FA Vase Final – 4 May 2013

SPENNYMOOR TOWN V TUNBRIDGE WELLS

After eight months and nine rounds the FA Vase reaches its climax at Wembley Stadium. We get there by our favoured route – down the A1/M1 on Friday night to a Travelodge convenient for Banbury station, then on the Saturday a one hour train ride direct to the stadium.

The weather is perfect for a cup final, blue sky and fluffy white clouds with a cooling breeze. Having seen both teams in the semi-final second legs, I’d put Spennymoor clear favourites but they have been playing three games a week for a month which must have taken its toll, including ruling out skipper ‘Bobby’ Moore with a broken ankle. The upside is that star striker Cogden was able to get his three match suspension over in the week prior to the final.

The team from Kent are unusual in being amateur and have done fantastically well to reach a national final; having beaten two Northern League teams en route, including holders Dunston they are no mugs.

Inside the stadium the pitch is a perfect green, a surface to be dreamed of by these players at this time of year. Similarly the crowd, though confined to the bottom tier only, is unfamiliarly large, with the Tunbridge supporters outnumbering their Northern counterparts by about three to one. In their red shirts they occupy from the tunnel all the way behind the west goal; the black and white striped Spennymoor fans stretch the other way from the tunnel, but only to the near corner flag.

Thunderous applause greets the teams onto the pitch for the presentations, and following the national Anthem the match gets underway.

Spennymoor settle quickly and pass the ball about comfortably but it is Tunbridge who get in the first shot when Stanford fires from distance to give goalkeeper Dean a feel of the ball. For Spennymoor both wide men, Phillips and Walton, are giving their full backs problems. After 18 minutes Phillips’ cross from the left is cleared only to Graydon and the Spennymoor midfielder quickly returns the ball from the right to an unmarked Cogden. Despite his lack of inches he rises to direct a fine header wide of the despairing dive of Oladogba and into the net. His hand-stand celebration is impressive but draws no appreciation from the adjacent Tunbridge fans.

Five minutes later Cogden turns cleverly and races in on goal but this time Oladogba foils him with a brave dive at the forward’s feet. Within a minute or so Tunbridge get forward and Dean has to take a well hit shot from distance. However the final chance of the half goes to Spennymoor’s Davidson; the centre forward beats the offside trap and shoots well only to see Oladogba fly across his goal and tip the ball round the post for a corner. This produces another shooting opportunity that Capper hits tamely wide.

Spennymoor are good value for the 1-0 half time lead and probably will be disappointed not to have converted possession and territory into another goal. Tunbridge have threatened on their scraps of possession, either playing direct to their tall centre forward, Irvine, or relying on runs from deep by the skilful Stanford.

Tunbridge start the second half with a more passing game and get in a testing cross that Dean goes to catch, spills under pressure, and then re-gathers before any damage is done. Up the other end the more eye-catching Oladogba is in action again saving a Cogden shot at the expense of a corner.

On the hour mark a Tunbridge free kick is headed on target but is tipped over the bar by Dean; the resulting corner is also problematic but is headed powerfully wide. Spennymoor respond with Peacock coming on for Phillips, and his first input is to put Capper in the clear down the left; his cross creates danger but Cogden can’t convert. Next, Graydon finds Davidson with a fine angled delivery, but the big centre forward heads just wide.

Capper tries another overlapping run but the move breaks down and Tunbridge exploit the gap at left back to put in a hanging cross. Dean, under pressure, gets two fists to the ball but gets no distance on the punch. It drops to Stanford twelve yards out who calmly side foots a volley into the unguarded net. Finally the Kent fans have something to cheer and they make the most of the opportunity. It’s 1-1 with twelve minutes to go.

Spennymoor roll up their sleeves and start again. Two minutes later a through ball finds Stephenson (on for Walton); he twists and turns in the box trying to find a way past the six defenders between him and the goal. In frustration he shoots anyway and the blocked shot rebounds to the lurking Graydon on the penalty spot. He hits the truest shot of his career that bulges the net before anyone can move.

The quick response seems decisive at 2-1, but Tunbridge press and Spennymoor drop deep. The announcement of five minutes added time brings a gasp of disbelief from the Northern fans while their Southern counterparts gain renewed hope. A late Tunbridge free kick penetrates the six yard box before being deflected up and over the bar.

It’s the last meaningful action and it’s a very relieved Spennymoor team that triumph They have carried the burden of favourites for most of the competition, have won all nine matches without recourse to replays or extra time, and have an aggregate score of 28 to 8. The best team do not always win the cup but this year is they definitely did.

So the Good Cup Run successfully saw the Vase through from the first qualifying round to the final. New grounds were visited and exotic teams welcomed to the Northern League grounds. Late equalisers, extra time winners, and five-goal thumpings were all there. The double semi-final Saturday was a highlight, surpassed only by another Northern League win at Wembley by the unstoppable Spennymoor Town.