results and fixtures while many of the clubs in the league feature on the Non League Yorkshire website which has a wealth of news, match reports and opinion from across the county.

North of the border, Scottish Football Fixtures does exactly what it says in the title with day-by-day fixtures from all levels of the Scottish game and regular Twitter updates.

FA Cup Second Qualifying Round

The road to Wembley continues with the entry into the competition of teams from the National League North and South this weekend and fixtures up and down the country.

I was at Handsworth Parramore for an FA Cup tie last season when they knocked out Stocksbridge Park Steels and the club, proudly from Sheffield but based in Worksop at present, are gearing up for possibly the biggest game in their history on Saturday.

FC United of Manchester are the visitors and, commendably, admission prices are untouched from a normal match day which means £5 for Adults and £3 for Concessions.

I asked the club on Twitter about the expected crowd and they will be delighted with 600+ so hopefully this article will add one or two more on to that figure.

Wembley For £10 Next Week

A quick line on Tottenham's League Cup tie against either Barnsley or Derby County on Tuesday 19th September (as I'm writing the Tykes and the Rams are playing their delayed Second Round tie) for which Spurs are looking to attract a healthy crowd.

While it feels very strange to be talking about a trip to Wembley in September, fair play to Spurs for reducing prices to £10 Adults and £5 for Under 18's and Over 65's.

Scottish Lowland Football League

Founded in 2013 as part of the implementation of a pyramid system in the Scottish game, the Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL) provides a route into the Scottish League via play-offs between the SLFL winners and their Highland League counterparts before a further match against the bottom club in Scottish League Two.

Edinburgh City made the step up in 2016 before East Kilbride lost out at the final hurdle at the end of last season.

 

16 teams from central and southern Scotland make up the league and the likes of Gretna FC 2008 (with their pre-season Raydale Cup tournament) and Spartans FC have featured on these pages in the past.

 

The SLFL will, on Saturday October 7 (the university clash between Stirling and Edinburgh is on the Friday evening), be an active part of this year’s Non-League Day with a full programme of 8 matches taking place and the only distraction being matches in the Irn-Bru Cup.

 

As the league themselves say: ‘the day will present an exciting opportunity for fans of SPFL teams to come along and experience a family friendly day out at the football' and to watch 'quality football at an affordable price.'

New Investment Brings New Impetus At Southport FC

Following his appointment to the board of directors at Southport FC and a recent investment in the club, the arrival of Phil Hodgkinson has seen a concerted effort to reach out to lapsed supporters and attract new ones to the Merseyside club.

Prior to Saturday's home game against Kidderminster Harriers in the National League North, season tickets were relaunched for the 2017/18 campaign, costing £110 for an Adult on the terraces and offering 17 matches for the price of 8.

Non League Day 2017

And for Tuesday evening's visit of Harrogate Town to the Merseyrail Community Stadium, 1,000 free or discounted tickets have been made available, the first 500 costing nothing and the next 500 priced at £4.

It is all part of what is being called a 'thorough re-engagement process' with both existing fans and the town itself.

Speaking to the Southport Visiter newspaper, Phil Hodgkinson said: "We are embarking on a new chapter in the History of Southport Football Club, it is time for those fans who have stayed away and also drifted away in recent years, to come back."

A Barcelona Alternative

A view of the action in the Spanish Tercera Division as CE Europa take on Castelldefels in the Barcelona district of Gracia on Saturday evening, a couple of hours prior to a more high-profile derby match, between Barcelona and Espanyol at Camp Nou.

The Nou Sardenya stadium is certainly slightly different to the norm and, with admission at 10 Euros, makes for an interesting alternative if you are ever in the city and fancy watching a match.

The FA Vase First Round Qualifying

The Road to Wembley may already have ended for many clubs in the FA Cup but the dream begins again this weekend with a massive 220 First Round Qualifying ties taking place.

There will be a host of local derbies and plenty of Football for a Fiver, starting on Friday night in Lincolnshire...

Two days to go until our first ever @FA Vase game against @Holbeach_UtdFC pic.twitter.com/3V5adrPmY9

— Pinchbeck United (@PinchbeckUnited) 6 September 2017

Tranmere Rovers FC

It's just over two years since I wrote an upbeat article on the fortunes of Tranmere Rovers, despite their relegation to the National League.

I said at the time that some clubs deserve praise 'not because they have necessarily slashed prices but because of the transparency with which they make their pricing decisions' and cited the Birkenhead club as a case in point.

Rovers return to the Football League has yet to materialise, their 95-point haul last season not enough for automatic promotion before I saw them stunned by three first-half Forest Green Rovers goals in the play-off final at Wembley, but the club themselves remain well-run by Mark and Nicola Palios and still a huge part of the local community.

Prenton Park hosts England Women versus Russia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday 19 September with tickets for the 7pm kick-off priced at £10 for Adults and just £1 for Children and Concessions.

Before then this a double-header of action at the ground this weekend.

On Saturday Rovers take on Barrow and, to mark Women in Football Day, admission for all Under 18's is just £2.

Vice chairman Nicola Palios told the official TRFC website: "There are already a lot of girls' football teams and other groups booked to come to the England game and we hope they’ll take advantage of our special offer and come and try some National League football for only £2."

And on Sunday there is a Premier League 2 fixture between Liverpool Under 23's and Manchester City at 1pm. General admission is priced at £3 for Adults and £1 for Children and Concessions.

Non-League Day 2017

With the first international break of the season upon us, thoughts are already turning to Non-League Day 2017, the eighth staging of the event which takes place this year on Saturday 7 October to coincide with the next break in the action in the Premier League and Championship.

Announcing their plans very early were Dulwich Hamlet FC where it will be 'Pay What You Want' for the visit of Needham Market. Last season more than £3,000 was given to charity and all profit after the usual match costs will this year benefit two more local causes.

At Top Field where Hitchin Town host Stratford Town in the Southern League Premier Division it will also be 'Pay What You Want' admission. Hitchin have used PWYW on a number of occasions over the past couple of seasons and secretary Roy Izzard wrote in his weekly update recently that they had always 'produced more income than was budgeted for full price admission.'

An attendance of 1,000 is the aim at Hitchin while Paget Rangers of the Midland Football League are looking to get 200+ through the gate when they entertain Uttoxeter Town on Non-League Day. Again, this game is 'Pay What You Want' at the turnstiles.