FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round

UPDATE – 29 November 2014

Spennymoor Town continued their good progress with a 3-0 home win over Chasetown

FA Trophy state of play: 1 through, 1 out.

FA Vase 2nd Round

WEST AUCKLAND TOWN v SHAW LANE AQUAFORCE – 22 November 2014

As last season’s runners-up West Auckland have been exempt so far, so this second round tie marks their entry to the competition, to face Shaw Lane Aquaforce, from Barnsley, who as a rapidly rising club in the Northern Counties East League should not be taken lightly.

There is fog elsewhere in the Tees Valley, but here, over the hill, it is bright and sunny, and colourful with the visitors in tie-dyed blue and pink shirts. Underfoot it looks a bit sticky after recent rain.

From the start West Auckland get onto the front foot and threaten a couple of times without getting anything on target. Shaw Lane struggle to get out of their half for the first ten minutes.

Then the visitors are awarded a free kick about forty yards from goal, and while an altercation erupts between Anton Foster of Aquaforce and Brian Close of West (during which the latter gets a slap in the face from the former), Shane Kelsey takes the kick and lofts it over keeper Lowson, who is on his way out of goal to add his two-penn’orth to the developing ruckus in midfield. One bounce and the ball is in the unguarded net and silence descends as spectators, players and officials try to work out what has happened. The referee, getting a shrug of the shoulders from his assistant, awards the goal.

Debate continues in the centre circle, delaying the restart with West doubly aggrieved, finding themselves a goal down instead of a player up, as Foster evades any punishment for his assault. Their frustration shows in their play that descends to ineffective scrappiness for the rest of the half, with both teams more concerned with disrespecting the referee and assistants than playing the game.

After the break West seem a little calmer and more concentrated on retrieving the match, but Aquaforce have the lead and their back four are winning every challenge, in the air and on the ground, to the extent that their keeper is totally untroubled.

Lowson on the other hand has to make a good one handed tip over the bar, as Shaw Lane begin to look more likely to add to their lead than surrender it.

As, in desperation, West throw men forward they lack cover at the back and on ninety minutes a Shaw Lane break sees Kelsey race through and score to settle the tie. Three minutes later the trick is repeated, this time Joe Thornton is given free rein to run on goal and slot in a third and final nail in the West Auckland coffin.

The home team having got to Wembley last season have failed to get out of West Auckland this year, such is football. Although their complaints over the first, and decisive, goal had some validity, they failed to get a single shot on target in the whole game.

Shaw Lane Aquaforce showed they are indeed a force to be reckoned with – an impressive back four, competitive midfield and forwards who can hit the target – and it is them who progress to round three with a valuable scalp.

ELSEWHERE

With three other teams having home advantage hopes were high of progress, but Bishop Auckland also lost by three goals, 1-4 to 1874 Northwich; however Shildon (2-0 v Runcorn Town) and Marske United (4-1 v Barton Town Old Boys) did go through. Guisborough Town’s visit to Dunston UTS ended in defeat by the odd goal in three.

FA Vase state of play: 2 through, 11 out.

FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round Replay

UPDATE

Spennymoor Town beat Leek Town by a single, late, own goal to go through to the next round.

FA Trophy state of play: 1 through, 1 out.

FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round

SPENNYMOOR TOWN v LEEK TOWN – 15 November 2014

After three traumatic results in cup and league Spennymoor are looking to get back on track with a game in the FA Trophy against Leek Town who play at the same level but in the NPL Division 1 South. The day is cool, grey and still, with a few hundred in the ground expecting an even contest.

From the start it is end to end stuff, but it is the combination play of Capper and Peacock on the Spennymoor left that catches the eye. They win a thirteenth minute corner, taken short to Capper whose in-swinging cross takes a touch off a defender and sails over the keeper’s dive into the far corner of the net.

Leek respond with forwards Grice and Shotton, big lads both, looking dangerous. And when Spennymoor centre half Chris Mason fails to cut out a cross, the ball falls to Grice; his chipped shot is going wide until Shotton appears at the far post to nod it into the goal.

The equaliser is slightly against the run of play, but Spennymoor get back in front before half time when Shane Henry slots a perfect ball through for Micky Roberts to run onto and steer home.

In the second half Leek benefit from playing down the hill and (a familiar story to previous cup games here) Spennymoor are forced ever deeper as high balls rain in on their (Joe Tait apart) undersized defence. Sure enough, midway through the half, it is a high ball into the box that Shotton controls on his chest before volleying in a second equaliser. Ten minutes later it is a Leek free kick into the box that finds full back Dicker leaping high to head in at the far post, putting Leek ahead for the first time.

Spennymoor dredge up some reserves and attack while Leek fall back to defend what they have. Into time added on, with tension high, substitute Kinsey has an altercation with the referee that ends with a red card and Leek down to ten men, probably too late to matter. He takes an age to leave the pitch so it is three or four minutes after the ninety before the game can restart; even so Spennymoor move it forward patiently down the left, from where a good cross finds the head of substitute, makeshift centre forward Paul Johnson, who firmly heads home the latest of equalisers.

A great game ends 3-3 and it is off to the Potteries for a mid-week replay

ELSEWHERE

Darlington 1883’s trip to Cambridgeshire ended with a 3-1 defeat at St Neots Town.

FA Trophy state of play: 1 replaying, 1 out.

FA Cup 1st Round

HARTLEPOOL UNITED v EAST THURROCK UNITED - 8 November 2014

First round day sees Hartlepool United enter the competition with a non-too threatening visit from East Thurrock United of the Ryman League Premier Division, although with the home team bottom of the Football League an upset should not be ruled out.

The day before remembrance Sunday means two minutes silence, observed by all except the seagulls, and a commemorative shirt sported by Hartlepool encompassing a poppy on a single blue vertical stripe of their white shirts; no such frippery for East Thurrock who are in gold shirts and black shorts.

The morning’s heavy rain has relented by kick off and with the home side a bit tentative it is the visitors who have the first shot on target. This concentrates Hartlepool minds and they respond with a good shot from Jonathan Franks that is well tipped over the bar by East Thurrock keeper Hughes. Further Hartlepool pressure yields little result but, following a rare attacking spell from East Thurrock, a quick Hartlepool break sees Franks make ground and fire a 30 yard shot low into the corner of the goal.

A 1-0 lead after 30 minutes is not too convincing, and home keeper Flinders makes a meal of shuffling a shot round the post, and then flaps inconsequentially at the corner to give the visitors hope. In contrast, at the other end, Hughes collects corners and crosses for fun and makes a double save from the lumbering Marlon Harewood, first parrying a powerful shot then stopping a close range header as the ball is returned into the six yard box.

Hughes continues to impress in the second half with another double save on 60 minutes and later somehow denies Franks one on one. The few visiting fans start the chant “England’s number one”, and it is generously taken up by the home fans who are enjoying the display.

But with eight minutes left Harewood gets free on the right and his cross is uncharacteristically mishandled by Hughes, dropping for Franks to nod over the line and give the fans the comfort of a two goal lead.

The error does not prevent Hughes being named Man of the Match, or him being cheered off at the end by the Hartlepool crowd just pleased with a win and the progress to round two.

ELSEWHERE

With the local non-league teams all out, and Middlesbrough not due in until Round 3, it is worth noting two good wins in the wider region: Gateshead 4-0 at Norton United (Shildon’s conquerors), and Blyth Spartans 4-1 at home to Atrincham.

The only set back was York City drawing 1-1 at home to AFC Wimbledon (and subsequently losing the replay).

FA Cup state of play after the Fourth Qualifying Round: 1 yet to start, 1 through and 11 out.

FA Vase 1st Round

BISHOP AUCKLAND v HOLKER OLD BOYS – 1 November 2014

It is a cool day at Heritage Park, and it seems a bit low key after last week’s big FA Cup crowds at Spennymoor and Shildon, but this is still early days in the Vase and hopes are high for a few local Northern League teams, including Bishop Auckland.

The Two Blues are appropriately kitted out in their halved shirts while Holker Old Boys sport green and white hoops as all observe a minutes silence for Pat Partridge, a local born referee who went far in the game, including officiating at the World Cup, and apparently acted as an emergency linesman here in his eighties.

Bishop have the better of a scrappy first half, and come nearest to scoring with a few scrambles in the box, but Holker survive. Their hopes of surviving the second half are dented within a couple of minutes of the restart when a cute cross from the right is headed home by John Butler.

Twenty minutes later the home team pressure tells again with a succession of corners. One rebounds off the inside of the far post and falls to centre half Ben Riding who fairly smashes into the goal.

At 2-0 Bishop go for the kill, providing gaps at the back that give Holker some hope, but as the game wears on the visitors seem to settle for defeat. And in the dying seconds substitute Kyle Davis is able to nod in a third to complete a convincing passage into round two.

ELSEWHERE

The all northern league tie saw Billingham Synthonia go out at 3-1 Guisborough Town, but that was the only casualty in the local teams with Marske United beating Winterton Rangers 5-0 and Shildon getting a good 3-2 win at Colne.

FA Vase state of play: 1 yet to start (last year’s runners up West Auckland), 4 through, 8 out.

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round Replay

SHILDON v NORTON UNITED - 29 October 2014

A cool, clear night at Dean Street and a crowd nearing a thousand for the replay, with the added incentive (particularly for Shildon) of a home tie with Gateshead for the winner.

Shildon start best and quickly test the Norton keeper; and continue to look most likely to score. Which makes a slip by centre half Jones, as half time approaches, hard to take, allowing as it does Norton centre forward Cropper to take advantage and shoot coolly into the net.

It is an undeserved lead, but in the second half Norton give as good as they get. And just when a dangerous attack on the Shildon goal appears to have been snuffed out the ball ricochets to Diskin who from a very narrow angle lashes a volley into the net far a safe looking 2-0 lead.

Shildon refuse to lie down and with fifteen minutes left centre forward Connor latches onto a through ball and places a well-judged shot into the goal. This encourages a frantic finale, but the chances created by Shildon are rather snatched at and fail to register.

Shildon played well but failed to make their chances count, whereas their opponents converted two from not many more created.

ELSEWHERE

Spennymoor also went out losing their replay to AFC Telford by 3 - 0

FA Cup state of play after the Fourth Qualifying Round: 2 yet to start and 11 out.

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round

SPENNYMOOR TOWN v AFC TELFORD UNITED - 25 October 2014

The final qualifying round sees Spennymoor Town take on AFC Telford United from the Conference. There may be three divisions difference, but Spennymoor are on an eight game unbeaten run whereas Telford are bottom of their league, so an upset is possible.

Heading downhill in the first half, Spennymoor put on early pressure and after fifteen minutes a corner is hit deep to Mason whose hard low volley is heading wide until centre half partner Tait sticks out a boot and taps in the opening goal. For the rest of the half Telford play it long and direct while Spennymoor play sideways, with neither side threatening a goal.

In the second half Telford intensify the bombardment but a breakaway by Peacock and Cogden should have increased the lead, but the Telford keeper anticipates well to keep them out. The miss looks expensive but soon centre forward Henderson muscles his way through a couple of challenges on the edge of the box and rolls an unlikely shot into the corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.

It looks good enough, but to be sure Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley brings on a third centre half to combat the Telford threats which are creating pressure but there seems no one up front with the sharpness to capitalise.

Just as the referee signals five added minutes a good in-swinging cross from the left is glanced into the Spennymoor net, closing the gap to a single goal and initiating a frantic climax comprising: a disallowed Telford goal; a Telford equaliser from a crashing shot from close range into the roof of the net; and a good Spennymoor penalty claim turned down.

After the dust settles the 2-2 result means a replay, and the home team have let slip their best chance of progress into the first round.

ELSEWHERE

Shildon also got themselves into the first round draw; albeit as an “or” with Norton United after a 1 -1 draw in the Potteries.

FA Cup state of play after the Fourth Qualifying Round: 2 yet to start, 2 replaying, and 9 out.