Season 2014/15 - 2nd Round Proper

Here is my review of last weekend’s 2nd Round Proper of the FA Vase as I travelled back to Vale Farm, North Wembley

The Journey

My journey began at Southend East station at 11:41 and after four trains, three of which were on the overground between Barking and North Wembley, I arrived at the station around 13:40, which wasn’t too bad. After a 20 minute walk to the ground in rather gloomy and wet conditions I paid my six pound to get in and entered the area of Vale Farm.

The Ground

Vale Farm is a pretty decent ground with plenty of covered seats and terracing and a friendly enough bloke on the turnstile to welcome you. They also have a team sheet pinned up on the wall next to the burger bar as you walk in so that helps too!! (although thanks to the power ofTwitter I got the teams from there thanks to Brantham Athletic’s official twitter feed!!!). I then waited for what seemed like an eternity for the burger bar to open and when it did I ordered myself a well earned cheesburger and chips which came to £2.95, which in this day and age is pretty good. I then went to take my seat in the neat covered stand on the other side of the ground to watch the game unfold.

The Match

Wembley 3 Brantham Athletic 4 (aet) – 2nd Round Proper, Saturday 22nd November

Brantham came into this one as slight underdogs perhaps going on recent form but it was they who started this game quicker and on 3 minutes a ball forward into the Wembley penalty areaended up as a corner kick although the visitors were shouting for a penalty. The corner was played back out to the wing and the resulting cross found its way to Cawley who volleyed straight at keeper Fogler.

Two minutes late the visitors had two more chances, firstly when a volley across goal was cleared and then secondly another effort was saved by Fogler as the visitors started well. On eight minutes Athletic attacked again and the ball fell to the edge of the area and Shaikly struck an effort just wide of the post.

The home side finally managed to put some pressure on the Brantham back line on 13 minutes but after some pressure skipper Bates sliced his effort high and wide of the goal. With 21 minutes on the clock another Brantham corner was headed just over by Cawley as the away side failed to take another chance and they were to pay for these misses when a minute later a deflected through ball from the home side found Femmi who whacked the ball beyond Fowler and into the corner.

It was Wembley’s first shot on target and they had made it count. Brantham tried to respond immediately and Oli Mann produced a wonderful save from Fogler to keep it at 1-0. It was a mystery as to how Brantham were losing this game and then just past the half hour mark things got worse when they went further behind as great play by Femmi took him to the edge of the box were he played a one two into the box and he calmly slotted past the oncoming Fowler for 2-0.

Two shots on target and two goals for the home side. Two minutes before the half Wembley attacked through Femmi again down the right and his ball into the box came out to Fekete who drilled well wide of the target. So at half time the visitors were behind but most people in the ground were left scratching their heads as to how. Half time: Wembley 2 Brantham Athletic 0.

The home sides task was made more difficult six minutes into the second half when their skipper Bates was sent off for a second bookable offence for a foul in midfield.

Brantham continued to carve out chances and on 58 minutes a Cawley free kick was headed wide by Travis who was under pressure and on 62 minutes Townrow found himself breaking into the box and as keeper Fogler came to challenge he went down a bit too easily and was booked for diving, much to the frustration of the Brantham players.

It was becoming a bit scrappy and a bit niggly now as both sides seemed to be getting frustrated for differing reasons. On 64 minutes another Athletic chance came when Townrow’s effort went straight at Fogler before Simon Mann, on as a sub, volleyed into the ground and straight at Fogler four minutes later. The home side were hardly threatening at all, that was until ten minutes from time, strangely from another Brantham attack.

The visitors had an effort deflected just wide for a corner and it was a poor corner that was cleared and suddenly Wembley were on the counter attack and Femmi was sent clean through on goal and he rounded keeper Fowler but then seemed to stumble slightly and did not get a complete connection on the ball and it rolled towards the goal but another sub Beechammanaged to get back and clear off the line. It would have been curtains for the suffolk side had that gone in.

Wembley were screaming for a penalty a minute later when a long clearance by Fogler almost found Gangadeen in on goal but he failed to make contact under challenge from a defender and he went to ground but no penalty was forthcoming.

With five minutes left Brantham’s Beecham found himself clean through on the right hand side but hit is effort wide of the far post and then a minute later Oli Mann hit a wonderful effort from the edge of the box which flicked off the bar and behind. Wembley almost sealed it (again) from another break when great play between Witham and Femmi resulted in the former in on goal but his effort was saved by Fowler and the follow up came to sub O’Reilly whose effort was somehow blocked.

On 88 minutes Brantham won a free kick outside the box and Cawley struck it inches wide, it just didn’t seem to be their day in front of goal. A minute into stoppage time and Wembley’s Femmi broke out again and he cut inside and produced a decent save from Fowler. Then came the most incredible of finishes to a game. On 92 minutes two of Brantham’s subs combined to grab a goal back as Simon Mann teed up Beecham to net from close range and then a minute later just as the home side thought they would hold on Simon Mann struck home from the edge of the area to level the tie and send it into extra time!!! Incredible stuff!!! Full time: Wembley 2 Brantham Athletic 2.

So into extra time then and with the extra man Brantham must of fancied their chances with an extra 30 minutes of play to win this tie. And a minute into it Cawley headed wide after a decent cross in another good chance for the visitors.

On 94 minutes a free kick for the home side was flicked just wide of the post by a defender and the resulting corner was eventually struck miles wide by Femmi. Three minutes later and Brantham attacked down the right through Oli Mann but his effort was saved at the near post by Fogler and then on 101 minutes another good effort, this time from Simon Mann, was well claimed by Fogler. Half time in extra time: Wembley 2 Brantham Athletic 2.

One minute into the second period and the home side attacked through O’Reilly and his effort from the edge of the area was well saved by Fowler who got down well to save.

Athletic then broke up the other end and Oli Mann clashed with keeper Fogler who came off worse and needed some treatment. Fogler was ok and then had to rely on his defence on 109 minutes when Brantham had two clear sights of goal well blocked by defenders and then two minutes later a Cawley header was headed off the Wembley line and the rebound header was deflected over the goal.

However the pressure finally told on 113 minutes when Brantham scored what they thought would be the winning goal when Lawler struck home from just inside the box to send them wild with delight and only seven or so minutes to hold on.

But only two minutes later the home side levelled the tie once again when after Athletic had given a silly free kick away on the left the ball was swung into the six yard box and Waltersheaded home from close range to make it 3-3 with five minutes to go.

Credit to Wembley as they had now over an hour with ten men following Bates dismissal on 51 minutes. There was still an underlying niggle about this game and it exploded a minute later when Wembley full back Edun and Brantham forward Kiwomya ran down the touchline in pursuit of the ball and Edun eased Kiwomya out of play but also hurtling over the advertising boards and onto the concrete terrace, leaving him flat on his back.

This angered most of his team mates who, with several others rushed over to confront Edun and a melee ensued. Whilst Kiwomya was treated in the terrace the referee tried to restore calm and eventually did but no punishment was handed out. Kiwomya was subbed as he wasn’t fit to continue and we had ourselves a few additional minutes to play.

In the third minute of stoppage time history repeated itself as Simon Mann struck home an identical effort past Fogler into the far corner from the edge of the box to send Brantham through to the next round. It was a deserved victory in an epic battle but they did make hard work of it and Wembley must be credited for some of that as they battled gamely also. Full time after extra time: Wembley 3 Brantham Athletic 4.

Wembley: 1.Fowler, 2.Webb, 3.Edun, 4.Walters, 5.Brown, 6.Gangadeen, 7.Bates, 8.Fekete, 9.Dinnam, 10.Femmi, 11.Witham
Subs: 12.Humphries, 14.Carroll, 15.O Reilly, 16.Wright, 17.Desagurante

Brantham Ath: 1.Fowler, 2.Sibbons, 3.Nobbs, 4.Norfolk, 5.Cawley, 6.Travis, 7.Lawler, 8.Townrow, 9.O Mann, 10.Kiwomya, 11.Shaikly
Subs: 12.S Mann, 14.Beecham, 15.Page, 16.Allington, 17.Hawkins

Att: 72

Here are some photos of the match:-

Post Match and Journey home
After a visit to the loo I began my 20 minute walk back to North Wembley and then made the same route home via Barking back to Southend East, where I arrived at about 20:30. Was home soon after and then enjoyed the rest of my evening.

Here are the results from the 2nd Round Proper in full:-
Friday 21st November
Peterborough Sports 3 Peterborough Northern Star 4
Chippenham Park 1 Bradford Town 2 (aet)
Saturday 22nd November
Glossop North End 3 Ryhope CW 0
Alnwick Town 4 St Helens Town 5 (aet)
Dunston UTS 2 Guisborough Town 1
Newcastle Benfield 2 Ashington 1
Marske United 4 Barton Town Old Boys 1
West Auckland Town 0 Shaw Lane Aquaforce 3
AFC Darwen P-P Chadderton
Shildon 2 Runcorn Town 0
Sunderland RCA 0 North Shields 3
Atherton Collieries 1 Seaham Red Star 2
Congleton Town 0 Whitley Bay 1
Consett 8 Whickham 0
Tadcaster Albion 2 Morpeth Town 1
Bolehall Swifts 4 Dunkirk 2
Westfields 2 St Andrews 1
Wisbech Town 2 Cleethorpes Town 1
Thurnby Nirvana 4 Gornal Athletic 1
Shepshed Dynamo 2 AFC Mansfield 3 (aet)
Heanor Town 4 Coleshill Town 3
Borrowash Victoria P-P Bromsgrove Sporting
Brocton 3 Pegasus Juniors 1
Causeway United 1 Walsall Wood 5
Sun Sports 0 Stanway Rovers 1
London Colney 3 Northampton Spencer 1
St Margaretsbury 3 Ipswich Wanderers 0
Hullbridge Sports 1 AFC Rushden & Diamonds 0
Holbeach United 3 Huntingdon Town 2
Norwich United 2 AFC Kempston Rovers 1
Yaxley 3 Fakenham Town 0
Deeping Rangers 2 Oxhey Jets 0
Saffron Walden Town 6 Kings Langley 5 (aet)
Ampthill Town 1 Tring Athletic 4
Wembley 3 Brantham Athletic 4 (aet)
Great Yarmouth Town 2 Hadleigh United 0
Erith Town 0 Phoenix Sports 3
Lingfield 5 Chessington & Hook United 1
Horndean 0 Ascot United 1
Hassocks P-P Ashford United
Hanworth Villa 1 Knaphill 0
Eastbourne United 1 Horley Town 3
Horsham YMCA 1 Erith & Belvedere 2
Abingdon United 4 Littlehampton Town 4 (aet)
East Preston 0 Flackwell Heath 8
Westfield 1 Tunbridge Wells 5
Pagham 1 Colliers Wood United 2
United Services Portsmouth 1 AFC Portchester 3
Crawley Down Gatwick 1 Greenwich Borough 3
Newport IOW 3 Loxwood 2
Alresford Town 3 Thame United 1
Odd Down 3 Hallen 2
Verwood Town 5 Plymouth Parkway 4
Folland Sports 2 AFC St Austell 3
Buckland Athletic P-P Bristol Manor Farm
Blackfield & Langley 3 Bemerton Heath Harlequins 0
Melksham Town 2 Slimbridge AFC 2 (aet)
Bodmin Town 5 St Blazey 2
Highworth Town 3 Bridport 0
Shepton Mallet 1 Welton Rovers 0
Sunday 23rd November
Worksop Town 2 Ellistown & Ibstock United 1
Mickleover Royals P-P Willenhall Town
AFC Dunstable 3 Kirkley & Pakefield 2
Bishop Auckland 1 1874 Northwich 4
Tuesday 25th November
Slimbridge AFC 1 Melksham Town 4
Mickleover Royals 2 Willenhall Town 0
Hassocks 0 Ashford United 7
Wednesday 26th November
Littlehampton Town P-P Abingdon United
AFC Darwen P-P Chadderton
Borrowash Victoria 0 Bromsgrove Sporting 5
Buckland Athletic 2 Bristol Manor Farm 1

So 62 of the 64 ties have been decided, their are just two remaining that have had to be rescheduled due to postponments and they are Littlehampton Town v Abingdon United and also AFC Darwen v Chadderton. These ties will take place on Wednesday 3rd December.

Here is the draw for the third round proper:-
Whitley Bay v Dunston UTS
1874 Northwich v Glossop North End
Shaw Lane Aquaforce v Shildon
AFC Darwen/Chadderton v Newcastle Benfield
Seaham Red Star v North Shields
St Helens Town v Tadcaster Albion
Consett AFC v Marske United
Worksop Town v Westfields
Thurnby Nirvana v Bromsgrove Sporting
Bolehall Swifts v Brocton
Mickleover Royals v AFC Mansfield
Wisbech Town v Walsall Wood
Deeping Rangers v Heanor Town
Saffron Walden Town v AFC Dunstable
Hullbridge Sports v Great Yarmouth Town
St Margaretsbury v Stanway Rovers
Peterborough Northern Star v Flackwell Heath
Tring Athletic v Norwich United
London Colney v Holbeach United
Brantham Athletic v Yaxley
Hanworth Villa v Erith & Belvedere
Alresford Town v Phoenix Sports
Horley Town v Greenwich Borough
AFC Portchester v Tunbridge Wells
Colliers Wood United v Lingfield
Ascot UNited v Newport IOW
Abingdon United/Littlehampton Town v Ashford United
Melksham Town v Shepton Mallet AFC
Blackfield & Langley v Highworth Town
AFC St Austell v Verwood Town
Buckland Athletic v Bodmin Town
Bradford Town v Odd Down
These ties will be played over the weekend of the 5th/6th/7th December.

That concludes my review of the 2nd Round Proper. I’ll be back with my 3rd Round review in a couple of weeks when i’ll be visiting Brantham Athletic for the first time as they take on Yaxley from just outside Peterborough. Looking forward to it already!!!