Battle scars
Scarborough Athletic will have a second bite of the cherry when they face Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup 1st Round replay on Tuesday, 12th December. After a drawn first game, FGR fielded an ineligible player in the replay that they won 5-2. The FA ordered the tie to be replayed. What doesn’t make sense is that Barnsley also fielded an ineligible player against Horsham in that round. For that tie, Horsham were awarded the tie despite losing 3-0. 
Rumour has it that Everton will be docked 10 points as Forest Green Rovers fielded an ineligible player.
Putting their foot in it
There was a delay to the kick-off at Church Road on Saturday, where Sutton Common Rovers entertained Thatcham Town in the Isthmian League South Central Division. The visitors were ready to go head-to-head with Sutton Common Rovers, but they weren’t ready to go foot-to-foot as they turned up without any socks. A swift visit to the town centre rectified the problem, and the game went ahead, with Thatcham United running out 3-1 winners.
Reaching new heights
The strapline of Airbus UK Broughton’s website is Soaring to New Heights in Football. Jordan Evans certainly hit new heights when he scored in their 5-3 win for Airbus UK against Mold in the JD Cymru North League. Airbus UK were quick to put out the news on Twitter.
Laying down the law
Tow Law Town are having a miserable season, with one point to date in the Northern League Division One. Tow Law famously (I even remember it) beat Mansfield Town in the FA Cup 1st Round by 5-1 back in 1967. They then forced mighty Shrewsbury Town to a replay before bowing out. On Saturday, they were one of two fixtures in the division that survived the wet weather, and they probably wished it had rained more. We mentioned the Dolly Blues a couple of weeks ago, but Tow Law travelled to Penrith to play the Bonny Blues in the Northern League Division One. The result was a resounding 12-0 drubbing, with Luke Hunter grabbing a hat-trick.
Rain ruins Raynes overseas trip
Raynes Park Vale had an away trip to Guernsey on Saturday. Having travelled to Guernsey for the fixture, referee Reece Pinchback called off the game at 1 pm, considering the ground unfit to play. The previous night, Guernsey Raiders had played rugby on the pitch. Guernsey FC Chairman Nic Legg (no, not Nick Clegg) estimated the club would have to pay £15,000 to bring Raynes Park Vale back for a midweek rearranged fixture. That’s a lot to stump up, but they haven’t got a leg to stand on.
Shirt of the Week
Hats off to Walthamstow this week for winning shirt of the week. This is Walthamstow’s artistic away shirt, which you can get a penny change from £55 if
you want to put one in someone’s Christmas stocking. I’ll think about that one.
Pool party
In the FA Trophy, the battle of the Pools took place with Hartlepool United travelling to play City of Liverpool. On the day, the visitors from Hartlepool ran out comfortable 5-1 winners to take their place in the last thirty-two. However, it was not as easy as the scoreline suggests. Josh Quarless put City of Liverpool ahead after two minutes, but it took Hartlepool until the 50th minute to level the scores. After equalising, Quarless was careless and received a red card, helping Pool to run out comfortable winners.
Fall-back position
The Chesterfield left half (see last week’s review) has led to some wider thoughts. Do Taplow United have a stopper? Should Minehead have someone playing in the hole? Will Redditch United turn out with eleven left-wingers playing in the hole? Do Broomhill have a sweeper? Will Glasshoughton Welfare bottle it? Are Bedford Town’s defenders ever caught napping? Do Haywards Heath Town players ever make a hospital pass? Should Cookham Dean have players that put it on a plate for a poacher? Do the Met Police ever find themselves under the cosh? We’ll never know.
Christmas comes early for Gresley
We are well into December and possibly feeling quite Christmasy. There were undoubtedly suitable celebrations at the Moat Ground, where Gresley Rovers beat Coleshill Town 3-1 in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division. The scorer was Jamie Sleigh, who came off the bench to score two goals in the last twenty minutes. Let’s hope he keeps scoring in December to help Rovers climb the table (and fill this weekly review).
Not a load of cobblers
We end this week by celebrating the season of Northampton Old Northamptonian Chenecks in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One. For short, you can call the club Northampton ON Chenecks of the Spartan SMLD1. The Chens, as they are known, are top of the division with 14 wins and 3 draws from their 17 games, with a seven-point cushion over Moulton, who have played two more games. Why Chenecks, you might wonder? Chenecks comes from the houses at Northampton Grammar School from which the club originates. The houses are Chipseys, Spencer, Beckett and St Crispins. I bet that was an interesting committee meeting choosing that name. I’m off to a committee meeting, followed by the Non-League Review’s Christmas Party. Don’t disturb for a day or two.
