The (Long) Road to Wembley

FASemi: Airport lounges, four pound pints & damp squibs

Neil Redpath — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:00 GMT

It’s the morning of the first semi final the weekend has to offer, Chelsea v Aston Villa, and I wake up in an excited mood for obvious reasons.

I leave the house with my novelty-sized match ticket, not quite small enough to fit in my wallet but big enough to see from space. I carefully fold it up and keep it in my wallet next to my train tickets and head to the station.

I pass a playing field with a few young kids playing, what could only be described on a day like this as, Wembley doubles. A miss kick from one lad is sent in my direction, I flick it up with my left and miss kick it with my right accidentally hitting the Chelsea shirt cladded youngster in the face.

After several apologies and thinking this could be an omen, I pop into the bookies and put a quid on Villa.

Due to it being a 5pm kick-off, I get on the train at 12:00pm and walk the length of the train to find some other Wembley-bound fans, but to my disappointment there were none to be found.

It’s not until we reach Colchester that I see my first blue shirt but by this time my excitement had turned to boredom on the two hour journey so I decide to bury my head into a newspaper and look through the Grand National runners working out who to back.

I pass the Olympic stadium as we travel through Stratford and by 2:00pm, I’m at Liverpool Street Station and the atmosphere is electric. With Palace, Watford, West Ham, Brentford, Millwall and Barnet all at home, there is a mix of colours all rushing to get to their respective teams' kick-off.

I take a leisurely stroll to the tube and follow 10 Chelsea fans onto the wrong train. We had all seemed to be following one bloke who didn’t have a clue and ended up travelling around London on the circle line. After a quick re-think, we all jump off at Baker Street and head north on the Metropolitan Line (the train we should have got on in the first place) to Wembley Park station.

I step out from the station to see a sea of claret and light blue, blended with the royal blue of Chelsea heading up Olympic Way (better known as Wembley Way) with the colours separating further ahead with the Villa fans heading to the east side of the stadium and the Chelsea fans to the west.

Well, having Club Wembley tickets thanks to FourFourTwo, I head straight through the middle and into the posh part of the stadium. Several escalators take me to the second tier of the stands and into what resembles an airport lounge. I grab my free programme and go for a walk taking in the sites.

Well I say sites; these consist of a bookies, bar and a food kiosk. Repeat this 10 or 11 times as you walk the full perimeter of the stadium and you have some idea what it is like.

I choose one of the many bars to sit down and drink my four pound pint, which I manage to make last an hour, and watch the scores come in on the numerous television screens beaming back Soccer Saturday.

I hold out on going to my seat until nearer kick-off so I can be well and truly impressed with a full stadium instead of a half-empty one and that strange echo you seem to get from these large stadiums.

I pop to the bookies and put a quid on Comply or Die in the National. I think the stadium must have been nearly empty with 10 minutes to kick off as it seemed everyone was in the bars, eyes glued on the screens as the race came to a conclusion.

The race finishes, I rip up my betting slip and head towards my seat, and what a seat it is, four rows from the front in the second tier, padded, with arm rests, I’ve been called an armchair fan before but this is taking it to the extreme.

I’m joined by three delightful fellows, two Villa fans and a Spurs fan, so any idea of cheering on Chelsea today goes out of the window.

In front of 85,472 fans, the game kicks off with Villa trying to avenge their 7-1 defeat by their opponents a couple of weeks ago.

An FA Cup final to play for, but the much-publicised pitch problems meant the game was very slow and cagey, with neither team looking to commit themselves early.

James Milner came close early on with a first time shot just going wide of Petr Cech's goal. This was followed by a penalty shout, as Gabriel Agbonlahor was tripped in the box only to be waved away by referee Howard Webb.

The Villa fans were incensed by this incident, which to me seemed a clear cut penalty, but as the big screens at each end of the stadium didn’t replay the incident, for obvious reasons, the game went on with the Villans feeling hard done by.

The first half seemed to fizzle away with Didier Drogba and Joe Cole coming closest to breaking the deadlock.

The half time whistle blows and we head to the back for half time refreshments. No queuing, we get our drinks straight away, neck them and then head back to our seats.

We are seated at the Chelsea end, the Villa fans in the distance seem quiet but in a massive stadium like this you can never quite tell.

Although we are in the neutral section of the ground, there definitely seems to be more Chelsea than Villa fans around us which becomes more evident when in the second half a miss-kick by John Terry falls to Didier Drogba who prods the ball into the back of the net, 1-0.

Twenty minutes left to play, I thought this is what the game needed, but unfortunately it seemed to show the experience (or lack of it, in Villa’s case) of both managers.

Carlo Ancelotti made a few subs, bringing on Michael Ballack and Nicolas Anelka for Deco and Drogba respectively, and Villa replied with taking off their only real goal threat, John Carew, and replacing him with…Emile Heskey.

With Aston Villa running out of ideas, Chelsea seal the win with two late strikes from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard.

The final whistle goes and it feels like somewhat of a damp squib. A festival of football, in an impressive stadium, all that was lacking was the conclusion of the winning team walking up the steps and picking up the trophy.

It’s a shame Wembley is used for the semi-finals due to this but the experience was well worth coming for.

I say goodbye to my newfound friends and wish Portsmouth luck as I shake the Spurs fans hand.

They obviously didn’t need this luck as they beat Tottenham 2-0 after extra time the following day.

FA Cup Round 13, as Gordon Ramsey would say, DONE.

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:

FASemi: 2,761 mile road finally reaches Wembley
FA6: Coasting to Wembley
FA5: A proper Cup thriller at last
FA4: A paid-up member of the Royal family
FA3: There's only one f in freezing at F-f-f-fulham
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton) vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

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FASemi: 2,761 mile road finally reaches Wembley

Neil Redpath — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:17:00 GMT

As my FA Cup journey reaches the final stretch, I take stock on what I have achieved so far.

Over eight months I have been to 12 rounds of this season’s FA Cup, witnessing 35 goals in 11 different counties. I have travelled 2761 miles, the equivalent of London to Quebec (how I wish I had chose Quebec instead of Ayelsbury in the earlier rounds).

I have dragged along friends, relatives and even my one year old daughter to keep me company, and I would like to thank these people for their support, although my daughter didn’t have much of a choice, bless her.

Every year I look forward to the Third Round draw, a chance to see some giant killings and some big guns going head to head in a one off, winner takes all, match.

But after writing this blog I have realised how much the FA Cup touches people at all levels of the game.

Some matches may be played at grounds compared to run down garden sheds, while others are played in giant arenas with a pitch resembling a bowling green, but the joy of this tournament is that no matter what round you are in and where you are playing, the passion of the players and fans is still present.

Even on that hot summer’s day in Dereham last August, there was still talk, from fans and players alike, of maybe just maybe it would be their year (They got knocked out in the next round).

Semi final tickets are like gold dust.

Despite going to the Portsmouth quarter final, this still didn’t mean I would qualify for a semi final ticket.

Firstly, tickets are handed out to season ticket holders and members. Secondly, Fans that have been to 10 or more games either last or this season. And finally if there are some tickets left season ticket holders can buy an extra ticket.

Where was the, if you have been to 12 rounds of the FA Cup, option…

Chelsea, Tottenham and Villa were the same. After all my efforts it looked like this might be the end of my journey.

But then FourFourTwo stepped in, and very generously found me a ticket for the Chelsea v Villa tie.

I will be amongst the 90,000 Chelsea and Aston Villa fans on Saturday afternoon, and it’s all thanks to FourFourTwo.

Que sera sera, what ever will be will be, Im going to Wembley, que sera sera...

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:

FA6: Coasting to Wembley
FA5: A proper Cup thriller at last
FA4: A paid-up member of the Royal family
FA3: There's only one f in freezing at F-f-f-fulham
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton) vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

Club news * Blogs * News * Interviews * Home
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FA6: Coasting to Wembley

Neil Redpath — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Spurs have completed the line-up for the FA Cup semi-finals - and of course our diligent Cup watcher Neil Redpath will be there, for his lucky 13th round...

FA Cup Sixth Round: Portsmouth v Birmingham
Saturday March 6, Fratton Park

The Sixth Round sent your FourFourTwo traveller to the south coast for an intriguing tie between Portsmouth and Birmingham. It’s sad to think that this long and memorable journey is coming to an end. A journey which started five miles from my house with a match witnessed by me and one man and his dog (maybe a few more than that but not many) will finish in the capital nine months later before me and 89,999 fans.

I had visions of driving the 204 miles down to Portsmouth and my car giving up on the M25 only to be sat there missing the kick-off while waiting for the AA to eventually turn up and tow me home. I wasn’t going to risk it, and booked a train from Norwich to Stratford, Stratford to Waterloo and then Waterloo down to Fratton. That's a nice four-hour 30-minute journey made even better by the lunchtime kick-off. Nothing whets the appetite like getting up at 5am.

The train down to Fratton from Waterloo had a large number of Birmingham fans present, all making their way down from the Midlands. Opposite us, a father and son in Birmingham Blue were sitting there enjoying a cider after their long trek from... Ramsgate.

Gary and Luke, regulars at St Andrews, had come across country for the day and seemed to be enjoying the friendly banter with me about the Liverpool League Cup final in 2001 – a bad Millennium memory banished a year later by their play-off win against Norwich.

They seemed to know Portsmouth well having watched Blues play there before, so I decided to tag along to a pub full of Pompey and Birmingham fans. Everyone seemed in high spirits, the walk from the station, past numerous flags outside shops and pubs supporting their club in their time of hardship, was a short one to the nearest public house.

Local pride...

The Birmingham fans were in jubilant mood and happy to still be in the FA Cup at this stage. The Portsmouth fans just seemed happy to still be in existence after the week they had been through. After a quick drink we head to the ground, past a few more banners and flags hanging out of windows and cars, and I take my seat five minutes before kick-off.

AND THEY'RE OFF...

The atmosphere is brilliant, with drums beating and the Pompey Chimes ringing around the stadium. The sell-out crowd are in full voice as the teams get under way.

Portsmouth start as they mean to go on with John Utaka testing Joe Hart after only 20 seconds. Frederic Piquionne looks dangerous as Pompey push forward. There are a few efforts from Lee Bowyer and James McFadden, fielded by an in-form David James, but other than this Portsmouth look the better team with Joe Hart having to be in fine form for the remainder of the half.

Into the mixer...

The half-time whistle blows, and I realise that in my haste to get to the ground earlier I had completely forgotten to pick up a programme. After speaking to several stewards I finally find out they had sold out. The megastore, situated across from the stadium, is likely to be my best bet so a sprint at the final whistle will be in order.

The second half kicks off and like the first half, Portsmouth nearly go ahead within 20 seconds – and again it's Utaka denied by the brilliant, World Cup-bound Joe Hart.

But even he can't keep them out forever, and halfway through the second period a corner is swung in and Piquionne bundles home at the far post. With the fans in celebratory mood, they may not even realise what's happening when three minutes later Jamie O’Hara’s through ball is slotted away by the quick-firing Piquionne.

Fratton in the afternoon

Portsmouth are on their way back to Wembley in April. A late disallowed goal by Liam Ridgwell (which seems on later inspection to be legitimate) still wouldn’t have been enough to stop the team from the south coast heading to the Capital.

AND I'M OFF...

As the whistle sounds I run across the road to the megastore to pick up a programme – only to find there’s no one about: they seem to have stayed in the ground celebrating and don't look likely to leave anytime soon. Lucky for me, it lets me get a quick getaway for my long journey home...

A good weekend of FA Cup action saw Chelsea coast through against Stoke and the mighty Reading, although valiantly leading 2-0 at half time against Villa, were completely outplayed in the second half to end their respectable FA Cup run with a 4-2 defeat.

Wembley, Wembley, I’ll be wearing some teams colours? And I’m off to Wembley...

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:

FA5: A proper Cup thriller at last
FA4: A paid-up member of the Royal family
FA3: There's only one f in freezing at F-f-f-fulham
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

Club news * Blogs * News * Interviews * Home
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FA5: A proper Cup thriller at last

Neil Redpath — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

FFT.com's intrepid Neil Redpath has seen every FA Cup round since the very first, in August. The latest round was his first return visit...

FA Cup Fifth Round: Reading vs West Brom
Saturday February 13, Madejski Stadium

As I sat in a pub near Liverpool Street Station after a lifeless Third Round tie between Fulham and Swindon, little did I know how well I would get to know the team giving my beloved Liverpool a torrid time on the portable TV situated snugly in the corner.

FA3: F-f-f-freezing at F-f-f-fulham

They would end up being a team that I would not only follow in the Fourth Round but also in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. And that would entail me becoming a member of the club.

It's a club struggling in its league, but one which – in true FA Cup tradition – has seen off two top-flight league teams, with a high-flying second-tier team up next. The team in question is Reading FC.

I’m sure you'd forgive me if I were to hold a grudge against the team from Berkshire. But after an impressive win at Anfield and a decisive win against Burnley, the underdogs, as they were called in every round so far, gained my respect and thoroughly deserved to be in this round of the FA Cup.

FA4: A fully paid-up member of the Royal family

I’m woken up early on the Saturday morning by a text message saying “10% off all Reading Merchandise at today’s game.”

As tempting as it sounds, I manage to hold onto my money for the car parking fees. In case you missed the last blog, sit down: it's eight pounds!

We set off at 9am Saturday morning. A bit of Valentine's Day shopping on the way (to keep the Mrs happy) doesn’t slow us down and we get to the ground with two hours to spare.

Same car park, same price (it's less of a shock the second time round, but not by much), so let's hope for the same outcome from the last game.

We head towards the ground wrapped in a blue-and-white scarf, acquired at the last game, to keep the chill off. The Madejski never fails to impress, and we take our seats in the North Stand, with an excellent view and copious amounts of leg room.

Mmm, burgers

As the teams come onto the field, the tannoy system announces that Reading hadn’t reached the quarter-finals for 83 years. It's a great incentive for the Royals to put on a good performance.

And it works. In the time it takes to spill your Bovril down your front and to mumble few expletives (nine seconds to be precise), Reading take the lead – Jimmy Kebe with what is apparently the fastest goal in Reading’s history.

Robert Koren replies for West Brom on 18 minutes with an easy tap-in, and suddenly the game opens up into an end-to-end battle with the woodwork, rather than the keepers, preventing any further goals.

The 18,008 spectators (4,416 away fans) get behind their teams and the atmosphere is deafening. It’s a shame it has taken this long for me to witness such a passionate, exhilarating FA Cup tie, but it's well worth the wait.

No one in the crowd wants to hear the half-time whistle. Unfortunately it inevitably comes but most people, including me, stay in their seats, awaiting the start of the second half with anticipation.

"Encore!"

The second half starts how the first half ended, thankfully, but on 48 minutes, the Royals' Shane Long lunges into a tackle on Abdoulaye Meite and receives a straight red card.

From here on, the game is all Albion’s, and with Roman Bednar in fine form they're unlucky on several occasions not to take the lead.

But just after the hour, West Brom's Youssouf Mulumbu gets his marching orders with a second yellow. Ten aside, and the game is anybody's, with chances coming from every angle.

Simon Church, through on goal, decides to chip Scott Carson from 18 yards out, only to have his shot blocked – but scores with the rebound and Reading are 2-1 up.

The celebrations start; talk of who Reading might get in Sunday's draw rings around the ground. I doubt anyone in the stadium could remember the last time Reading made it this far, but they're certainly enjoying it.

But, as per usual for a game like this, it never ends without something happening. And that something is Joe Mattock's 87th-minute strike for West Brom to set up a replay.

It has been an absolutely amazing game for the neutral, although I can’t help feeling disheartened as I walk away from the ground with the dejected Royals fans thinking how close they were to booking their place in the Sixth Round.

********

There's a happy ending. If you don’t know what happened in the replay, Reading beat West Brom at the Hawthorns in what looked like another epic match, the visitors winning 3-2 after extra time to book a sixth-round tie against Aston Villa.

The quarter-final fixtures for this weekend in full:

Fulham v Tottenham
Portsmouth v Birmingham
The Mighty Reading v Aston Villa
Chelsea v Stoke

So it's 11 games gone, only three remaining for your FourFourTwo blogger, and although it's very tempting to venture back to the Madjeski for a third time, I feel this whole experience is about witnessing the FA Cup at different levels and in different surroundings.

Although it's getting increasingly hard to secure tickets, I manage to acquire some for Portsmouth v Birmingham. A Wembley place is at stake for both teams... and hopefully I will be there too.

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:

FA4: A paid-up member of the Royal family
FA3: There's only one f in freezing at F-f-f-fulham
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

Club news * Blogs * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

FA4: A paid-up member of the Royal family

Neil Redpath — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:00:00 GMT

More from Neil Redpath as he continues his attempt to see a game in every single round of the FA Cup. His tenth was his hardest yet...

Gone are the days of turning up at a match five minutes before kick-off and buying your ticket at the turnstiles – or even legging it over a nearby fence.

Also it seems that the days are gone when a phone call to the ticket office with a fake accent was enough to get you in the home end for a cup game.

Looking at Fourth Round fixtures, I decided that Reading vs Burnley looked an exciting tie, what with Reading having won at Anfield against all the odds (well, unless you're an intelligent Liverpool fan).

But as the Cup enters its latter stages, tickets aren’t easy to come by – and Reading is no exception.

Not even offering 20 of your hard-earned pounds can get you in if your face doesn't fit.

This is how the conversation went:

Me: I'd like two tickets for Reading vs Burnley, please.

Reading Ticket Office: Can I have your Customer Number, please?

Me: I don’t have one.

RTO: Oh. Well, you can’t have a ticket.

Me: What???

RTO: Sorry, tickets are only going to members.

Me: Errr, can I be a member then?

RTO: If you're willing to pay...

And so a few days later two shiny tickets came through the post with a membership card, Reading FC fixture list, merchandise catalogue and a blue and white cuddly bear.

And I'm a bloody Liverpool fan.

It's a lunchtime kick-off, so we reach the M25 by 11am and race around to Berkshire.

Passing rip-off parking spaces as we get nearer the ground, we head towards the city centre to find more affordable parking.

But the stadium's in the middle of nowhere, unreachable from the town centre, so we swing the car around and grudgingly pay £8 to park in a field.

You pay your money, 'cos you get no choice

Making our way into the 24,161-capacity ground, it really was like being at church.

You'd have thought the public would have been enticed by the chance to see their local heroes take on another Premier League team at the Madjeski, but obviously not.

In the end, only 12,910 turn up. Maybe it's the membership fee. Maybe it's the parking fee.

Judging by his shirt, that No.13's a big lad

We take our seats in the East Stand and the match kicks off.

Other than Andy Griffin making his home debut, it looks a lot like the team that triumphed in the last round over some other northerners.

A very tight first half has Sigurdsson looking lively, with a 20-yard strike just going wide of Burnley’s post.

But not much separates two teams producing very little goalmouth action.

By half-time Reading are looking slightly the better of the two sides.

We head behind the stand for our usual half-time beverage and head straight back out again for the second half.

Photographer's balance possibly affected by beverage

Reading come out fired up and started how they finished the first half.

Burnley attempt to force their way back into the game, with strikes from Alexander and Gudjonsson going wide, but these turn out to be their only chances all game.

With two minutes of normal time to play, debutant Griffin puts Sigurdsson through on goal – and he puts Reading in the hat for the Fifth Round draw.

We head back to the car... for a 45-minute wait before we can get back on the road, due to some clever parking blocking us in.

No refunds are available. Not even to members.

***

The Fifth Round draw brings eight matches to choose from, but tickets are getting ever harder to come by.

After phoning up several clubs – Chelsea, Derby, Bolton – it seems to have come to the stage where tickets are only available to members who have attended other Cup matches this season.

Well, thank God I'm now a hardcore, paid-up Reading FC member.

I will be attending Reading vs West Brom, with my Royals scarf and my cuddly bear. Get in...

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:

FA3: There's only one f in freezing at F-f-f-fulham
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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FA3: F-f-f-freezing at F-f-f-fulham

Neil Redpath — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Intrepid explorer Neil Redpath continues his odyssey to see a game in every round of the FA Cup

January is the month when the big boys start, with the Third Round.

But for me, it's the start of the second half: eight rounds gone, six to go, and the ninth match is Fulham vs Swindon.

Through the wind and the snow, your brave blogger set out for the bright lights of England’s capital for what would surely be an afternoon of excitement from the Fulham and Swindon boys.

Well at least I've got your attention, as what really happened would put any reader to sleep in seconds.

Due to engineering works, I set off from Norwich at 9am by train, then coach, then underground, then blah blah blah... I finally get to my destination four and a half hours later.

But was it worth it? Hmm.

It could have been worse: the weather conditions across the country were postponing the FA Cup matches across England – but luckily not the one at Craven Cottage.

The walk from the station through Bishops Park was like a scene from Dancing On Ice without the Z-list celebrities.

The freezing wind bouncing off the Thames and straight into the ground: this was to be the coldest match of my FA Cup venture.

I got to the ground in time for a quick pre-match pint (which to be honest in this weather went down like a s**t sandwich) and took my place in the Johnny Haynes Stand facing the river.

With the icicles hanging from the girders glinting in the blinding sun (you can’t win sometimes), the players entered the fray with the 9,000-strong away support making most of the noise from the Putney End.

The kind of suit you need in this weather

This fixture being priced at £15 for any ticket was a nice touch and made for a better atmosphere with a near sell-out crowd.

Despite the hopes of the travelling fans’ vociferous support, Fulham started the brighter, and within two minutes Riise had laid the ball off to Zamora (future England striker in the making, I don’t think) who rolled his shot just wide of David Lucas’s goal.

Zamora made amends for this miss with a chip over the advancing Lucas after holding off desperate challenges by the Swindon defence.

One up and this surely would open the floodgates.

But fortunately for the Robins, Fulham seemed to ease off the gas and Swindon got to grips with the game, coming close to an equaliser from Hutchinson's low drive which Schwarzer took two attempts to deal with.

Low winter sun: Irking EastStanders since the 1800s

The game soon became an intriguing end-to-end battle, as Swindon looked to take the game to their Premier League hosts, and Fulham benefited from big gaps being left on the break.

Even the openness couldn’t disguise a poor match and we welcomed half-time like another goal had been scored, everyone running to the back of the stand for a warm drink and a browse of the scores on several TVs around the food kiosks.

Suddenly, the TVs showed two teams running at Craven Cottage. Ah, that'll be the second half then.

That was the quickest 15 minutes of my life and with no time to get warmed up, we're back out in our freezing seats for a half we can only hope is better than the first.

It wasn’t. Not much happened, despite us hoping that Fulham would get a few chances – if only so we could stand, applaud and keep warm.

One late incident summed up the half-interested, rusty nature of the game.

Andy Johnson, making a return from a long injury, ran into the box and was taken out by Lucas. Penalty.

Johnson dusted himself off to take the spot-kick himself, but his effort, low to Lucas’ left, lacked conviction and was saved easily.

Lovely sky, isn't it?

Joy, the final whistle goes and the thought of the four-and-a-half-hour journey home isn’t as daunting as first thought: at least we can keep warm.

The Fourth Round draw is made on the Sunday as per usual with quite a few either-ors, due to the abandoned games that are still to take place.

Forest Green, the only non-league team left in the cup, would play Wigan if they could win the rearranged clash with Notts County.

But they couldn't, and it’s now turned into a league cup competition with no second legs and – due to defeats for Manchester United and Liverpool – fewer reserve teams.

And so, for Fourth Round day, I shall be attending Reading vs Burnley.

Both reasonably-sized clubs, they will harbour hopes of winning the trophy while the big guns from Old Trafford and Anfield watch from their settees.

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:
FA3 preview: The Third man marches on London
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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FA3 preview: The Third man marches on the capital

Neil Redpath — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Fearless blogger Neil Redpath continues his mission to see a game in every round of the FA Cup. It's time for game number nine...

It’s been a long long December waiting for the Third Round to creep up upon us.

But at last, 35 days after the last round, the famous cup competition kicks back into action and invites the big guns into the frame.

Hardly seems fair that teams such as Barrow and Forest Green, who have already played three rounds to get to this stage, are now thrown in at the deep end.

Barrow play Premier League giants Sunderland, while Forest Green face the media maelstrom that is Notts County.

The draw for the Third Round took place on Sunday November 29, and with three all-Premier League ties – West Ham vs Arsenal, Aston Villa vs Blackburn and Wigan vs Hull – it gives the lesser teams hope with any one of these teams a good bet to reach the latter stages.

Anyway, for this round, FourFourTwo’s intrepid explorer braves the capital city with an intriguing tie between 1975 runners-up Fulham and 1910 & 1912 semi-finalists Swindon Town.

With the weather this week being somewhat arctic, I book my train ticket – only to be told that due to engineering maintenance, half of the journey will be by road.

An extra hour and a half onto the journey time is all I need. Luckily the weather forecast looks good so not much chance of the game being called off... famous last words.

Due to this being New Year's Eve, I will sign off now, as beer awaits me and tomorrow will be one long headache.

But then it's Third Round day!

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:
FA2: South beats North with ease
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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FA2: South beats North with ease

Neil Redpath — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Our intrepid blogger Neil Redpath continues his quest to see a match in every single round of the FA Cup...

Nobody likes withdrawal symptoms, especially in December.

It’s over a month between the Second and Third Round of the FA Cup, so my pick of the Second Round ties had to be carefully considered.

I try for Staines Town tickets, but apparently you need proof you live in the area, ticket stubs from past games, and an Ali G beard.

So I decide to drive to Northampton.

Well actually I decide to persuade my mate to make the 240-mile round trip, given that my Astra has been run into the ground over the past few months.

We get to the Sixfields Stadium in plenty of time and park up in one of the many homemade car parks surrounding the stadium.

One pound is all it costs to park in the middle of a sodden grassy field – and you get a free trudge across the damp bog, avoiding pleasantries left by cows, to turn your once-white trainers a nice shade of brown.

We pick our tickets up from a portable toilet and enter the ground to see “OFFER” blazened across the food kiosks situated every 20 yards along the west stand concourse.

Two beers and two pies for a tenner? Deal.

We whip out a fiver each and two minutes later the cold pie and flat beer make their way into the bins on top of the other pies and beers purchased that day.

We take our places right behind the dugouts in time to see the match kick off.

Northampton fly at the Saints defence, causing all sorts of problems, only for the post to prevent the Cobblers taking a very early lead from a scuffed Ade Akinfenwa shot.

Half of the 4,858 attendance is made up of Southampton fans, and the noise coming from the Alwyn Hargrave and South Stand is deafening.

It takes two saves from Chris Dunn in the home side’s goal to prevent the more Southerly Hampton taking the lead.

But Dunn is done for by two close range headers, firstly from Papa Waigo and then a carbon copy goal by Adam Lallana to put Southampton 2-0 up at half time.

We're treated to a cheerleading display at half time to distract people from the taste of the so-called pies.

“It's Crouchy” comes the shout, and sure enough behind the cheerleaders is a lanky fella moving like he's possessed.

Unfair mockery rains down upon him throughout his routine – who'd have thought a football crowd could be unwelcoming? – but others note the girls in front of him and wish they'd thought of joining a dance group in their younger days.

The second half kicks off and Southampton are on the attack again. Both teams are playing well and if anything, Northampton look the better side – apart from their finishing.

Then the linesman, who seemed to miss everything in the first half, decides Dean Hammond's effort has crossed the line for 3-0, surely the end for the Northerly Hampton.

Hammond gets another, this time in his own net, to spark some life back into the fans in the North and West stands.

With 25 minutes to go, surely they have left it too late even for an FA Cup fightback.

With seconds left on the clock, the Cobblers fans are streaming out. With the ground half empty, Northampton are awarded a penalty.

The fans flood back into the stadium to see Ryan Gilligan slot home a 94th-minute penalty which is succeeded by the final whistle.

We tiptoe back over Northampton swamps to recover our car and after a 30 minute struggle to get the wheels free, we head back home.

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:
FA2 preview: A North(ampton)m vs South(ampton) clash
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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FA2 preview: a North(ampton) vs South(ampton) clash

Neil Redpath — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:30:00 GMT

The Football League teams are in, but they're not having it all their own way.

Eight Blue Square Premier teams, one from the Blue Square North and two from the Blue Square South make up the numbers for the FA Cup Second Round Proper fixtures this coming weekend.

And with three ties between non-league teams – Oxford United vs Barrow, Cambridge United vs York City and Bath City vs Forest Green – there will be a guaranteed non-league presence in the hat for the Third Round draw come Sunday afternoon.

The three teams below the BSP are all sitting mid-table of their respective leagues, showing that form means nothing when it comes to the FA Cup.

The television broadcasters are no fools, and they know where the shocks may come in this Second Round.

Northwich Victoria, last round's giantkillers of Charlton, look good for another win against Lincoln City, who have only won one game (the First Round tie at Telford) in the last seven under Chris Sutton.

Kettering Town, flying high in the Blue Square Premier, have nothing to lose against Leeds United.

The final fixture that captures the imagination is Staines Town taking on 2004 finalists Millwall at Wheatsheaf Park.

Their striker "Ali C" - who moved on in 2007 but came back to Staines - has been knocking them in during the last few games.

With a shock win against Shrewsbury Town in the last round, the team that entered in the Second Qualifying Round will be going all out for another league scalp in what will be their fifth FA Cup game this season.

Five? Pah. This weekend your faithful FourFourTwo blogger will be attending the eighth FA Cup game of a campaign that began back in August at Dereham Town's Aldiss Park.

This time, I'll be at the Sixfields Stadium watching Northampton vs Southampton.

The Cobblers don't have much history in the cup, reaching the Fifth Round on only three occasions.

Funnily enough, their worst defeat came from the Saints with an 11-0 thrashing in 1901-02.

Another scoreline like that (for either team) would be pleasing on the eye for a neutral like me watching the game.

Southampton have had a bit more success in the competition, reaching the FA Cup final in 1976 and beating Manchester United 1-0 in a shock result.

They made it to the final again in 2003 but lost to Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium.

Southampton are the bigger team and in better form. But as we know, form counts for nothing in the cup.

It's one of the many reasons we love it...

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:
FA1: Fire and ice at the Abbey
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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First Round fire and ice at the Abbey

Neil Redpath — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

The First Round Proper is finally upon us. After six matches and a total of 1120 miles covered in my Astra Elite, I decide to take a less stressful approach to travel by using the national railway network.

Hopping on at Norwich, I travel through Wymondham and Attleborough picking my mates up en route.

Eventually we arrive at Cambridge with high expectations and full bladders, both provided by the copious amounts of beer consumed on the journey.

We make our way north from the station eventually arriving at the entrance of Coldham’s Common, a large open grassy area with the Abbey Stadium situated at the far end.

It’s bloody cold and with the icy wind blowing across from left to right, the path leading to the ground looks a daunting prospect.

We get to the other side, red of face and numb of everything else, and rush to find a pub for warmth and a big screen for the Norwich City vs Paulton Rovers early kick-off.

“You can come in here, there’s cheap beer,” a helpful steward tells us at the entrance to the stadium car park, pointing to the clubhouse at the back of the North Stand.

“And a large...” ...but by the time he got the second sentence out we were already getting the round in.

Norwich square up to Paulton on the clubhouse telly. They'll end up winning 7-0 – who would've thought it?

Well, everyone apart from the pundits, who constantly mention Hereford and Wrexham’s giantkilling acts of 1972 and 1992 respectively.

With 10 minutes to kick-off it's out of the bar and on to the terraces, and a nice-sized crowd is gathering, with only one stand closed and the Ilkeston fans at the far end enjoying the new south stand, built in 2002.

As the sun starts to set behind the Habbin Stand to our right, the wind picks up and the terracing becomes an iced cavern. This is going to be a long game.

The match kicks off and with only five minutes on the clock, Cambridge United’s Chris Holroyd puts the U’s 1-0 up with a close-range poke.

There’s hope that this goal might spark an exciting game, but no further goals come in the first half, despite Cambridge having most of the possession and Ilkeston looking dangerous on the break.

Half-time brings a first for this season: I don’t mind that they’re not selling alcohol. Instead, a pint of Bovril goes down a treat.

The floodlights start to warm up, and with the constant beat from a man possessing both a drum and better rhythm than the Lowestoft madman in the Third Qualifying Round, the atmosphere starts to build.

BLOG: A local affair at Lowestoft

The second half resumes with Cambridge straight on the attack, and really smoking.

Oh no hang on, that's coming from the away end. Maybe it's a bonfire on the allotments behind the south stand or maybe it's the Ilkeston fans burning their match tickets.

Whatever the reason, on 65 minutes Jai Reason puts Cambridge 2-0 up from 25 yards.

Cue the substitutes from both sides and obviously the Blue Square Premier outfit's replacements are of better stock, because the U's double their lead with strikes from Courtney Pitt and Adam Marriott in the 72nd and 86th minutes.

As the game ends the crowd seek a chance to get back home and warm up.

For us, it's back across the Common in total darkness, wondering what delights we may step in along the way...

Previously, on The Long Road To Wembley:
FA1 preview: Enter the big boys
FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies
FA4Q preview: Ploughing through
FA3Q: A local affair at Lowestoft
FA3Q preview: All hail the 4x4ers
FA2Q: Coke, poodle rock & half a fence
FA2Q preview: Let's spend a night together
FA1Q: Lawro, ducks & a care home
FA1Q preview: The preliminaries are over
FAP: Dogs, daughters & dodgy tellies
FAP preview: Preliminary problems
FAEP: Dereham dreams alive and kicking
FAEP preview: The long road starts here

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
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First Round Proper: Enter the League boys

Neil Redpath — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT

The 129th FA Cup rumbles on, and now the Football League teams enter the fray, writes Neil Redpath.

The draw for the First Round Proper, as it's known to those of us who have been following the competition through its six qualifying rounds, was made on October 24.

The home teams were pulled out of the bag by Chris Powell, the former Charlton defender and England international, while the away teams were selected by Jimmy Anderson. Apparently he plays cricket.

As the balls were pulled out one by one, fans across the country from Leeds United to Paulton Rovers had their fingers crossed.

Some for an easy tie to get ever closer to the money spinning Third Round when the big boys enter; some for a Football League team, so they can cash in sooner.

Eighth-tier Paulton are the lowest-ranked team still left in the competition, playing in the Zamaretto Division One South & West.

No surprise, then, that there was massive media interest when they were drawn against Norwich City, who were in the Premier League in 2005.

Within days the Paulton Rovers website says it all: SOLD OUT.

It's the biggest game in the club's history and the locals will be out in force to maybe witness one of the biggest cup upsets in recent years.

Paulton – it's near Bristol, if you're wondering – reached the First Round Proper after entering at the Preliminary Round stage, beating Chippenham Town, Bideford Town, Tiverton Town, Didcot Town and Newport County on the way.

The other big tie of the round is Northwich Victoria against Charlton Athletic. The Cheshire side would be sitting sixth in the Blue Square North but for a 10-point deduction.

The Vics are still having a good season, and they may have a scalp on their hands after the encounter with high-flying Charlton three divisions above them.

And like Paulton-Norwich, a watching live TV audience will be willing them on.

Your FourFourTwo blogger won't be crowding in among the mass-market media at either of those fixtures, or at the New Den as Millwall welcome AFC Wimbledon for the young club's biggest ever game.

No, it's off to the Abbey Stadium for Cambridge United vs Ilkeston Town.

It's four years since the U's were relegated from the Football League, and despite financial troubles they have been knocking on the door since: for both of the last two seasons they've finished second and reached the play-off final, only to be beaten at Wembley.

Visitors Ilkeston Town will be looking to reach the Second Round for only their third time in their history.

Now a Conference North side under former Northern Ireland international Kevin Wilson, they're at the highest point in their history and will fancy their chances.

Which is what the FA Cup is all about...

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FA4Q: Barked shins, dark toilets & no pies

Neil Redpath — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Neil Redpath continues his mission to attend a game in every single round of the FA Cup. For his sixth adventure, he's off to someone's front room...

Trying to find a parking space around Kenilworth Road is like looking for a Manc on the Kop.

After 30 minutes of driving around looking for anywhere to leave our wheels, we spot a sign saying “5 Quid Football Parking.”

I slam on the brakes and swing the Astra down a side alley and behind a second-hand shop to be confronted by Frank Butcher, or at least someone resembling the EastEnder.

We didn’t know if he owned this car park or he was just trying to con us out of a fiver, but after three hours of driving through the pouring rain we couldn’t have cared less.

With an hour to go before kick off, we find the away fans' entrance on Oak Road.

The turnstiles are wedged so tightly between long lines of terraced housing, that it feels like we'd have to walk through someone’s front room, step over their cat and avoid the TV just to make it into the stadium.

"Seamlessly matching the vernacular architecture..."

If the stadium looks cramped, that's because it is. You would have to be 5ft tall to be able to cram your legs between the seats in the away end.

This prompts a chant of “You’re just a town full of midgets” as we revert to standing for the entire game.

For the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round – the last before the Football League clubs enter the fray – we've come to Kenilworth Road, easily the biggest ground so far of my Wembley-bound journey.

Luton are in the play-off spots and chasing an instant escape from the Blue Square Premier - we're in the away end with 70 very vocal fans supporting Grays Athletic, who would currently be happy merely to stay in the BSP.

Grays come out in light blue, followed by Luton in bright orange home shirts to match their EasyJet advert hoardings and the bright orange planes flying out of Luton Airport every 10 minutes over the Kenilworth Stand opposite.

Luton start the match kicking towards the away fans (all 70 of whom seem determined to sing all game long), and take an early lead when Shane Blackett taps in from five yards after a parry from Grays goalie Preston Edwards.

Score in a minute, they're gonna...

Inspired, the Hatters put Grays under relentless pressure, with chance after chance coming ever closer to doubling the lead.

And just as Grays are getting to grips with Luton’s dominance, the home side go 2-0 up with an unfortunate own goal by Petar Rnkovic.

The half-time whistle blows, and with no seat to comfortably sit in, and no bar to serve us a drink, we head for the snack kiosk at the back of the stand.

“One pie please,” I ask the young fellow serving, probably too young to remember Luton’s glory years.

“Sorry, we've sold out,” he mumbles.

“Sold out?!" I repeat in disbelief. “But there’s only 70 of us here!”

“To be honest,” he replies, “we only had five for sale...”

It sums up the Kenilworth Road away end: no pies, no legroom, and no lights in the toilets, it may well be the worst stand in non-league football.

Wanted: Hobbits for away end

Luton come flying out of the traps in the second half, presumably emboldened by the half-time team talk from caretaker managers Alan Neilson and Kevin Watson, who are well on the way to their fourth win in five games in charge.

Around us, the Grays supporters are still putting up much more of a fight than their team.

When the home fans mock their team, they adapt the same tune to fire back “We’re sh*t and we know we are” and “You must be sh*t, 'cos you're playing us.”

Back on the pitch, the Grays players look like they've settled for 2-0 but the home team's Asa Hall has other ideas.

After having a goal disallowed for offside and then an effort off the post, he finally gets what he's after with a 25-yard screamer into the bottom corner.

With the rain coming down harder, the ref ends the visitors' torture.

As the whistle blows, the 70 Grays fans pile out of the Oak Road stand and straight onto their waiting coaches, pointed towards Essex.

Meanwhile, we try to remember where we parked the car...

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Ploughing through towards to the big boys

Neil Redpath — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:30:00 GMT

FFT.com's FA Cup correspondent Neil Redpath is attending a game in every round of the FA Cup. And it seems he's not alone...

There’s one more round of games to go before the teams in the Football League get a slice of the action.

There will be no holding back for the clubs that have progressed so far to the Fourth Qualifying Round this weekend with glamour teams such as Leeds, Norwich, Southampton and Charlton awaiting them just around the corner.

An unlucky loss for Coventry Sphinx means that there’s only one remaining team left from the Extra Preliminary Round stage, which kicked off back in August: Spartans South Midlands outfit Aylesbury.

They've already played eight games, despatching Langford, Leighton Town (after a replay), Erith Town (after a replay) and Wingate & Finchley (after a replay) before an exciting 4-3 win over high-flying Chesham United left them with just a Fourth Qualfiying Round tie against Wealdstone between them and a big-money draw in the First Round Proper.

(Note to long-standing readers: these FA Cup heroes are not to be confused with Aylesbury United, who came in at the Preliminary Round but lost in a First Round replay to Potters Bar - after a dire first game watched by yours truly.)

One team that stands out is Paulton Rovers. They are having an average season so far in the Zamaretto South & West Division 1 (Level 8), but they won 1-0 against Newport County, who sit top of the Blue Square South (Level 6 - just below what used to be the Conference).

At the Fourth Qualifying Round stage, the Prize money at this stage increases from £7,500 to £12,500.

It's a lot of money for the smaller teams but when you take into consideration pitch and stadium maintenance as well as floodlighting costs, player wages etc etc, the money won't go as far as you may think.

With an interesting range of fixtures present for the Fourth Qualifying Round, I decided to see an all-Conference clash: Luton Town vs Grays Athletic. Of which, more soon...

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A local affair at Lowestoft

Neil Redpath — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Neil Redpath is attending a game in every round of the FA Cup. His latest match was his nearest yet...

There’s nothing like supporting your local team, so I'm told, and they don’t come more local to me than Lowestoft Town.

The joy of rolling out of bed on a Saturday afternoon and taking a leisurely stroll down to see your team play sounds a lot better than the 11-hour round trips I used to make for Liverpool home games.

So that’s precisely what I did.

Out of bed and then next door to the King's Arms pub for a swift half with my mates before we set off for the casual 30-minute drive down the A146 to Crown Meadow, home of Lowestoft Town.

The sight fills me with excitement as we enter Lowestoft, there’s people, and lots of them, walking towards the ground.

Blimey, I think, there might be a crowd at this one – maybe some atmosphere, which sadly had been lacking so far in my FA Cup venture.

A drive around the ground looking for anywhere to park is a mission in itself, there are cars parked in side streets with the only spaces the permit ones.

Not wanting to miss kick off, I ditch the car obstructing a drive way or three and hurry to the ground to join the ever-increasing queue to the turnstiles.

Five minutes to kick off and you can hear the atmosphere building.

Once inside, a pleasing gasp escapes me. This ground is good, very good.

My mates are regular Carrow Road-goers and they see it as a typical non-league ground – but if they had attended Aveley on a cold Wednesday night or sat in Aylesbury's 'grand' stand, they'd appreciate this moment with me.

The main stand is packed to the rafters, so standing will be in order for this one; we get to the front in time to see the players walking out to a thunderous reception.

Sadly there's no time for the bar, so we walk over to the end Lowestoft are attacking and find ourselves standing next to a madman with a drum.

It's probably not the best place to stand, but it's too late now, the match has kicked off and there’s nowhere else to go with this good a view.

The ground is packed with 1,210 spectators, Town's biggest gate of the season.

This could be due to the fact Norwich are playing at Carlisle and Ipswich aren’t playing at all, but more than likely the fact people would rather watch live football than a fiver to watch England's dead rubber on a laptop.

There are no bright sparks or flair players for Sutton Coldfield, who find themselves under pressure. Two minutes in, Lowestoft's Gary McGee heads a cross onto the bar.

Soon after, Adam Smith is the next Trawlerboy to test impressive visiting goalkeeper Tony Breedon.

Unfortunately that's it for first-half chances. Sutton Coldfield sort out their defensive frailties by the simple tactic of sticking 11 men behind the ball, and the rest of the half is played in the middle of the field.

After being in the swing of it of the first few minutes, my mates go from talking about Lowestoft's chances to who has the best group in The X Factor.

I'm starting to wish I'd come to the match on my own.

The ref blows for half-time and a run to the bar is in order. With everyone surrounding a large plasma screen, the scores come in and Norwich are leading 1-0.

I wonder who these fans will support if Lowestoft get to the First Round Proper and are drawn against the Canaries. One thing's for sure, it would be an excellent atmosphere.

We take our place behind the opposing goal; surely this half will be more entertaining. With the drummer at full volume, the match kicks off and... still no chances.

Again Lowestoft have the possession but are unable to get past the 11 Sutton players setting up camp in their own half.

On 75 minutes, East Anglian legend Gary Holt takes to the field for his Trawlers debut. A former Norwich City Player of the Year, he collected 10 caps for Scotland.

And he nearly makes an impressive introduction in the FA Cup, only being denied a debut goal by the excellent Tony Breedon diving down to his left.

There's just time for one more chance, Lowestoft firing just wide. Immediately the ref blows for full time to signal a replay.

Running back to the car, I expect to see my wheels clamped, but to my surprise everything is fine and we make a quick getaway.

I try to organise how we are getting to the replay, but there are no takers.

Oh well, I might be going solo again for the next round...

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Preview: All hail the four-out-of-fourers

Neil Redpath — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:30:00 GMT

FFT.com's Neil Redpath is watching a game in every round of the FA Cup. And after this weekend, there's just one round left before the big boys...

It's the weekend of the Third Qualifying Round - just two from the stage where the Football League teams enter.

But before I tell you where I'll be watching it, I'd like to dedicate this week's blog to the heroics of Coventry Sphinx and Aylesbury FC – the two remaining clubs left in the cup who entered in the Extra Preliminary round stage back in August.

Each team has already chalked up four wins to earn a Third Qualifying Round match – against Bedworth United and Chesham respectively.

Aylesbury FC, who were once called Stock Lake FC, then were called Belgrave FC, and then were called Haywood United, and then were called Aylesbury Vale FC before they settled with Aylesbury FC as long ago as 2009.

Charmingly, they're nicknamed the Moles due to the little creatures inhabiting their Haywood Way pitch.

Their participation in the FA Cup only goes back five years, and they've reached the Second Qualifying Round once.

So hats off, or rather pith helmets on, as they enter uncharted territory. They've conquered Langford, Leighton Town, Erith Town and Wingate & Finchley to reach this stage.

Currently handily placed in fourth in the Molten Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division, they have a difficult local tie against Chesham United of the (Level 8) Zamaretto Southern League Division 1 Midlands.

Meanwhile, Coventry Sphinx, originally the Armstrong Siddeley Motors works team, renamed themselves Sphinx FC before settling on Coventry Sphinx in 1995.

What's all this Sphinx business?

Well, one of the mythical creatures is present on the badge of Armstrong Siddeley, the local engineering firm whose workers started the team.

Their FA Cup history? They haven't really got one. This is their third attempt, with both previous 'runs' ending in the Extra Preliminary Round.

In 2008, they lost to Barwell; in 2007, they lost to Teversal (which sounds like Carlito going back on a deal).

It's a different story this time, with wins against Bromyard Town, Stourport Swifts and Rushall Olympic setting them up for an impressive replay victory against Stafford Rangers of the Blue Square North. That's Level 6, just two below Football League standard.

Bumbling along in 15th place in the Aspire Midland Football Alliance, they now face a difficult tie against Bedworth United – who, like Aylesbury's opponents Chesham United, play at (Level 8) in the Zamaretto Southern League Division 1 Midlands.

But who am I facing in my own personal Wembley-chasing quest? Well, with games coming thick and fast, I decide to take a look at a fairly local team: Lowestoft Town.

The team from Crown Meadow are steaming along in the (Level 8) Ryman’s League Division 1 North, which they lead by three points after eight games.

They're no strangers to Wembley either, having graced the hallowed turf only last year in an FA Vase final that they eventually lost to Kirkham and Wesham.

They've made it to the First Round Proper on five occasions, and will fancy their chances of making it there again.

Opponents Sutton Coldfield Town are a lowly 16th in the (Level 8) Zamaretto Football League Division 1 Midlands.

Having entered the competition in the Preliminary Round, they've won three times, the highlight being a 6-0 away hammering of Westfields in the First Qualifying Round.

The talk around East Anglia is already of a Norwich City vs Lowestoft tie in the First Round Proper tie. This will act as all the incentive they will need to turn over Sutton Coldfield on Saturday.

Then there's just one more qualifier before the Football League boys join in.

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Coke, poodle rock & half a fence

Neil Redpath — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Neil Redpath continues his quest to see a game in every single round of the FA Cup...

FA Cup Second Round Qualifier Replay: Aveley vs Burnham, September 30, Mill Field

“Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!” I shout above the music from my car radio, as I see the turn-off for Aveley in my rear-view mirror while heading straight towards the Dartford Crossing.

A good two-hour drive so far on a Wednesday night and it seems to have gone swimmingly... up until now. With traffic cones to direct you around more traffic cones, the M25 is unbearable, which causes me to miss my turn off.

Once back on track, I head towards London on the A13 and arrive at Mill Field with an hour to spare.

I’m directed to the car park by a smartly-dressed man in tie-and-blazer combination. Walking over to him after parking up, I ask if the match is still on, thinking it slightly odd that mine is the only car there. “Of course it is,” he grunts, and with that welcome I head towards town to find a more welcoming place to pass the time with a Coke.

Good thing I did; after entering the ground I notice there’s no bar, just a refreshment stand, club shop and the toilets.

Both teams enter onto the field to The Final Countdown blaring from the PA system. This should get the teams going – it’s definitely woken me up.

It was 1-1 at Burnham on Saturday and from the programme notes, Aveley were very lucky, scoring in the dying minutes to snatch the draw.

The match kicks off and it quickly looks like both teams are playing for penalties. Burnham use the long ball, Aveley come back at them with some good play only to be dispossessed, and the ball is hoofed up field for another go.

It’s not even the most entertaining aerial attack. That would be the planes from Stansted flying over the stadium every five minutes.

The whistle blows to end a very poor half without so much as a memorable chance to report. I grab myself a cuppa and sit back in the main stand, reading my programme and texting my mates to see what the Champions League scores are.

From a high(ish) vantage point I can spy a wooden fence surrounding a ground that has evidently seen better days. At the far corner, a new fence has been erected and a Timber Fencing company sponsor board hooked to it. It’s a very nice fence and a good advertisement for the company. Shame they couldn’t finish the rest of the ground off.

Such thoughts are dispersed by another deafening rendition of The Final Countdown. Fans wince as the players run back out, but from the first whistle it’s obvious that something has been said in the changing rooms: both teams fly into their tackles and chances are created at both ends, one after another.

With the tempers edging towards boiling point, the referee has no choice but to book a few to calm things down.

One yellow card to Aveley confuses players and fans. Luckily Aveley manager Rod Stringer is on hand to clear it up: “He’s booking you for swearing. So shut the f**k up.”

Then the goals come. In the 57th minute Aveley’s Matt Johnson taps in a cross from close range, but five minutes later Ben Hudell’s 25-yarder deflects in for the equaliser.

Suddenly we’re having all the goalmouth action we were denied in the first half. Under pressure from Burnham attackers the Aveley keeper stumbles back over his goal-line; visiting players turn to celebrate but are interrupted by the referee’s whistle.

In the 74th minute, Sherwin Stanley slides in from two yards to put Aveley back in front. Junior Dadson’s injury-time third seals Burnham’s fate, and with work in the morning, I run to the car park to make a quick getaway.

Twenty minutes later...

“Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!” I shout above the music from my car radio, as I see the turn-off for Norwich in my rear-view mirror while heading straight towards Heathrow.

The M25 does it to me again but at least I’m sure of one thing:

I will be heading north for the next round.

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Let's spend a night together

Neil Redpath — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:00 GMT

FFT.com blogger Neil Redpath is watching a game in every single round of the FA Cup. No matter what the family circumstances...

I thought I'd start this blog with some interesting statistics from this year's FA Cup competition so far.

- Out of the 406 teams that entered the cup in the Extra Preliminary Round, 24 have made it to the Second Qualifying Round (winning three matches to get there).

- The 129 teams entering at the Preliminary Round Stage have been whittled down to just 45 teams that kicked off on Saturday.

- There have been 100 replays played over the last three rounds, with eight of those ties being decided on penalties.

- The biggest wins came from Alresford Town’s 8-0 win against Shaftesbury in the Extra Preliminary Round and Kendal Town’s 9-1 demolition of Guisborough Town in the First Qualifying Round.

- The competition's giantkillers so far are Pegasus Juniors, a Hereford-based team playing in the Hellenic League, two leagues below their opponents. Against the odds they beat Zamaretto Southern Premier league outfit Hednesford Town 4-1, which meant the Pegs reach the Second Qualifying Round for the first time in their short history.

- There was also an impressive display by Horden CW, of the Northern League Division 1, beating Durham City of the Unibond Premier Division 3-1 after a replay.

That's the facts. Now, if you’re still awake, I'll continue...

It’s my daughter's first birthday and, surprise surprise, it falls on the Saturday of the Second Qualifying Round. I’m not cold-hearted enough to miss my daughter's big day for a football match, and with the missus twisting my arm, I have to look beyond the weekend’s games and onto the replays.

Fingers crossed there are some replays. That'll be a new twist, taking me away from weekend games. The thought of watching the world's oldest cup competition under floodlights on a weeknight fills me with excitement. I'm sure it will improve the atmosphere.

As I see the results come in, I notice Aveley FC snatching a late equaliser against Burnham FC at the Gore. And so, a quick drive down the M11 after work will be in order for Wednesday night's replay.

Aveley FC, or the Millers, were formed in 1927, and they play their football at Mill Field, a stone's throw from the Dartford crossing.

Sitting pretty in sixth place in the Rymans Premier League, they wouldn't need much more than a postcard to write home about their cup exploits, although they did reach the First Round Proper back in 1970.

Burnham FC are the second oldest club in Buckinghamshire, formed in 1878. In 1985 they merged with Hillingdon Borough FC to become Burnham & Hillingdon FC. But soon after, they changed their name back to Burnham FC.

Like Aveley, Burnham are doing well in their league campaign, sitting fourth in the Zamaretto League Midlands Division 1. And their success in this competition rivals that of Aveley’s, reaching the First Round Proper in 2005, losing to Aldershot Town.

A Wednesday night journey around the M25 through roadworks... it'll feel like I have won the cup myself if I get there before kick off...

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Lawro, traffic and a planned care home

Neil Redpath — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:00:00 GMT

FFT.com blogger Neil Redpath is watching a game in every single round of the FA Cup. Most recently, this meant visiting some displaced Ducks...

And so to Aylesbury. But not for a match, even though I've decided to spend the First Qualifying Round watching Aylesbury United, because my mate Chris lives in Aylesbury.

No, as I explained in the preview blog, United have now been forced to leave their old place and groundshare with nearby Leighton FC.

BLOG: September 11: End of Preliminaries, start of Qualifiers

So I drag Chris out of bed and carry on up the A418 to LFC's pleasantly-named ground Bell Close. Parking outside the ground, we notice an Aylesbury United banner draped over an existing Leighton FC sign.

We're at the right place, then.

Other than this banner, there are no other hints that any team other than Leighton FC play here. A bit disheartening, surely, for the Ducks fans who have supported their team here for three seasons.

As ancient tradition dictates, we pay a quick visit to the club bar. As modern tradition dictates, Sky Sports News is being shown on three TVs. In the corner stands a packed trophy cabinet, all with Leighton FC awards.

A nice way to rub your success into the faces of Aylesbury fans.

Hanging proudly above the bar is a picture of Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson, playing for Oxford City against Leighton FC quite a few years ago. The then-moustachioed one is turning his opponent inside-out prior to scoring a 25-yard scorcher.

Well, that’s what it looks like anyway.

We step out of the bar into a very run-down ground. To our left, a deteriorating fence tries but fails to separate Bell Close from the Leighton cricket pitch next door.

After briefly considering asking for a refund and watch through the broken slats, we take our position ready for kick off.

Taking our place at the back of the main stand, we see the teams run on: United in green and white, visitors Potters Bar Town in dark red.

A smattering of fans – the attendance is later announced as 133, fewer than at the last FA Cup game I attended at Ashford – clap their teams on, only to be drowned out by the traffic in the distant background.

BLOG: September 6: Dogs, daughters and dodgy tellies

Aylesbury have the majority of the possession, Potters Bar the better chances. Their two frontmen Shane Wyllie and Ellis Remy play like a young Emile Heskey and Andy Cole respectively, their strength and pace causing Aylesbury all sorts of problems.

The dugouts – well, benches – are situated either side of the main stand. While a strange silence hangs over the Potters bench to our right, Aylesbury manager Byron Walton makes up for it with constant orders barked from the touchline.

No doubt who's on top, then. United's pass-and-move founders on the bumpy pitch while the visitors' long-ball game sails merrily over.

Half-time changes nothing, with Aylesbury having the ball and Potters Bar the chances. The match is summed up on the hour when visiting player Dennis Paratusic blazes over not only the crossbar but also the whole stand – much to the amusement of the Ducks supporters.

The match ends goalless, with a replay required the following Tuesday. We decide to give it a miss.

Driving back to Aylesbury after the match, we pass their old Buckingham Road ground. We can't help but stop. It'll probably be more interesting than the match.

Windows boarded up and gates padlocked, it's a sorry sight. But a gap in the fence is easily big enough to get a good view of the ground. Inside, the pitch is overgrown, hiding the stands at the far end.

We feel sorry for the Aylesbury fans who now travel more than 20 miles away from Aylesbury every fortnight for a home game, passing their old field of dreams on the way.

It’s been three years since football was last played here and a notice at the entrance says that the ground will be knocked down for a new care home.

But the sale won't help the Ducks, who were only leasing the ground anyway.

With Aylesbury in financial troubles and no ground to call their own, the future for the mighty Ducks looks uncertain. But at least they can dream. Win the replay, get through a couple more rounds, draw a big team... as long as there's the FA Cup, there's always hope.

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FourFourTwo.com: More to read...

BLOG, September 11: End of Preliminaries, start of Qualifiers
BLOG: September 6: Dogs, daughters and dodgy tellies
BLOG: August 29: Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin
BLOG: August 24: Dereham dreams still alive
BLOG: August 14: The long road to Wembley starts here

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End of Preliminaries... start of Qualifiers

Neil Redpath — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:00 GMT

The preliminaries are over. This weekend it's the FA Cup First Qualifying Round, where teams from level 7 of the football pyramid join in.

(That's the level below the Conference North and South: see the earlier blog “Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin” for more details of how the football pyramid works).

BLOG, August 29: Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin

In the First Qualifying Round, sides from the Ryman's, Unibond and Zamaretto premier divisions will be dreaming of getting through the qualifiers to the First Round Proper and potential national attention.

(There are four qualifying rounds, but not every team has to play in all of them. We'll explain more about that in a future blog).

But first, they may have to deal with some minor-league minnows with their own ideas of glory.

The pick of the action from the Preliminary Rounds saw Enfield 1893 progress with a 7-0 thumping of Crawley Green, with seven different players finding the onion bag.

Dereham Town, whom we met earlier on The (Long) Road To Wembley, moved a round further on by beating Wroxham 3-0 to set up a very lucrative tie against local rivals Lowestoft Town of Ryman's Division One.

BLOG, August 24: Dereham Town dreams still alive and kicking

Of the 203 teams who progressed from the Extra Preliminary Round, fewer than half will be competing this weekend; only 86 of them won in the Preliminary Round.

Among the new participants to this round, table-topping Dartford (Ryman's Premier), Kendal Town (Unibond Premier) and Farnborough (Zamaretto Premier) will be hoping their league form continues in the world's oldest club competition.

But this Saturday, you won't be finding FFT.com's faithful FA Cup follower watching the Darts at Walton Casuals, Town hosting Guisborough or the Boro hosting Hastings.

No, it's away to Aylesbury, where a couple of close friends have moved in the last couple of months.

And by close, I mean close - as in a five-minute walk to Aylesbury United's Buckingham Road ground.

Imagine my surprise, then, to find that the club were evicted in 2006 when their lease ran out.

United now play at Bell Close, home of Leighton Town. Oh well, a five-minute drive instead of a five-minute walk: I can cope with that.

Also known as the Ducks (due to the famous Aylesbury breed), they were formed in 1897.

They haven't had the best of starts in the Zamaretto Midlands First Division this season: four games have yielded no wins and a -8 goal difference.

With no ground and very charitable league form, things are looking bad for the team from Buckinghamshire.

But the FA Cup holds happy memories for United. Between 1985 and 1993 they were the non-league's best representatives, reaching the First Round Proper every season.

In 1995, they got as far as the Third Round Proper in 1995 before losing to Premier League outfit QPR; their "Duck Walk" celebration made them famous enough to appear on They Think It's All Over.

Their opponents this weekend are rather less glamorous than Gary Lineker, Rory McGrath and Nick Hancock.

Potters Bar Town didn't even join the FA Cup until the season after Aylesbury played QPR.

Indeed, they've only been called Potters Bar Town since 1991, 31 years after they came into being as Mount Grace Old Scholars when a PE master formed a team for his old boys.

Their greatest achievement was progressing to the Fourth Qualifying Round in 2006, losing 3-2 to Woking.

Now plying their trade in Ryman’s First Division North, they’ve reached this round after a 4-1 replay win against Level 10 outfit Cockfosters.

But this is the FA Cup, and it doesn't matter where you came from or how long your history. It's 11 vs 11 over 90 minutes, and you'll read all about it next week.

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BLOG: September 6: Dogs, daughters and dodgy tellies
BLOG: August 29: Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin
BLOG: August 24: Dereham dreams still alive
BLOG: August 14: The long road to Wembley starts here

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Dogs, daughters and dodgy tellies

Neil Redpath — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:00:00 GMT

FFT.com blogger Neil Redpath contiunes his bid to watch a game in every single FA Cup round – despite being on a family holiday

FA Cup Preliminary Round
Ashford Town vs Mile Oak
Homelands, August 30 2009

So there I was, driving down the A28 from Canterbury, with the wife and daughter in the back.

The exhaust blowing from my Astra conveniently drowned out the noise from my daughter Sophie (and for that matter the missus).

We arrived at Homelands, home of Ashford Town FC in time to see a coach full of orange park up next to me.

You could easily have mistaken this for an international clash with Holland, but on closer inspection it was 60 Mile Oak fans who had travelled the 83 miles from Hove, all dressed in bright orange.

“Eight quid?! Eight quid?!” the wife kept saying as I bought the tickets and went through the turnstiles.

“This is cheap,” I told her, remembering the 35-quid Chelsea matches my dad would make me go and watch.

Once through, we were met by two old-timers in Ashford Town blazers with a smile and a “hello.”

It was a nice touch which made us feel welcome, as we were first through the gates.

Another round, another ground

As per usual, I headed straight to the bar. A large projection screen greeted us on the way in; unfortunately, the projector looked like it was installed when the ground was built in the 1980s.

The picture it produced looked more like a re-run of the 1923 White Horse final than Portsmouth vs Man City in 2009.

Over in the far corner, a picture hung on the wall of a very quaint football ground. This was an illustration of the new-look Homelands Sports Village, to be completed in the near future.

The venture is to cost £10 million, and it will benefit the surrounding area for the people of Ashford.

This club has ambitions, I thought; they just need to sort things out on the pitch. As you may remember from the preview blog, both sides sit bottom of their respective leagues.

BLOG: August 29: Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin

The clouds were gathering over the stadium as the players made their way onto the pitch.

Strangely, the dugouts are situated over on the far side of the pitch, so the managers and substitutes needed a quick jog before the match could kick off.

The atmosphere from around 150 spectators was starting to bubble. With “Mile Oak FC” banners and a club mascot, you could tell the Mile Oak fans thought they had a chance here.

"What's the pitch like?" "Ruff"

We sat at the back of the main stand, ready for the downpour that looked inevitable. Sophie had decided it was nap time, from which she coincidentally but typically woke at half-time.

Ashford took an early lead, with Mile Oak striking back almost straight away: 1-1 already and this was looking to be a very interesting game.

The gallows humour of the relegation-haunted team was in evidence: throughout the match.

“Going down, going down, going down” was followed by “So are we, so are we, so are we.”

However, the difference in levels became noticeable later on in the half: Ashford started to run rings around the Mile Oak back four, scoring two late goals to make it 3-1 at half-time.

I never thought I would be reporting on the baby changing facilities at a football ground, but once Sophie was awake, a quick run to the toilets was required.

As expected, no facilities were available, so after a quick nappy change on the toilet floor we were ready for the second half.

"I shall never forget your kindness, Father"

With the Ashford fans changing ends for a better view of what was likely to become a one-sided second half, the ref blew to kick off.

This being an FA Cup match, you expect to hear someone singing “Que Sera Sera”; unfortunately, it was by just the one over-enthusiastic Mile Oak fan.

The man in question's uncanny resemblance to one of Peckham's finest prompted the home fans to regale him with “There’s only one Rodney Trotter.”

Whatever will be for Mile Oak this season, it won't involve any more FA Cup games. They didn't get a look-in as an increasingly dominant Ashford created chance after chance.

The rain never came but for Mile Oak it must have seemed like the heavens had opened as Luke Coleman bagged a second half hat-trick to send Ashford Town through 6-1.

End of the road for some

Ashford will be hoping this is a sign of things to come as they now concentrate on crawling up the league – for a fortnight, anyway.

Mile Oak travelled back down to the south coast with not much to show for a good 20-minute first-half performance.

We got back to the car and set off to finish our holiday. Driving away from the ground, Sophie instantly fell asleep, perhaps to dream of future matches, or what the changing facilities will be like at the next ground.

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BLOG: August 29: Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin
BLOG: August 24: Dereham dreams still alive
BLOG: August 14: The long road to Wembley starts here

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Preliminary problems as giantkillings begin

Neil Redpath — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT

FFT.com blogger Neil Redpath's bid to watch a game in every single FA Cup round reaches the Preliminary stage... and some family ties

With some interesting results last weekend, Faversham will think themselves more than lucky to get a bye to the Preliminary Round.

That's due to the misfortunes of Slade Green, whose financial situation has forced them to pull out of the FA Cup – and their league place in the Kent League.

For those of you taking notes, Wembley FC – who were mentioned in my first blog – will have to wait till next year for a chance to play across the road, as they lost 3-2 to Basildon United.

The 203 teams progressing to the Preliminary Round have now been joined by 131 teams from Level 8 of the football pyramid – the one at which the 14 sub-regional leagues coalesce into three regional organisations.

(A quick reminder about the pyramid. The Premier League is Level 1, Championship is Level 2 and so on. The Conference North and Conference South are Level 6; Level 7 consists of the premier divisions of the three regional leagues – Isthmian (sponsored by Ryman's), Northern (Unibond) and Southern (Zamaretto); and each of these leagues has two localised 'first divisions', which comprise Level 8.)

"Excuse me, folks... which way's Wembley?"

This is where some would say the FA Cup finally gets underway, as this is where the giant-killing begins.

With the prize money doubled to £1,500 for each successful team, there’s more than just winning on the minds of the chairmen.

But there’s a dilemma for your blogger. What do you do when you've booked a relaxing family holiday in the south-east of England and then realised it's FA Cup weekend?

Answer: you take them with you.

A glance at the fixtures shows that Ashford Town and Folkestone Invicta both have home games. Choices, choices...

Well, not really, as Ashford are only 30 miles from our campsite, and having a very impatient 11-month-old daughter tends to focus the mind on the least stressful solutions.

Ashford Town, established in 1930, have had some good runs in the cup – most noticeably progressing to the First Round Proper against Fulham in 1994.

After a 2-2 draw in front of a record-breaking attendance of 3,363 at Homelands (named after the farm the stadium was built on), they eventually succumbed 5-3 at Craven Cottage.

Ashford are a Level 8 team, but only just – they're currently rock-bottom of the Ryman’s Isthmian League Division 1 South.

As such, for the first and only time this season, they won’t be underdogs this Sunday, as they face Level 9 outfit Mile Oak.

Based just west of Hove, near Brighton, Mile Oak play their football in the Sussex County Football League Division 1.

They reached the preliminary rounds with a 3-1 win at divisional rivals Peacehaven & Telscombe FC, who were promoted last season as champions of the Sussex County League Division Two.

Sadly for Mile Oak, that cup win has been their only success this season: they've lost all four league games, leaking nine goals in the process.

Two teams on poor runs of form in the league, desperate for a fillip to kick-start their season. You couldn't ask for a better cup tie.

Let's just hope my daughter understands...

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BLOG: Mon Aug 24: Dereham dreams still alive
BLOG: Fri Aug 14: The long road to Wembley starts here

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Dereham Town dreams still alive and kicking

Neil Redpath — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Dereham Town vs Leiston
Aldiss Park

It's 8am, the morning of the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, and it feels like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one.

A year ago a thought entered my usually vacuous mind to attend all 14 rounds of the FA Cup, and finally it was here.

Setting off at 1pm, three men in a clapped out Ford Focus headed up the A47 to Dereham. Myself, Bruce and Fiddy. All with anticipation, apprehension and promise of what the day will bring.

Me with the anticipation of watching grass roots football at its best, Bruce with the apprehension of "will there be beer?" and Fiddy with the "promise of pies."

We got to Dereham’s Aldiss Park at 1:40pm, nice and early to take in the cup atmosphere.

Unfortunately 1:40pm seemed too early for most supporters and we were left banging on the door of the club bar.

After finally getting in and being served by a blonde goddess, we sat in the corner, watching the fans trickle in (mostly from Leiston surprisingly).

Looking out of the window, the view was to rival an executive box at Wembley, right behind the dugouts with both goals in full view.

Instantly the thought was to stay here and watch the match while propping up the bar.

At 3pm the fans spilled out onto the terraces. Well, not quite a terrace, more like a shed with no sides, or doors. Maybe we should just say, spilled out under a roof.

An eerie silence fell upon kick-off, either because of the nerves of the occasion, the wind carrying the noise away through the open-sided stadium, or the fact that there were only 50 spectators.

Dereham took an early lead, which was met by a few cheers as fans were still entering the stadium.

All around the perimeter of the pitch there were Dereham black and white shirts mixed with the blue of Leiston. A friendly banter was emerging, with both sets of supporters agreeing the linesman needed glasses.

Walking around the pitch, the majority of the conversations included "How Norwich are doing in Devon?" and "Who watched the early morning kick-off at Stamford Bridge?"

It seemed people’s thoughts were elsewhere on the day that the Premier League finally kicked off.

Leiston fought back and levelled, but a 25-yard free kick late in the first half by the Magpies (Dereham) sent the home team in at the break 2-1 up.

Half-time and a sprint to the bar! Everyone gathered around the plasma screen in the rather impressive members lounge to check the scores.

“Norwich are p*ssing drawing,” shouts a bloke from the back. Had Norwich been at home, you get the feeling the attendance would have been a lot less.

The 15 minute interval seems just a suggestion at this level, as I’ve only just placed my order at the bar and the game kicks off again.

Thank God for the executive box view!

Leiston came out with an unchanged side and instantly went 3-1 down to a dubious penalty. The fans finally found their voice, probably due to the copious amounts of beer consumed, and started to encourage the team.

No chants of "Que Sera Sera" or "Wembley... Wembley" were sung by the home support, maybe a bit too early in Dereham’s quest for the cup.

The final whistle blew on a very average second half but Dereham and Leiston fans applauded their teams off the park.

Maybe next year for Leiston, but for two weeks at least Dereham can still dream of walking up those Wembley steps after a cup final win against Norwich.

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BLOG: The long road to Wembley starts here

The long road to Wembley starts here...

Neil Redpath — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:00:00 GMT

When a supporter of a successful Premier League team is asked: “What is the longest journey in football?” they will instantly waffle on about their trek to the far east of Europe for a Champions League qualifier.

Hitching their way through treacherous weather and hostile surroundings, or spending the night sleeping in an airport departures lounge after they mislaid their passport and were conned out of their last penny on the promise of some magic beans.

When asking a supporter of a Football League team, they will probably all say the same thing.

Up the M6 on a Tuesday night to watch a meaningless match with Carlisle, then breaking down twice on the way home in their usually reliable Citroen Saxo, before abandoning it on the side of the road.

"Carlisle away? On a Tuesday night? Thanks!"

But ask a non-league fan and the answer will be somewhat different.

This weekend, 402 teams will enter a competition at the Extra Preliminary Round. Every year the entrances increase with a staggering 758 teams taking part this year.

It’s unpredictable, inspiring, exhilarating, dramatic, electrifying and yes, I did just look these words up in my thesaurus, it’s the FA Cup.

It’s a competition for amateur footballers to put their skills against the very best professionals.

Where else would you see a 40-year-old plumber, with two left feet, hacking chunks out of the finest players the English football leagues have to offer?

I’ll be attending all 14 rounds of the FA Cup and will be reporting on why it’s the most passionate and exciting football competition in the world.

I’ll experience football from grass roots level to the highest standard this country has to offer, starting with Dereham Town vs Leiston on August 15 at Aldiss Park.

Leiston had an amazing cup run last year, reaching the First Round after some memorable performances against the likes of Lewes and Fleetwood Town – an achievement they will be hoping to repeat this year.

Dereham were not so lucky, crashing out in the preliminary rounds to Stamford AFC.

The prize everyone's eyes are on...

The only non-league team to have won the FA Cup to date are Spurs, way back in 1901.

Could this be the year for a team from the nether regions, such as Ramsbottom United or Cockfosters to walk up those Wembley steps to meet the Queen?

How I would love to see that.

Wembley FC, who also kick off their campaign this Saturday, have the Wembley Arch in full view from their Vale Farm ground.

It may be just a stone’s throw away but by FA Cup terms the journey couldn’t be more colossal.

From Abbey Hey to Yaxley, come kick-off all these teams will be dreaming of walking out of the Wembley tunnel on May 15 in all-white Armani suits.