Wembley in Sight

 

For the 16 teams left in the FA Vase with Fifth Round Proper ties taking place this coming Saturday, 10th February.

After a dismal weekend for both United and Wednesday, supporters of Sheffield's two big clubs may be looking forward to taking refuge in the welcoming surroundings of Sandygate, home of Hallam FC of the Northern Counties East League.

The Countrymen have made great strides, on and off the pitch, over the past few years and another big crowd will be in attendance for their last sixteen game at home to Lincoln United.

Tickets have been on sale in recent weeks, to help with spectator flows, but on the gate admission will also be available at just £6 adults, £4 concessions.

Kings For A Day

 

A view from the smart main stand at Butlin Road, home of Rugby Town FC, taken in 2016.

'The Valley' are currently sitting at the top of the United Counties Premier League Division South and host second-placed Coventry Sphinx this coming Saturday (admission £8/£4) at 3pm.

They don't begin their FA Vase campaign until the 2nd Round Proper in a few weeks time but it would be a fitting season in which to land some silverware as next year will mark 40 years since a famous Wembley triumph for the club, then known as VS Rugby.

I was in the stands on that day as Jimmy Knox's side defeated Halesowen Town by a single goal, a landmark occasion that is rightly celebrated every year by the surviving members of the team, while, as the Rugby Observer reported in 2020, paying tribute to Knox and others they have lost as they do so.

It's a great reminder that playing both the Vase and FA Trophy finals at Wembley means so much to those players, officials and supporters from the teams that make it through so many rounds to get there and that, hopefully, the current policy of both matches taking place in a double-header at the national stadium can continue.

In another 40 years time I'm sure there will be get-togethers for those who played their part in Newport Pagnell Town FC lifting the trophy earlier this year.

The First Round proper of the Vase takes place this weekend and there are 103 ties taking place in total. You'd be hard-pressed to find any that will cost more than a tenner to watch so get along to see your local side if possible.

Northern League Brandon United, for example, have a Family Fun Day around their tie with Thackley AFC on Saturday. Admission is just £5 adults, £3 concessions and free for accompanied Under 16's 

Game Of The Week: Deal Town v Binfield

The thought of Wembley is now very real for the 32 teams left in the FA Vase who take part in the Fourth Round this weekend.

Deal Town, whose proud existence dates back to 1908, tasted glory in the competition in 2000 as they became the final winners at the old Wembley.

This Saturday the Southern Counties East League side take on Binfield FC who also ply their trade at Step 5 of the pyramid in the Hellenic League. Admission is £7 Adults, £4 Concessions and free for Under 12's.

The excellent Football In Berkshire website covers Binfield along with a host of other clubs while Kentish Football does a great job in that fine county.

Attention is now on next Saturday and our 4th round fixture in the FA Vase against @binfield_fc ⚽️
Let’s do the boys proud and show them the support they deserve! Club house open from 13:00 🍺🍻🍔🍟

Game is being sponsored by @baylissexecutivetravel thank you for your support 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/s9JYnCfNSZ

— Deal Town FC (@DealTownFC) January 5, 2020

FA Vase First Round Qualifying

The road to Wembley begins in earnest for the 667 clubs involved in the 2019/20 FA Vase with 268 ties scheduled for the coming weekend.

Not many of the clubs involved in the competition will be able to command over 180,000 followers on Twitter but then Hashtag United probably don't fit into ideas of what a Non-League outfit may look like.

It's a modern-day tale in many respects, a club that exists because of the internet and social media, but the easy route of exhibition matches has been foregone for a shot at climbing the pyramid.

That process began with an Eastern Counties League Division One South title last season and now the Tags are in the Essex Senior League with home matches played at the Chadfields home of Tilbury FC.

To see if the matchday reality can live up to the You Tube package in the club's first ever FA Vase appearance will cost just £3 for Adults, £2 for Concessions and free for Under 12's next Saturday (31st August) against Leyton Athletic.

Cup Final Update

An update on a few of the competitions that have featured on these pages over the course of the season.

Following last Sunday's semi-finals we know now that the 2019 SSE Women's FA Cup Final will be contested at Wembley on Saturday 4 May, kick-off 5.30pm, between Manchester City and West Ham United.

City will be strong favourites to lift the trophy in front of what is set to be another big crowd with tickets once again priced at £15 Adults and free for kids.

Manchester City will also host this season's FA Youth Cup Final with their Academy Stadium the venue for the game against Liverpool on Thursday 25 April 

Tickets are on sale, priced at £3 Adults and £1 Under 18's, and it should be a good occasion but I'm disappointed both by the decision to make the final a single game (to ease fixture congestion is the reason given) and that it isn't being played at the main Etihad Stadium given that it is the showpiece event at this level of the game and that for many of the players involved it could represent one of the great memories of their footballing career.

Non-League Finals Day at Wembley this year takes place on Sunday 19 May with the FA Vase Final followed by the climax of the FA Trophy.

Chertsey Town and Cray Valley (PM) go first in the Vase before National League promotion hopefuls AFC Fylde and Leyton Orient contest the Trophy final.

A section of the stadium is reserved for neutrals with a ticket for the whole day priced at £25 Adults, £10 Concessions and £1 for Under 16's.

Hallam FC Versus Charnock Richard

A bright, but extremely breezy, day at Sandygate on Saturday afternoon as over 400 people watched the FA Vase tie between Hallam FC and Charnock Richard on Non-League Day.

Kick-off was delayed by around 30 minutes as the visitors from Lancashire were delayed by an accident on the Snake Pass road, the North West Counties League side shaking the coach ride out of their legs with a warm-up on the pitch before going on to have the better of the first-half.

Playing down the slope but with the wind against them, Charnock got themselves into a number of good positions in and around the penalty area but would have been disappointed to head into half-time with just a single goal advantage although they did appear to have a good shout for a handball off the line turned down following a goalmouth scramble.

Located high above Sheffield in the Crosspool district, Sandygate is a ground where the seasons feel amplified. I was here the night before England's World Cup semi-final for the friendly against a Sheffield Wednesday Under-23 side when the summer seemed as if it would go on for ever.

On Saturday, although surprisingly warm, it was most definitely Autumn with the leaves falling on to the pitch and the wind swirling around.

Hallam bombed down the slope with renewed purpose after the break, benefitting from the wind dropping slightly and conjuring a well-worked equaliser just after the hour mark.

With the crowd behind them there was no stopping the hosts and two further goals earned them a second successive scalp from Step 5 of the pyramid, a very handy £825 from the prize fund and a place in Monday's Second Round draw where they were handed another home tie, this time against Hebburn Town, which will be played on Saturday 3rd November and where I'm sure you will get good value for your £5 admission fee.

Thatcham Town FC

A squad made up of first team players and trialists head to @Thatcham_TownFC this Friday for an end of season friendly!

Entry to the game will be half price meaning it’ll be £3 for adults, £2 for concessions & 50p for children! #UpTheStoke ⚽️🔵 pic.twitter.com/Yej0S8uKiX

— Basingstoke Town FC (@Basingstoke_FC) 9 May 2018

A friendly tune-up for Thatcham Town this Friday ahead of their appearance in the FA Vase Final at Wembley on Sunday 21 May.

The Vase showpiece kicks-off at 12.15pm with Stockton Town the opposition before Brackley Town and Bromley FC contest the FA Trophy Final at 4.15pm as part of Non League Finals Day.

Tickets covering both matches are available, priced £25 Adults, £10 Concessions and £1 for Under 16's.

Non-League Finals Day

Monday saw the draw for the semi-finals of both the FA Vase and FA Trophy take place at Wembley with the national stadium now just a two-legged tie away for clubs in both competitions.

The Northern League will be represented by either Marske United or Stockton Town in the Vase final and the winners of that semi-final will meet either Thatcham Town or 1874 Northwich.

Stockport County supporters may deserve a day out at Wembley more than most but the Hatters must get past Brackley Town in a quarter-final replay while Wealdstone would have a short journey to the Arch if they emerged victorious from a semi-final.

The other tie is an either/or as Bromley or Spennymoor Town will take on Leyton Orient or Gateshead.

Both the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals will take place on the same day, for the third succesive year, at Wembley on Sunday 20 May 2018 and tickets for the double-header are available now, priced at £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and £1 for Under-16's.

From Newcastle Benfield to Newport (IOW)

And many other points in between as the FA Vase reaches the Fourth Round stage this coming weekend.

There is huge excitement at many of the clubs taking part in the 16 ties that are taking place, many of them describing their games as the biggest in their respective histories.

And with the competition going national at this stage there are some long journeys being undertaken over the weekend.

Coleshill Town of the Midland Football League, for example, will be heading north to face Newcastle Benfield where admission prices will be £6 Adults, £3 Concessions and free for Under 16's.

I'd imagine those admission prices will be pretty similarly at most of the matches taking place and for your money you are guaranteed hard-fought and competitive football.

At the other end of the country, Newport (IoW) are preparing to welcome Bradford Town of the Western League to St George's Park, where a crowd of 200+ is hoped for, visiting supporters making plans to follow their team 'over land and sea' to the Isle of Wight.

The 2018 FA Vase Final will once again form part of Non-League Finals Day and be played alongside the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 20 May.

Combined tickets are on sale now priced at £25 Adult, £10 Concession and £1 for Under-16's.

Non-League Finals Day

Dreams of Wembley are now tantalisingly real for those clubs who negotiated the Third Round of the FA Vase last weekend.

The Fourth Round fixtures, from Newport in the Isle of Wight to Newcastle Benfield, will take place on the first weekend of 2018 and there are a number of interesting stories to watch out for, such as whether record-breaking goalkeeper Paul Bastock can reach the final with Wisbech Town.

Both the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals will take place on the same day, for the third succesive year, at Wembley on Sunday 20 May 2018 and tickets for the double-header are available now, priced at £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and £1 for Under-16's.

The First Round Proper of the FA Trophy takes place this coming Saturday with National League clubs entering the fray.

Wrexham have reduced prices for the visit of Harrogate Town (£10, £5 and £1 for Over 80/Under 18) while terrace tickets just up the road at Chester are £8, £5 and £2 as they host AFC Fylde.

Non-League Finals Day 2018

The third FA Non-League Finals Day will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 20th May 2018 and tickets are now on sale.

Featuring a double-header of both the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals, the main driver behind a day showcasing Non-League football was to keep alive the tradition of both competitions ending at the national stadium.

When they were being staged separately it seemed to be becoming harder to justify that, especially in a crowded football calendar, but the move has been a success.

The presence of Hereford in the 2016 FA Vase final may have skewed the attendance figures slightly but more than 38,000 brought tickets in 2017 to see South Shields and York City win the honours.

Prices are £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and £1 for Under-16's.

The FA Trophy Third Round Qualifying will take place on Saturday 25th November, York beginning their defence of the cup at home to Coalville and the Third Round Proper of the FA Vase will be on Saturday 2 December.

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 Qualifying Round 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

Non-League Finals Day 2017

We're close to knowing which teams will be taking part in Non-League Finals Day 2017 with the FA Trophy and FA Vase both at the semi-final stage.

Macclesfield and Tranmere Rovers drew 1-1 at Moss Rose on Saturday and will meet in the Second Leg at Prenton Park this coming weekend. Tickets for the game have been reduced to £10 Adults, £5 Seniors and Young Persons and £1 for Under-18's.

Saturday will also see the return leg of the Lincoln City versus York City tie (the two teams met on Tuesday evening and York gained a surprise 2-1 victory) with prices at Sincil Bank, for an all-ticket game, set at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions/Juniors.

The FA Vase semi-final first-legs saw Bromsgrove Sporting and Cleethorpes Town draw 1-1 while South Shields won 2-1 at Coleshill Town FC.

Return legs take place this Saturday with both home clubs set to sell out for the occasion.

The finals of both competitions will take place on the same day, Sunday 21st May, at Wembley with a combined ticket for Non-League Finals Day priced at £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and £1 for Children.

Non League Finals Day 2017

A date for the diary as the Football Association has confirmed details for the second Non League Finals Day which will take place on Sunday 21 May 2017.

This follows last season's successful staging of both the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals on the same day for the first ever time, with one tickets allowing entrance to both matches.

Boosted by the appearance of Hereford FC in the Vase final, a crowd of nearly 50,000 attended in 2016.

That might be difficult to top this time around but, with the FA on much sounder financial footing as Wembley begins to pay its way and a new FA Cup TV deal kicks in, Non League Finals Day looks set to become a regular part of the calendar.

Tickets for this season have been kept at £25 for adults and £10 for concessions, with The FA also confirming that children will be able to enjoy the day out at Wembley for just £1. 

The FA Trophy is currently at the Third Qualifying Round stage, although the weather affected some of Saturday's matches while the Vase moves onto the Third Round Proper stage this coming weekend.

FA Vase: Hallam FC versus Morpeth Town FC

Something slightly different this week, a match preview, rather than a review, of a game local to me which is also an intriguing FA Vase Second Round tie.

Sheffield's Hallam FC are currently riding high in Division One of the Northern Counties East Football League with a big midweek home game against Grimsby Borough that pits third against second.

I've been an occasional visitor to Sandygate since moving to Sheffield in 2001 and, from a distance, the club seem to be in a very good place at the moment.

They have always had the history, being formed in 1860 and playing at the world's oldest football ground but now, with a smart clubhouse that showcases that history, a very active social media presence and continuity on the pitch under the management of Ryan Hindley, it isn't all about the past.

After the Grimsby Borough game comes Saturday's visit of Morpeth Town, the defending FA Vase holders after their Wembley triumph in the face of huge support for opponents Hereford on the first ever Non-League Finals Day.

With the Northern League clubs being traditionally strong in the competition and Morpeth currently placed 3rd in the table, it will be a huge test for Hallam but one that will hopefully attract a good crowd with Sheffield Wednesday not in action and Sheffield United's game at Chesterfield having been moved to Sunday.

Admission at Sandygate for Saturday's 3pm kick-off is priced at £5 Adults, £2.50 Students and Concessions.

FA Vase First Qualifying Round / Woodbridge Town FC

Another road to Wembley begins this weekend when the First Qualifying Round of the FA Vase takes place up and down the country.

The Vase effectively replaced the FA Amateur Cup in 1974 and since then it has offered a host of clubs from small towns and villages the chance to play at Wembley with entry restricted to those teams playing at steps 5-7 of the FA National League System.

I was there in 1983 when VS Rugby defeated Halesowen Town while nearly 20,000 Hereford supporters attended last season's final, won 4-1 by Morpeth Town to continue a fine record for Northern League clubs in the competition.

That 2016 showpiece was the first to be staged as a double-header with the FA Trophy in a move that will hopefully secure the future of the final at Wembley.

Full fixtures

A special mention to Woodbridge Town FC, of the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League, who host their annual Youth Day on Saturday at Notcutts Park.

Players and families from all of the club's 20 teams will all be in attendance and there is free admission for all spectators for the Vase tie with Hatfield Town which kicks off at 3pm.

Wembley Finals Update

A look ahead to four Wembley finals coming up in May.

Chelsea and Arsenal will contest the SSE Women's FA Cup Final on Saturday 14th at 2pm after contrasting semi-final victories on Sunday.

Holders Chelsea edged out Manchester City 2-1 while the Gunners cruised past Sunderland 7-0.

With two London clubs in the final and Under-16's going free (max 4 children per adult, Adult prices £15, OAP's and Students £5) it should be set fair for an increase on last season's 30,710 attendance as Chelsea defeated Notts County in the first ever Wembley final.

Early-bird ticket sales have now ended for the National League Promotion Final which takes place on Sunday 15th at 4pm.

With Cheltenham Town having clinched the title last week, Forest Green Rovers are the only confirmed participants in the play-offs at present and will be joined by three other teams in the semi-finals.

The first-ever Non-League Finals Day takes place on Sunday 22nd with the coming together of the FA Vase and FA Trophy Finals.

Both competitions have had to fight hard to keep their showpiece occasion at the National Stadium and playing both on the same day is a chance to bring together the wider Non-League community and cement the new initiative into the football calendar.

The FA Vase usually attracts the lower attendance of the two finals but that would not have been the case this season had they been played separately.

That is because of the presence of the reborn Hereford FC, winners against Salisbury in the semi-final, who, at the time of writing, have sold 16,600 tickets (over half of the total sales) for the day.

Tickets are priced at £25 Adults, £10 Concessions and £1 Under-16's. The FA Vase will kick-off at 12:15pm as the Bulls take on Morpeth Town while Grimsby Town and FC Halifax Town meet in the Trophy showdown at 4:15pm.

Wembley Finals Update

I’ve recently highlighted a couple of upcoming dates at Wembley Stadium and this weekend has seen the line-up finalised for one of them and another step closer taken in the other.

The first ever Non-League Finals Day takes place under the arch on Sunday 22 May with the FA Vase and FA Trophy played on the same day and a combined admission ticket available for both matches with children under-16 priced at just £1.

The Trophy is the competition for those clubs at the higher reaches of the Non-League game although it has struggled for prominence in recent years as the opportunity (and reward) for automatic promotion to the Football League has grown and teams in the National League (Conference) have concentrated more of their efforts on that prize.

However, the chance to lift silverware at Wembley will always have an allure all of its own and this season’s final will be contested between Grimsby Town and FC Halifax after they saw off challengers from outside the National League in the shape of Bognor Regis Town and Nantwich Town respectively.

The presence of two ‘Phoenix’ clubs in the FA Vase semi-finals has generated plenty of interest and Hereford FC and Salisbury FC played in front of over 8,000 spectators in their two legs, Hereford just coming out on top and sure to bring an army of fans to Finals Day.

They will play Morpeth Town of the Northern League, winners over Bowers & Pitsea and keen to extend a proud tradition of clubs from the North East having won the competition.

Wembley will once again host the FA Women’s Cup Final after a successful first time at the venue in 2015 and Sunday saw the bulk of the Fifth Round ties played after Manchester City defeated Liverpool on Saturday evening.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Reading, Sunderland and Notts County from WSL 1 also won through on Sunday and will be joined in the last eight by Aston Villa of WSL2 and Sporting Club Albion who won at Brighton & Hove Albion in the battle between the only two teams from outside Women's Super League left in the competition.

Children go free to this year’s final, which will be held on Saturday 14 May.

FA Trophy & FA Vase Update

Only one issue is outstanding before the full semi-final line-up is settled for this season's FA Trophy after Saturday's last eight ties saw a couple of upset results.

Bognor Regis Town of the Ryman Premier League and Nantwich Town of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League (both at step 3 of the pyramid) defeated Conference National sides Torquay United and Dover Athletic respectively.

They will be joined in the semi-finals by Grimsby Town and the winners of this week's replay between FC Halifax and Gateshead.

In the FA Vase, Morpeth Town continued the fine record of Northern League clubs by reaching the semi-finals, defeating Bristol Manor Farm in a delayed tie on Saturday while Bowers & Pitsea were 4-0 winners at Kidlington in a quarter-final replay.

The big story in the competition, however, is the semi-final meeting between two sides with big names at Non-League level who reformed as 'Phoenix' teams last summer.

Hereford and Salisbury's quarter-final ties attracted a combined crowd of over 5,000 and they will meet over two-legs for a place at Wembley on the first ever Non-League Finals Day.

The FA, in a bid to boost interest in the two finals and hopefully keep them at the National Stadium for many years to come, have come up with the idea which will see both games played on Sunday 22 May, the FA Vase final at 12:15pm and the FA Trophy final at 4:15pm with supporters able to pass in and out of the stadium to see a host of exhibitions and examples of the FA's work in the wider game.

Tickets are priced at £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and just £1 for Under-16's with further reductions for groups.

A Salisbury versus Hereford final would probably have been an ideal scenario but the presence of at least one of them at Wembley will produce a larger than normal crowd for the Vase side of things.

Add in the two Trophy finalists and, hopefully, a good number of neutrals and the day should prove a success.

Thanks, as always, to The Non-League Paper for being the best place to get results and fixtures from for the Pyramid. Out every Sunday, this week's edition has been expanded to 56 pages for the same price of £1.50 and it is always interesting to see how quickly the team put together all of the various reports and results from Saturday's games in time to hit the newsagents the following morning.

FA Non-League Finals Day

Nearly 850 clubs have competed in either the FA Vase or FA Trophy this season, all of them starting out on their journey with the prospect of a Wembley final the ultimate prize.

The Non-League game has fought hard to see the finals of both competitions remain at the National Stadium so it is pleasing to see that The FA are trying to breathe new life into them with the first ever Non-League Finals Day.

On Sunday 22 May, Wembley will host the FA Vase final at 12:15pm and the FA Trophy final at 4:15pm with supporters able to pass in and out of the stadium to see a host of exhibitions and examples of the FA's work in the wider game.

Tickets are priced at £25 for Adults, £10 for Concessions and just £1 for Under-16's with further reductions for groups.

Thanks to the excellent London Football Guide for originally pointing me in the direction of this story.