I get off to a good start at Burgess Hill
I witnessed my first FA Trophy game of the season on Saturday when I travelled to the More Than Tyres Stadium to watch Burgess Hill play Hanworth Villa. The afternoon started well as I was pointed to a concealed overflow car park at the back of the overflow car park by a kindly Burgess Hill supporter. This good start got better when I got a more-than-decent pint of beer, arguably one of the best-kept I’ve had at a non-League club.
Burgess Hill off to a good start
The first half was an even contest, although, at times, a bit scrappy. Dan Perry opened the scoring for the Hillians with a well-taken goal after 6 minutes.
Tommy Reid in the Burgess Hill goal helped to preserve the lead with a couple of good saves. I hardly ever win raffles, but I did at half-time. I became the proud owner of a bottle of white wine. I’m not a white wine drinker, but I found a young lady willing to accept my gift. Her partner described her as ‘drinking anything’; somewhat harshly, I suspect.
Hillians score more than the Villains
The second half was a much better game to watch. Arguably, against the run of the play, Burgess Hill increased their lead when Martyn Box cut in from the wing to score from just inside the box. Hanworth Villa replied quickly to make it 2-1 when Jonathan Hippolyte nudged home a corner. Burgess Hill had to survive a series of corners and cleared one off the line in stoppage time, but will be in the 1st Round Proper of the FA Trophy. It was probably a little more than they deserved on the day, but they will be heading for their own Battle of Hastings United on the 29th October.
Virtual Wembley trail
So, how did the Virtual FA Trophy trail go this week? Runcorn Linnets came from behind to win their third tie with a 2-1 win over Ossett United. They 
have another home tie in 1st Round Proper against Belper Town, which always makes me think of eructation. Pardon me for that joke. It was the end of the road for New Salamis as they fell 1-0 to an ampersand team, Hayes & Yeading United. H&YU now travel six miles to face Harrow Borough, which will mean they get closer to Wembley, both geographically and in terms of their FA Trophy trail.
Barnet – good start, bad finish
Barnet lost 7-5 at Wrexham‘s Racecourse Ground on Saturday. Barnet led 2-1 at one stage but went from 4-3 down to 7-3 down, pulling two back before the end. Barnet are on a run of amazing results, which are a 5-4 loss, a 4-3 win and a 5-0 loss before the extraordinary Wrexham scoreline. That’s 33 goals in four games.
Old and new
The Sheffield & Hallam Cup may not be something you follow, but the cup pairs Worksop Town and SJR Worksop this week. The clubs are a few hundred yards apart, but the ages of the clubs are miles apart. St Joseph’s Rockwell of Worksop are one of the Football Pyramid’s youngest clubs. After switching from Sunday football in 2019, they have already risen to Step 7 and now face one of the oldest four clubs in the world, Worksop Town, founded in 1861. Is it just me that is curious about the oldest clubs? Who did they play back in 1861? Anyhow, it’s certainly a big day for Worksop.
More than a decent programme
To add to the more than decent beer at Burgess Hill, there was a more than decent programme. One article headed ‘Hornchurch Give Us Hope!’ recalls the
story of how Hornchurch, against all odds, won the 2020-21 FA Trophy. A series of late winners before highly impressive wins away to Darlington and Notts County and against Hereford United at Wembley told a remarkable story. Hornchurch seemed to make a habit of going behind and performing heroics. Burgess Hill at Wembley next May? You never know.
Rising stars
Curiosity of the week: Combined Counties Division One club, Rising Ballers Kensington FC. In a division full of teams with ampersands, Rising Ballers Kensington stand out for their unusual name. They play in a division, including the four-letter team, Cove, and British Airways. London Sumarai Rovers and Berks County are both above RBK, who are currently in seventh place. Rising Ballers play at Berkeley Field, Greenford, although they started at the Linford Christie Stadium in White City. We need to find out more.
