My road to Wembley: the teams that have fallen by the wayside
I’ve realised that my FA Trophy trail from Hashtag United to Wembley often pays too little attention to the teams that lose. My story has been all about winners. 294 clubs have made their exit from this season’s FA Trophy so far. I’ve only seen seven of those teams exit the FA Trophy this season. Still, to redress the balance, I decided to look at those seven teams and recall some of the pleasure the clubs and their supporters have given me.
Making a hash of it
The first casualty was Hashtag United, where I started my journey at Pitsea in Essex. There was a real buzz about Hashtag United. It’s a great family club
with parents taking photos of their kids, crossing their middle and forefingers from each hand to form a hashtag. Hopefully, you can picture that, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Chipstead proved far too strong on the day and ran out 4-1 winners with Tom Annetts, a young full-back, scoring a ‘goal of the season’ goal. The Tags’ players and supporters were disappointed. To be fair, since that game in September, they have climbed up the Isthmian North table from 18th to 7th.
Ducks and Hawks lose
Chipstead’s success took me to Aylesbury to play The Ducks. Or, more accurately, it took me to Chesham as Aylesbury United were evicted from their home back in 2006. The #BringTheDucksHome campaign still fights for the cause. I visited Aylesbury’s now derelict ground, and it was a sad sight. The Aylesbury United fans welcomed me to Chesham, and some have kept in contact since the game. The Ducks missed out on their chance to progress. Having missed a vital penalty during normal time, they succumbed 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. This win for Chipstead brought Whitehawk to their ground. I was treated like royalty by the staff, members and players of Chipstead and became their lucky charm as two late goals saw The Chips through by 2-1. It was great to meet with the friendly Hawks’ supporters, whom I have met before, as their ground is not too far from my home. I was grateful to Trevor, who not only handles The Chips’ social media, but retrieves kids’ footballs off the roof as well as rescuing me when my trains are cancelled until further notice.
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Ups and downs
Unfortunately, since parting company with Aylesbury United, Whitehawk and Chipstead, results have not gone so well as all three have slipped in their
league positions. This weekend, Chipstead pulled away from the relegation zone with a 4-2 win at Chertsey Town, but Whitehawk and Aylesbury United have hit a poor run and need to start picking up some points.
Bishops and Nights
The following two rounds took me to Bishop’s Stortford. It was where Chipstead’s journey to Wembley ended. Chipstead put up a brave show, losing 2-1, but Bishop’s Stortford were just a bit too strong all over the park. My first visit to Bishop’s Stortford coincided with an unintended pub crawl after watching England win 5-0 against Albania on the Friday before the game. The next visitors to Bishop’s Stortford were Leiston. They came with their friendly bunch of supporters, but they were pessimistic about their chances before the game. They turned out to be realists as they took a 5-0 hammering. At half-time, 2-0 didn’t look too bad, given that Leiston would be playing with a hurricane at their backs in the second half. Suffice to say, there was no turnaround, except by pilots approaching the runway at nearby Stansted Airport.
Cheshunt on the glory trail
Bishop’s Stortford’s next game took them to nearby Cheshunt. It was a keenly fought game with few chances in a game that predictably ended 0-0. Many people moan about 0-0 games, but it was a fascinating contest from start to finish. Bishop’s Stortford missed their third spot-kick and had their fifth kick saved in the penalty shoot-out. As a result, Cheshunt won 4-2 on penalties. At this game, I met Jim, who is more like a walking encyclopedia for Cheshunt games. It also meant that I met the friendly Cheshunt Ultras.
Saints lose their way
The draw for Cheshunt in the next round was a disappointing one – at nearby St Albans City, a team that usually beats them. However, after a tight first half, Cheshunt played out of their skins in the second half and deservedly overcame the National League South outfit 3-0. Also, Reece Beckles-Richards scored the ‘goal of the season’ to make it 1-0 – that’s the second ‘goal of the season’ that I’ve witnessed in the FA Trophy. Some of the Chesham Ultras might be embarrassed by the goal celebrations I captured on video! For a small fee, I can destroy this evidence. In the draw for the 5th Round, Cheshunt have got a plum draw – away to Stockport County, where I will be heading on Friday 11th February. Stockport County are top of the National League and in fantastic form, but it’s what happens on the day that will count.
Mac-trick
Finally, it’s time to mention Bootle, but not because I have seen Bootle play. Bootle play in the Northern Premier West Division. Last weekend, they defeated Colne 3-0. It was a good result for Bootle, pushing them up to 9th in the table. Their scorers were McGowan, McDonald and McLaughlin. In the same division, lowly Prescot Cables got a good win away to 1874 Northwich – the only scorer in the game was Goodwin. Fred Badloss was in the Northwich goal. Well, it would have made a better story if he was.
Next week
Next week, I will be reviewing the eight 5th Round ties and, of course, putting my head on the block as usual. See you all next Tuesday.
