FA Vase Final 10 May 2014

WEST AUCKLAND TOWN V SHOLING

An early start and a trouble free trip following my tried and trusted route (a four hour drive to Banbury station and a direct train to the stadium) used for Darlington’s Trophy triumph in 2011 and Spennymoor’s Vase victory 12 months ago, got me to Wembley in good time to see if West Auckland could get a similar successful outcome for the North East.

West Auckland were here just two years ago when they lost to Northern League rivals Dunston UTS, but today they have opposition from the other end of the country -  Sholing is near Southampton, and it is the ‘Boatmen’s’ first trip to the National Stadium. The strength of the Northern League, whose teams have lifted the Vase for the last 5 years, along with their Wembley experience, makes West Auckland favourites but when two unfamiliar teams meet in a cup tie anything can happen.

Heavy showers were forecast and have arrived, and with the roof open the pitch will be slick and fast, but no non–league player will complain about playing on this green carpet they call grass.

Seven minutes to kick-off the orchestrated preliminaries begin with filing out for presentation to the VIP of the day. Sholing in red and white stripes (Sunderland-esque) and West Auckland in blue tracksuit tops soon stripped off to reveal the familiar amber shirts.

It is sunny by the start and Sholing start well, thrusting down the left where McLean shows worrying pace to force a foul from Pattinson. West slowly get into the game and create a chance for Campbell, whose placed effort is easily blocked by keeper Brown. Sholing break with pace, this time Wort threatens the goal but West keeper Nixon blocks with his legs.

A pattern emerges with West Auckland trying to play a passing game but giving the ball away before achieving any penetration; Sholing are defending well and looking to break quickly with their speedy forwards. The speediest, McLean, leaves Pattinson for dead again and cuts inside before curling a shot well over.

Long range shots are exchanged with West’s Knight having his effort parried by Brown and Sholing’s Fennimore blazed attempt flying over the bar. Then West are awarded a free kick about 35 yards out and Briggs’ excellent shot to the top corner is matched by a top notch save as Brown tips it round the post. From the resulting corner the ball bobbles to West centre forward Moffat but he can’t swivel and shoot.

The second half gets under way and the pattern continues with huff and puff from West Auckland and sharper attacks from Sholing. Nixon is troubled with a Bowers long shot that goes just wide, and then has two unconvincing punches from dangerous crosses.

The teams exchange attacks with Masor having a couple of chances for Sholing, one saved and one hit wide, and West Auckland missing the target twice with efforts from Moffat and Campbell, both over the bar.

On seventy minutes an excellent cross-field ball is misjudged by West full back Pattinson and McLean on the Sholing left gathers and speeds in on goal. Galpin gets across to cover but only succeeds in deflecting McLean’s shot over Nixon and into the net. Sholing fans celebrate wildly; West fans are stunned but soon urge their side on.

The response is impressive with first Campbell then Briggs having goal-bound shots brilliantly saved at full stretch by Brown. West the shuffle the attacking deck bringing on Richardson and Banks for Moffat and Vipond. The speedy Richardson soon poses problems and a promising run is only ended by a foul on the edge of the box; Knight’s free kick is heading for the top corner until Brown intervenes again to finger-tip it over.

West’s frantic efforts to equalise go up a notch with added time due and even goal keeper Nixon joins in to attack a corner. He does not connect but Galpin does, and this time Brown can’t reach the header but sees it come back off the bar.

In these dying seconds Brown is rightly announced as man of the match, and he is not troubled again as Sholing see out time around a far off corner flag where their fans are gathered and where they are able to celebrate their win.

West Auckland deserved better from their last twenty minutes, but they began to play too late and even then the inspired Brown proved unbeatable.

Sholing’s win owed much to two players: McLean looked too good for Pattinson from the off and scored the telling goal; and while keeper Brown looked anything but lithe he proved agile enough to get to all corners of his goal as and when needed.

So the Northern League’s stranglehold on the Vase is broken but the majority of West Auckland fans take it well and stay to applaud the winners as well as their own team, possibly comforted by the expectation of returning before too long for a third crack.