BISHOP AUCKLAND v OSSETT ALBION

FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round - 3 September 2016

The preliminaries are over, and Northern League Bishop Auckland have progressed to the qualifying rounds. They are a club with a proud heritage in non-league, particularly amateur, football winning the FA Amateur Cup ten times including three years in a row (1955-57) in front of huge crowds at Wembley.

It is with this history in mind that their (relatively) new ground is named Heritage Park. After six years it remains smart and functional, but on a rainy day like today the only cover is standing behind one goal or sitting in the cantilever stand astride the centre line opposite the dug-outs. I choose the latter to give a more balanced view of the action.

The “Two Blues” are ambitious and are one of few clubs actively seeking promotion from the Northern League; if they succeed they will face the likes of Ossett Albion in the Northern Premier League Division 1 North on a weekly basis. So it should be an interesting encounter today, with the chance of a minor giant kill.

The teams file out with Bishop in a new version of two blue: instead of traditional halves, the shirt centres are Cambridge with sides and sleeves of Oxford. Ossett’s shirts are similarly designed but in orange and black.

The early exchanges see shots from both centre forwards: Bishop’s Andrew Johnson clips a half-volley just over the bar, while Ossett’s Rob Bordman hits a free kick into the chest of the keeper. The game continues in the same open fashion. Bishop midfielder Priestley Griffiths shoots from distance but finds only the side netting; for Ossett, Adam Muller cleverly shifts his feet to create space in the Bishop penalty area but his rising shot only glances the crossbar on its way over.

With half an hour now on the clock Bishop’s turn at attacking produces a cross from the right; it is overhit but retrieved and immediately returned from the left, finding Ian Ward unmarked and able to side-foot the ball back across the keeper and into the net.

Ossett try to respond and the nippy James Eyles goes clear on the left; with the Bishop defenders retreating Eyles pulls a cross back to Bordman who steers a shot just wide of the post. Under pressure the home side are playing for the rapidly approaching half time, but with a minute to go their keeper launches a punt upfield for which the burly Ward competes. When the ball ricochets forwards it is Johnson who reacts quickest and calmly places the ball past the Ossett keeper and into the net.

There is no time to restart. Bishop Auckland deserve the half time lead but maybe not by two goals. They have been keener out of possession, pressing to regain the ball, and more clinical in front of goal.

Ossett come out shouting and clearly mean business. One early shot is easily gathered; and then a ball into the centre finds Eyles in space, unmarked, apparently not offside, in the penalty area. He lifts the ball past the exposed keeper to pull back a goal with over half an hour to go. Now both teams look interested, with Ossett the more assertive.

Bishop relieve the pressure with a long ball that the speedy Johnson chases down. He can’t control it before keeper Brett Souter arrives but in the resulting tangle the ball runs free to Ward who cleverly chips it over the prostrate pair into the goal to restore a two goal cushion.

Ossett make a double substitution, then a third enforced by injury; centre half Dominic South is pushed up to add height in competing for the more frequent route one option adopted. He does get a half chance but his shot is weak and easily gathered.

Bishop make substitutions too, including Chris Winn for the two-goal Ward. Winn soon gets a run on goal, only stopped by a potential foul, but as the ball runs to Johnson the referee plays advantage. Rightly, as the number nine slots in another accurate finish, to surely settle the tie at 4-1.

Not quite: as the ref confirms three added minutes the still lively Eyles flashes a shot across Bishop’s bows. Then Bishop full back Michael Hoginson storms up the left wing, involved three times in a move that ends with his precise cross to Winn, whose first time shot bulges the Ossett net for the fifth and final time.

The articulate Heritage Park announcer confirms the final 5-1 score and reveals the attendance of 328, most of whom will go home happy with the thumping win. Ossett Albion were not so gigantic but the killing was more of a massacre, or at least a lesson in finishing.

Bishop Auckland have now sailed through three rounds with scorelines of 4-0, 4-1 and 5-1 so they will look forward to the next round full of confidence. And A Good Cup Run is doing well for goals too, totalling 20 in the three FA Cup games so far.