FA Vase Second Qualifying Round
Fri 22nd September 2017 | FA Challenge Vase | By Martin Fallon
All Hallmark Security League ties
It’s a mini Merseyside Derby in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Vase as AFC Liverpool take on City of Liverpool in one of the weekend’s most eye catching ties. AFC come into this in ninth place in the league and on the back of a 5-2 loss at Runcorn Linnets on Tuesday evening, which brought to an end a six game unbeaten streak. Their games are great for the neutral though, with 30 goals on show in those last six games!
City of Liverpool are three places above AFC, with four wins from seven games in their inaugural Premier Division campaign. They were unlucky on Tuesday when they conceded a last minute goal to draw with 1874 Northwich, and came from behind to beat Barnton last Saturday.
AFC Liverpool’s best Vase run came in their second season entering it in 2010/11 when they reached the Third Round, losing at Whitley Bay. Since then though, they have only reached the First Round twice, the last of which was last season.
For all their success last season, the FA Vase was the one competition that they didn’t do well in and they will be desperate to put that right this season. They faced Litherland REMYCA in the First Qualifying Round and lost 2-1, so a win tomorrow would be their first ever Vase victory.
There is one previous meeting between the two sides, with AFC Liverpool holding the upper hand after winning 1-0 in the First Round of last season’s Liverpool Senior Cup.
Charnock Richard are flying in their first ever Premier Division campaign, sitting in third place with five wins from six league games and with games in hand on the two Runcorn sides above them. They have had a perfect September so far and scored lots of goals to boot, winning three away games against Hanley Town (3-1), Selby Town (7-1) and Barnoldswick Town (4-0).
They take on Bacup Borough who come into this game on the back of two losses, the last being a heavy 7-1 defeat at Sandbach United a week ago. They are in 13th place in the First Division, which is perhaps something of a false position as they have games in hand on most sides above them and would be in the playoff’s spots if they won these.
Charnock have had just one FA Vase campaign which was last season and it was quite a good one. They reached the Second Round with wins over Whickham, Harrogate Railway and Barnoldswick before losing at home to Staveley.
On the contrary, Bacup first entered the Vase in 1980 and their best is the Third Round in 1993/94. More recently they have reached the First Round in 2010/11 and the following season, but since then they have gone out in Qualifying in each season.
With Charnock Richard achieving promotion last season, its no surprise that they lead the head to head record, winning both previous meetings with scorelines of 4-1 and 3-0.
After losing in the play offs last season, Litherland have started this season in determined fashion and are in second place in the First Division with seven wins from their eight games. Litherland REMYCA take on Chadderton at the Litherland Sports Park, with the home side on a six game winning streak including a 1-0 win over Ashton Town in the last round. The last time they failed to win a game came on the last Saturday in August when they were held at home by Saturday’s opponents.
Chadderton have been the opposite though, and since that draw at Litherland Sports Park, have only won one of their six games since. That came last Saturday when they won 3-2 away at Atherton LR, and they drew with Cheadle Town on Tuesday. Chadderton sit in 14th place in the First Division, winning just two of their opening eight league games.
Litherland have had just two previous Vase campaigns, their best coming last season when they beat City of Liverpool and Vauxhall to reach the First Round where they lost at home to Shildon.
Chadderton have a great recent record in the Vase and have reached at least the First Round in each of the last four seasons. Their best ever run came two seasons ago when they reached the Last 32 before losing to AFC Mansfield, and last season they reached the First Round.
There are seven previous meetings between these two sides and they are always close. Five of those meetings have ended in draws, with Litherland REMYCA winning the other two games – both of which were at home – by 2-1 scorelines.
Our fourth all league clash comes at Brookburn Road as West Didsbury & Chorlton take on Stockport Town. West have had a mixed September, losing twice in the league which has seen them fall to seventh place in the table. The bright spots though saw them win 6-1 at AFC Blackpool in the last round of the Vase and they came from behind to win 4-2 at Barnton in midweek.
Stockport Town are in the exact same position in the league but in the First Division, and they will be buoyed after a great week which has seen them score ten goals. They beat Nelson 4-0 last Saturday before a 6-1 home win over New Mills on Monday evening on Callum Sykes’ return to Lambeth Grove. This has helped push Stockport to third in the form table, with five wins from their last six games.
In the Vase, West Didsbury hold the record for biggest ever win, that being their 15-1 home win against Dinnington Town two seasons ago. Their best run in the competition is reaching the First Round on three occasions, all of which have come in the last four seasons.
Last season was Stockport’s first ever in the FA Vase and they reached the First Round before losing at home to Sunderland Ryhope. They are actually unbeaten in the FA Vase away from home… although they have only played one game away!
There’s no head to head here, this being a first ever competitive meeting, although West did win a pre-season meeting between the sides back in July.
Our Final game is a Sunday game, and it is 1874 Northwich v Congleton Town, with former manager Ian Street returning to the club for the first time since leaving towards the end of last season.
This is 1874 Northwich's 13th game of the season so far, and their 9th Cup game! 1874 have a decent Vase record, in four previous campaigns they have reached the Second Round twice and the Third Round once. This season they got a scare when they scraped past West Cheshire League One side Vauxhall 5-4 after extra time.
Congleton also have a decent Vase record, and a lot more experience in it having played in it since 1976! They have reached the last 16 in the past and the last 32 three times. The last of those was in 2013/14. Congleton have reached at least the First Round in each of the last five seasons.
1874's Cup success this season sees them in 13th place in the league table, with games in hand on everyone above them. Their last league game came on Tuesday when a last equaliser against CoL maintained their unbeaten run. Predictably, it came from ex-Congleton player Scott McGowan who scored his 9th goal of the season.
Congleton sit two places above 1874 in the league table. They have picked up just two wins in the league so far, the latest against Squires Gate on Tuesday, but a lot of draws mean that they come into this having just one of their last six games. Declan Fletcher continues to be their star man with 11 goals so far, with the spectacular speedster Emini Adegbenro on seven and Jason Carey on five.
Northern Counties East League Opponents
Sandbach United make their FA Vase debut when they entertain NCEL First Division side AFC Emley at the Sandbach Community Football Centre. They come into this having won five of their last six games and in sixth place in the First Division. Last time out they beat Bacup Borough 7-1 at home with James Kirby getting a hat-trick.
Their opponents Emley are in 15th place in the First Division, an unusually low spot for a team who have finished in the top five in each of the last three seasons. They come into this on the back of a 5-0 win at Nostell Miners Welfare on Wednesday, showing that they are not missing the goals of Ashley Flynn, who left at the end of last season having scored over 200 goals for the club in four seasons. One player who Sandbach may know is Thabiso Magida, who was at Cheadle Town last season.
Emley have a good FA Vase record, reaching the Last 32 five seasons ago, and the Second Round last season when they lost to eventual Finalists Cleethorpes Town. They have also reached at least the First Round on four other occasions since their debut in the competition 11 years ago.
Emley often have the upper hand in games against our sides, and of 18 previous meetings, they have won 12 of them and drew 6. None have ever ended in a draw.
Alsager Town host Nostell Miners Welfare sitting third the in First Division, having won six of their eight league games so far. They come into this game on the back of a five game winning run, including a 3-2 win over New Mills in the last round of the Vase and a 7-1 win at Daisy Hill in their last game.
Nostell sit in 19th place in the First Division of the Northern Counties East League, with two wins and a draw from their nine games. Those two wins have come on the road though, at Retford and Armthorpe at the start of this month, but they come into this game on the back of just a solitary draw in their last four games, and they have lost their last two league games 5-0 and 8-1.
Alsager reached the Third Round of the FA Vase two years ago, losing 2-0 to AFC Wulfrunians of the Midland League Premier Division. That is their best ever run, and last season they reached this stage only to lose to Stockport Town.
As for Nostell, they have also reached the Third Round, that coming back in 2008-09 when they lost to Stone Dominoes. More recently, they have not won a game in the FA Vase for five seasons.
Nostell also don’t do so well against NWCFL sides. In the FA Cup and FA Vase, they have faced our sides on 23 occassions, and won just five, the last coming five seasons ago.
AFC Darwen get to visit the wonderful town of Glasshoughton as they take on Glasshoughton Welfare. Darwen sit in 17th place in the league table, and have lost four of their last five games, the only win coming at Barnoldswick Town two weeks ago. Of concern for Mark Patterson may be the lack of goals, with just nine goals scored this season and none in the last two games.
Glasshoughton are 18th in the First Division of the NCEL with their only win this month coming in the last round of the Vase when they won 3-1 at Widnes. In their last game on Tuesday evening, they lost 2-0 at home to Armthorpe Welfare. Glasshoughton’s problem is at the other end though, and they have shipped eight goals this month so far.
Darwen reached the Second Round of the Vase two seasons ago which is their best ever run, but they bowed out at the first hurdle last season. Strangely this is their first Vase away trip since their first Vase season in 2011/12, with every other tie being at home!
It has been six seasons since Glasshoughton reached the First Round Proper, losing in Qualifying every year since then, but they have previously reached the Last 32 of the competition, that coming back in 2006/07.
Glasshoughton’s win over Widnes in the last round was the first time they have beaten a NWCFL side since 2006, and overall they have played our sides 24 times, winning seven and losing 13.
Winsford United face a Pontefract Collieries who have faced a number of our sides in the last couple of years. Winsford are having a good season, sitting in fifth place in the Premier Division table, but the current form table puts them in 15th place. They have won just one of their last four games in all competitions and lost 4-1 at Congleton Town midweek.
After achieving promotion last season, Pontefract currently find themselves top of the NCEL Premier Division with eight wins from nine matches. They are currently on an amazing run of seven successive wins, where they have also scored five goals in each of their last five games (they only managed a disappointing four goals in the other!). They’ve scored 40 goals in their 12 games so far, with eleven different players on target for them so far. Eli Hey is leading scorer with seven goals.
Winsford’s best Vase run came five seasons ago when they reached the Third Round, but they have reached at least the First Round in five of the last six seasons. The only time they haven’t was last season when they lost at the first attempt.
Pontefract have a poor Vase record really, winning just eight games in the competition in the last 22 seasons. One of those eight was in the last round though when they won at Maine Road, and they will be looking to reach the First Round for only the third time in 15 years.
The last time Pontefract played one of our sides in the FA Vase was in 2013, and coincidentally it was Winsford United, with Dale Jennings scoring twice in a 3-0 win for the Blues at the Barton Stadium. In total, Pontefract have played NWCFL sides 13 times, winning just four and losing nine.
Barnton travel to Dronfield currently second from bottom in the Premier Division, and they are still looking for their first win after eight league games. In fact their only win of the season came two weeks ago in the last round when they beat Penistone Church 3-1. They are not in bad form really, with draws against Congleton and Winsford in their last six games, and they also led City of Liverpool last Saturday, but they just can’t find that win at present.
Dronfield sit rock bottom of NCEL First Division at the minute, with just two wins from their 10 games. They've lost four out of five games this month, their only win in fact being a 3-2 away win at Worsbrough Bridge Athletic in the last round with Mark Fereday getting a hat-trick. Goals are a problem for Dronfield though, failing two score in four games this season and scoring just once in five other games. In their last game last Saturday, they lost 1-0 at Rossington Main.
Barnton are still quite new to the FA Vase, this being only their fourth season. They have won two of their five games, including their 3-1 win over Penistone Church in the last round. The furthest they have gone is this Second Qualifying Round stage.
Dronfield are just as new though and this is also their fourth season. They have won just three times in the competition, the last coming two seasons ago, and they have crashed out at the first hurdle in the last two seasons. Their best is the First Round Proper in their first ever season in 2014/15.
Despite having just three wins in the competition, two of Dronfield’s wins have been against NWCFL. Their last win two seasons ago came against Bootle, and they have also beaten Chadderton, that coming in their first ever season.
Burscough are playing in their first FA Vase tie in 20 years after relegation from the EvoStik League last season, and they host Armthorpe Welfare. The hangover from last season appears to be continuing with no wins in their first nine league matches, and they have won just once all season, that on the opening day. They drew with Congleton Town last Saturday but lost 3-0 at Widnes in midweek.
Armthorpe are 6th in the First Division of the NCEL, winning six and losing five of their 11 games. They are in good form too, winning four of their last four games, the last two which have been away from home in the last week where they kept clean sheets in both.
The Linnets’ previous record in the competition is impressive. 12 seasons entering, Last 16 once, Last 32 three times, and only once going out in Qualifying. As mentioned though, the last of those was 20 years ago when they reached the Last 32.
Armthorpe have also done well in the past, reaching the Last 32 in 2009/10 before losing to eventual finalists Wroxham on penalties. In the seven years since then, they have reached at least the First Round on five occasions, and the only times they haven’t have seen them lose to NWCFL sides in Qualifying!
These two have faced each other before, in the FA Cup in 1985 when Burscough won 1-0 aftar a replay. That was Armthorpe’s first ever meeting with our sides but we have encountered them a whopping 31 times since! The current record is 15 wins to Armthorpe, 12 wins to NWCFL sides, with the other four being draws!
Irlam are 12th in the Premier Division at the moment, and they come into their game against Parkgate on the back of just one loss in their last seven games. That includes three draws against Runcorn Linnets, Barnoldswick and Bootle, and a 2-1 win over Atherton LR in the last round of the Vase.
Parkgate sit in 18th place in the NCEL Premier Division having won just two of their nine league games so far, however they are not in bad form. They lost 5-0 at Pontefract Collieries last Saturday, but they won the two before that and bounced back to winning ways midweek with a 3-2 win away at Harrogate Railway.
Irlam's best FA Vase run came in 2011/12 when they reached the Second Round, and they reached the First Round last season. One curious quirk is that Irlam have won 6 games in the Vase, 4 of which have came against fellow NWCFL sides, including Atherton LR in the last round.
Parkgate reached the Second Round Proper in 2013/14, winning four games to get that far. More recently, their win over Daisy Hill in the last round was their first win in the competition since 2013.
Parkgate tend to play NWCFL sides quite a lot. The first came in 1997 and since then they have played 35 games against our sides! However of those, they have won just 12.
Ashton Athletic have played just four league games due to their FA Cup exploits this season, and they switch attention to the FA Vase with a home tie against Maltby Main. Ashton have lost just once this season and are unbeaten in six games, their latest game being a goalless draw at Padiham midweek after their 4-0 FA Cup win last Saturday at Albion Sports.
Maltby are fourth in the NCEL Premier Division, winning six and drawing two of their ten league games. Like Ashton they are in good form, unbeaten in seven games, with Dean Smith scoring a 90th minute winner for them in their last game against Hall Road last Saturday.
Ashton don’t have the best FA Vase record, with just one win in it in the last seven seasons. Their best ever run came in their first season in it in 2007/08, when they reached the Second Round.
Maltby have reached the Third Round twice, once in the 80’s and once in the 90’s, but since their last appearance there in 1993/94, they have reached the First Round just three times, the last of those coming two seasons ago.
Ashton and Maltby have met before, two seasons ago in the FA Cup when the NCEL side advanced after a replay. Maltby have faced our sides 26 times in the past in FA Cup and FA Vase ties, winning and losing 11 with the other four being draws.
Nelson are having a torrid time so far this season, without a win so far and looking for their third manager of the season, so a break from league action and a trip to Garforth Town may be just what the doctor ordered. Of eight games played this season, they have lost seven and drew the other one at New Mills. More concerning though is that they have not scored in their last four matches, and scored just three times all season.
Garforth Town will be stern opposition though, sitting in 8th place in the NCEL Premier Division. They are on a four game unbeaten run, winning their last three games including a 3-1 win over Holker Old Boys in the last round.
Nelson have a long FA Vase history, first entering back in the late 70’s, but success has not been kind to them. They have reached the Second Round once with their best being the Third Round in 2009/10. Since then though, a solitary First Round appearance is the best in 2013/14 and they have not won a game in it since.
Garforth have entered the Vase since 1985/86 and are former Quarter Finalists, that coming in their second season in it. More recently they have reached the Second Round in two of the last five years, although last season they bowed out at the first attempt when they lost at Daisy Hill.
NWCFL sides have played Garforth 21 times in the past, no more so than Silsden who they have played four times! It’s close this one, with our sides winning 10 times and Garforth winning nine.
Midland League Opponents
Hanley Town travel to Studley who play in the Midland League First Division, with their opponents currently top of the table having won seven of their opening nine league games. They reached this round with a 3-0 win over Long Buckby two weeks ago. Despite being in good form, they do come into this game on the back of a loss though, going down 3-1 to Racing Club Warwick in their League Cup on Tuesday.
Hanley are 10th in the Premier Division at present with games in hand on all teams above them. They have lost just once in the league, and certainly know where the net is having scored five goals in their last two games, excluding Wednesday’s abandoned game. Dan Cope and Theo Stair have formed a lethal partnership for Hanley, with 14 goals between them so far this season.
Studley do have a good FA Vase record, having reached the last 16 in 2003/04. They've also reached the 4th Round once and the 3rd Round four times, which is decent. However they were all before 2010, and in the last six campaigns, they have only reached the First Round once, that coming in 2014/15.
As for Hanley, success in the FA Vase has been sporadic for them, and In seven previous campaigns, they had won just three games. which they made four in the last round with
their biggest ever Vase win when they beat Litchfield City 5-1.
Northern League Opponents
Due to the increasingly regionalised nature of the FA Vase, just two of our opponents are facing Northern League sides. The first of these is Silsden, who will be looking to maintain their 100% start to the season with a win at West Auckland Town.
Silsden sit top of the First Division with eight wins from eight in the league, and they made it nine from nine with a win at Chester-Le-Street in the last round. Defence has been the key for Danny Forrest’s men, with just seven goals conceded so far and four clean sheets, although Player of the Month for August Joe Gaughan has also weighed in with eight goals in eight games.
West Auckland Town sit third in Northern League Division One, although they have played a lot more games than any other team. Six wins from 12 games is their record, and they have lost just once at home this season. They come into this game though on the back of a loss, that coming at league leaders Morpeth Town last Saturday.
Silsden have reached the First Round of the FA Vase five times, with two of those coming in the last three years. Their best is the Second Round in 2004/05. West Auckland have reached two of the last five Finals of the FA Vase, losing on both appearances at Wembley Stadium. Since their last appearance though in 2013/14, they have won just three games in the Vase.
West Auckland have a long record against NWCFL sides, the first meeting coming in 1983. Of twenty previous meetings, its right down the middle with ten wins each.
Our final match in this frankly quite ridiculously long preview (4,500 words in case you were wondering!) sees Carlisle City entertain Thornaby. Carlisle are 12th in the First Division at present with three wins from their nine league games. They are in good form though, losing just one of their last four games, that coming on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 loss at Holker Old Boys.
Thornaby are in the equivalent league as Carlisle in Northern League Division Two, and are currently in 7th place in their league. They have won five of their eleven league fixtures so far, including their last two league games which were both away from home in which they scored five goals both times.
Carlisle entered five FA Vase campaigns in the late 1970’s, reaching the Third Round once and Second Round twice. They then didn’t enter for 36 years until last season, and they achieved their first win since 1979 in the last round when they won away at Heaton Stannington.
Thornaby have been entering the FA Vase since the year 2000 and they have reached the Second Round on four occasions in the past. However recently they cannot buy a win in the competition, and have bowed out at the first hurdle in each of their last nine campaigns, with their last Vase win coming back in 2007.
There have been seven meetings in the past with our sides in the Vase in the past, with Thornaby and NWCFL sides both winning three. The last meeting came in 2015 when Silsden emerged victorious with Chris Wademan scoring twice.
So that’s it. 17 ties in total featuring 21 sides, so let’s hope we can have 17 winners this weekend. Bootle, Runcorn Linnets and Runcorn Town join in the next round. Good luck to all of our clubs.
FA Vase Second Qualifying Round
Fri 22nd September 2017 | FA Challenge Vase
By Martin Fallon
All Hallmark Security League ties
It’s a mini Merseyside Derby in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Vase as AFC Liverpool take on City of Liverpool in one of the weekend’s most eye catching ties. AFC come into this in ninth place in the league and on the back of a 5-2 loss at Runcorn Linnets on Tuesday evening, which brought to an end a six game unbeaten streak. Their games are great for the neutral though, with 30 goals on show in those last six games!
City of Liverpool are three places above AFC, with four wins from seven games in their inaugural Premier Division campaign. They were unlucky on Tuesday when they conceded a last minute goal to draw with 1874 Northwich, and came from behind to beat Barnton last Saturday.
AFC Liverpool’s best Vase run came in their second season entering it in 2010/11 when they reached the Third Round, losing at Whitley Bay. Since then though, they have only reached the First Round twice, the last of which was last season.
For all their success last season, the FA Vase was the one competition that they didn’t do well in and they will be desperate to put that right this season. They faced Litherland REMYCA in the First Qualifying Round and lost 2-1, so a win tomorrow would be their first ever Vase victory.
There is one previous meeting between the two sides, with AFC Liverpool holding the upper hand after winning 1-0 in the First Round of last season’s Liverpool Senior Cup.
Charnock Richard are flying in their first ever Premier Division campaign, sitting in third place with five wins from six league games and with games in hand on the two Runcorn sides above them. They have had a perfect September so far and scored lots of goals to boot, winning three away games against Hanley Town (3-1), Selby Town (7-1) and Barnoldswick Town (4-0).
They take on Bacup Borough who come into this game on the back of two losses, the last being a heavy 7-1 defeat at Sandbach United a week ago. They are in 13th place in the First Division, which is perhaps something of a false position as they have games in hand on most sides above them and would be in the playoff’s spots if they won these.
Charnock have had just one FA Vase campaign which was last season and it was quite a good one. They reached the Second Round with wins over Whickham, Harrogate Railway and Barnoldswick before losing at home to Staveley.
On the contrary, Bacup first entered the Vase in 1980 and their best is the Third Round in 1993/94. More recently they have reached the First Round in 2010/11 and the following season, but since then they have gone out in Qualifying in each season.
With Charnock Richard achieving promotion last season, its no surprise that they lead the head to head record, winning both previous meetings with scorelines of 4-1 and 3-0.
After losing in the play offs last season, Litherland have started this season in determined fashion and are in second place in the First Division with seven wins from their eight games. Litherland REMYCA take on Chadderton at the Litherland Sports Park, with the home side on a six game winning streak including a 1-0 win over Ashton Town in the last round. The last time they failed to win a game came on the last Saturday in August when they were held at home by Saturday’s opponents.
Chadderton have been the opposite though, and since that draw at Litherland Sports Park, have only won one of their six games since. That came last Saturday when they won 3-2 away at Atherton LR, and they drew with Cheadle Town on Tuesday. Chadderton sit in 14th place in the First Division, winning just two of their opening eight league games.
Litherland have had just two previous Vase campaigns, their best coming last season when they beat City of Liverpool and Vauxhall to reach the First Round where they lost at home to Shildon.
Chadderton have a great recent record in the Vase and have reached at least the First Round in each of the last four seasons. Their best ever run came two seasons ago when they reached the Last 32 before losing to AFC Mansfield, and last season they reached the First Round.
There are seven previous meetings between these two sides and they are always close. Five of those meetings have ended in draws, with Litherland REMYCA winning the other two games – both of which were at home – by 2-1 scorelines.
Our fourth all league clash comes at Brookburn Road as West Didsbury & Chorlton take on Stockport Town. West have had a mixed September, losing twice in the league which has seen them fall to seventh place in the table. The bright spots though saw them win 6-1 at AFC Blackpool in the last round of the Vase and they came from behind to win 4-2 at Barnton in midweek.
Stockport Town are in the exact same position in the league but in the First Division, and they will be buoyed after a great week which has seen them score ten goals. They beat Nelson 4-0 last Saturday before a 6-1 home win over New Mills on Monday evening on Callum Sykes’ return to Lambeth Grove. This has helped push Stockport to third in the form table, with five wins from their last six games.
In the Vase, West Didsbury hold the record for biggest ever win, that being their 15-1 home win against Dinnington Town two seasons ago. Their best run in the competition is reaching the First Round on three occasions, all of which have come in the last four seasons.
Last season was Stockport’s first ever in the FA Vase and they reached the First Round before losing at home to Sunderland Ryhope. They are actually unbeaten in the FA Vase away from home… although they have only played one game away!
There’s no head to head here, this being a first ever competitive meeting, although West did win a pre-season meeting between the sides back in July.
Our Final game is a Sunday game, and it is 1874 Northwich v Congleton Town, with former manager Ian Street returning to the club for the first time since leaving towards the end of last season.
This is 1874 Northwich's 13th game of the season so far, and their 9th Cup game! 1874 have a decent Vase record, in four previous campaigns they have reached the Second Round twice and the Third Round once. This season they got a scare when they scraped past West Cheshire League One side Vauxhall 5-4 after extra time.
Congleton also have a decent Vase record, and a lot more experience in it having played in it since 1976! They have reached the last 16 in the past and the last 32 three times. The last of those was in 2013/14. Congleton have reached at least the First Round in each of the last five seasons.
1874's Cup success this season sees them in 13th place in the league table, with games in hand on everyone above them. Their last league game came on Tuesday when a last equaliser against CoL maintained their unbeaten run. Predictably, it came from ex-Congleton player Scott McGowan who scored his 9th goal of the season.
Congleton sit two places above 1874 in the league table. They have picked up just two wins in the league so far, the latest against Squires Gate on Tuesday, but a lot of draws mean that they come into this having just one of their last six games. Declan Fletcher continues to be their star man with 11 goals so far, with the spectacular speedster Emini Adegbenro on seven and Jason Carey on five.
Northern Counties East League Opponents
Sandbach United make their FA Vase debut when they entertain NCEL First Division side AFC Emley at the Sandbach Community Football Centre. They come into this having won five of their last six games and in sixth place in the First Division. Last time out they beat Bacup Borough 7-1 at home with James Kirby getting a hat-trick.
Their opponents Emley are in 15th place in the First Division, an unusually low spot for a team who have finished in the top five in each of the last three seasons. They come into this on the back of a 5-0 win at Nostell Miners Welfare on Wednesday, showing that they are not missing the goals of Ashley Flynn, who left at the end of last season having scored over 200 goals for the club in four seasons. One player who Sandbach may know is Thabiso Magida, who was at Cheadle Town last season.
Emley have a good FA Vase record, reaching the Last 32 five seasons ago, and the Second Round last season when they lost to eventual Finalists Cleethorpes Town. They have also reached at least the First Round on four other occasions since their debut in the competition 11 years ago.
Emley often have the upper hand in games against our sides, and of 18 previous meetings, they have won 12 of them and drew 6. None have ever ended in a draw.
Alsager Town host Nostell Miners Welfare sitting third the in First Division, having won six of their eight league games so far. They come into this game on the back of a five game winning run, including a 3-2 win over New Mills in the last round of the Vase and a 7-1 win at Daisy Hill in their last game.
Nostell sit in 19th place in the First Division of the Northern Counties East League, with two wins and a draw from their nine games. Those two wins have come on the road though, at Retford and Armthorpe at the start of this month, but they come into this game on the back of just a solitary draw in their last four games, and they have lost their last two league games 5-0 and 8-1.
Alsager reached the Third Round of the FA Vase two years ago, losing 2-0 to AFC Wulfrunians of the Midland League Premier Division. That is their best ever run, and last season they reached this stage only to lose to Stockport Town.
As for Nostell, they have also reached the Third Round, that coming back in 2008-09 when they lost to Stone Dominoes. More recently, they have not won a game in the FA Vase for five seasons.
Nostell also don’t do so well against NWCFL sides. In the FA Cup and FA Vase, they have faced our sides on 23 occassions, and won just five, the last coming five seasons ago.
AFC Darwen get to visit the wonderful town of Glasshoughton as they take on Glasshoughton Welfare. Darwen sit in 17th place in the league table, and have lost four of their last five games, the only win coming at Barnoldswick Town two weeks ago. Of concern for Mark Patterson may be the lack of goals, with just nine goals scored this season and none in the last two games.
Glasshoughton are 18th in the First Division of the NCEL with their only win this month coming in the last round of the Vase when they won 3-1 at Widnes. In their last game on Tuesday evening, they lost 2-0 at home to Armthorpe Welfare. Glasshoughton’s problem is at the other end though, and they have shipped eight goals this month so far.
Darwen reached the Second Round of the Vase two seasons ago which is their best ever run, but they bowed out at the first hurdle last season. Strangely this is their first Vase away trip since their first Vase season in 2011/12, with every other tie being at home!
It has been six seasons since Glasshoughton reached the First Round Proper, losing in Qualifying every year since then, but they have previously reached the Last 32 of the competition, that coming back in 2006/07.
Glasshoughton’s win over Widnes in the last round was the first time they have beaten a NWCFL side since 2006, and overall they have played our sides 24 times, winning seven and losing 13.
Winsford United face a Pontefract Collieries who have faced a number of our sides in the last couple of years. Winsford are having a good season, sitting in fifth place in the Premier Division table, but the current form table puts them in 15th place. They have won just one of their last four games in all competitions and lost 4-1 at Congleton Town midweek.
After achieving promotion last season, Pontefract currently find themselves top of the NCEL Premier Division with eight wins from nine matches. They are currently on an amazing run of seven successive wins, where they have also scored five goals in each of their last five games (they only managed a disappointing four goals in the other!). They’ve scored 40 goals in their 12 games so far, with eleven different players on target for them so far. Eli Hey is leading scorer with seven goals.
Winsford’s best Vase run came five seasons ago when they reached the Third Round, but they have reached at least the First Round in five of the last six seasons. The only time they haven’t was last season when they lost at the first attempt.
Pontefract have a poor Vase record really, winning just eight games in the competition in the last 22 seasons. One of those eight was in the last round though when they won at Maine Road, and they will be looking to reach the First Round for only the third time in 15 years.
The last time Pontefract played one of our sides in the FA Vase was in 2013, and coincidentally it was Winsford United, with Dale Jennings scoring twice in a 3-0 win for the Blues at the Barton Stadium. In total, Pontefract have played NWCFL sides 13 times, winning just four and losing nine.
Barnton travel to Dronfield currently second from bottom in the Premier Division, and they are still looking for their first win after eight league games. In fact their only win of the season came two weeks ago in the last round when they beat Penistone Church 3-1. They are not in bad form really, with draws against Congleton and Winsford in their last six games, and they also led City of Liverpool last Saturday, but they just can’t find that win at present.
Dronfield sit rock bottom of NCEL First Division at the minute, with just two wins from their 10 games. They've lost four out of five games this month, their only win in fact being a 3-2 away win at Worsbrough Bridge Athletic in the last round with Mark Fereday getting a hat-trick. Goals are a problem for Dronfield though, failing two score in four games this season and scoring just once in five other games. In their last game last Saturday, they lost 1-0 at Rossington Main.
Barnton are still quite new to the FA Vase, this being only their fourth season. They have won two of their five games, including their 3-1 win over Penistone Church in the last round. The furthest they have gone is this Second Qualifying Round stage.
Dronfield are just as new though and this is also their fourth season. They have won just three times in the competition, the last coming two seasons ago, and they have crashed out at the first hurdle in the last two seasons. Their best is the First Round Proper in their first ever season in 2014/15.
Despite having just three wins in the competition, two of Dronfield’s wins have been against NWCFL. Their last win two seasons ago came against Bootle, and they have also beaten Chadderton, that coming in their first ever season.
Burscough are playing in their first FA Vase tie in 20 years after relegation from the EvoStik League last season, and they host Armthorpe Welfare. The hangover from last season appears to be continuing with no wins in their first nine league matches, and they have won just once all season, that on the opening day. They drew with Congleton Town last Saturday but lost 3-0 at Widnes in midweek.
Armthorpe are 6th in the First Division of the NCEL, winning six and losing five of their 11 games. They are in good form too, winning four of their last four games, the last two which have been away from home in the last week where they kept clean sheets in both.
The Linnets’ previous record in the competition is impressive. 12 seasons entering, Last 16 once, Last 32 three times, and only once going out in Qualifying. As mentioned though, the last of those was 20 years ago when they reached the Last 32.
Armthorpe have also done well in the past, reaching the Last 32 in 2009/10 before losing to eventual finalists Wroxham on penalties. In the seven years since then, they have reached at least the First Round on five occasions, and the only times they haven’t have seen them lose to NWCFL sides in Qualifying!
These two have faced each other before, in the FA Cup in 1985 when Burscough won 1-0 aftar a replay. That was Armthorpe’s first ever meeting with our sides but we have encountered them a whopping 31 times since! The current record is 15 wins to Armthorpe, 12 wins to NWCFL sides, with the other four being draws!
Irlam are 12th in the Premier Division at the moment, and they come into their game against Parkgate on the back of just one loss in their last seven games. That includes three draws against Runcorn Linnets, Barnoldswick and Bootle, and a 2-1 win over Atherton LR in the last round of the Vase.
Parkgate sit in 18th place in the NCEL Premier Division having won just two of their nine league games so far, however they are not in bad form. They lost 5-0 at Pontefract Collieries last Saturday, but they won the two before that and bounced back to winning ways midweek with a 3-2 win away at Harrogate Railway.
Irlam's best FA Vase run came in 2011/12 when they reached the Second Round, and they reached the First Round last season. One curious quirk is that Irlam have won 6 games in the Vase, 4 of which have came against fellow NWCFL sides, including Atherton LR in the last round.
Parkgate reached the Second Round Proper in 2013/14, winning four games to get that far. More recently, their win over Daisy Hill in the last round was their first win in the competition since 2013.
Parkgate tend to play NWCFL sides quite a lot. The first came in 1997 and since then they have played 35 games against our sides! However of those, they have won just 12.
Ashton Athletic have played just four league games due to their FA Cup exploits this season, and they switch attention to the FA Vase with a home tie against Maltby Main. Ashton have lost just once this season and are unbeaten in six games, their latest game being a goalless draw at Padiham midweek after their 4-0 FA Cup win last Saturday at Albion Sports.
Maltby are fourth in the NCEL Premier Division, winning six and drawing two of their ten league games. Like Ashton they are in good form, unbeaten in seven games, with Dean Smith scoring a 90th minute winner for them in their last game against Hall Road last Saturday.
Ashton don’t have the best FA Vase record, with just one win in it in the last seven seasons. Their best ever run came in their first season in it in 2007/08, when they reached the Second Round.
Maltby have reached the Third Round twice, once in the 80’s and once in the 90’s, but since their last appearance there in 1993/94, they have reached the First Round just three times, the last of those coming two seasons ago.
Ashton and Maltby have met before, two seasons ago in the FA Cup when the NCEL side advanced after a replay. Maltby have faced our sides 26 times in the past in FA Cup and FA Vase ties, winning and losing 11 with the other four being draws.
Nelson are having a torrid time so far this season, without a win so far and looking for their third manager of the season, so a break from league action and a trip to Garforth Town may be just what the doctor ordered. Of eight games played this season, they have lost seven and drew the other one at New Mills. More concerning though is that they have not scored in their last four matches, and scored just three times all season.
Garforth Town will be stern opposition though, sitting in 8th place in the NCEL Premier Division. They are on a four game unbeaten run, winning their last three games including a 3-1 win over Holker Old Boys in the last round.
Nelson have a long FA Vase history, first entering back in the late 70’s, but success has not been kind to them. They have reached the Second Round once with their best being the Third Round in 2009/10. Since then though, a solitary First Round appearance is the best in 2013/14 and they have not won a game in it since.
Garforth have entered the Vase since 1985/86 and are former Quarter Finalists, that coming in their second season in it. More recently they have reached the Second Round in two of the last five years, although last season they bowed out at the first attempt when they lost at Daisy Hill.
NWCFL sides have played Garforth 21 times in the past, no more so than Silsden who they have played four times! It’s close this one, with our sides winning 10 times and Garforth winning nine.
Midland League Opponents
Hanley Town travel to Studley who play in the Midland League First Division, with their opponents currently top of the table having won seven of their opening nine league games. They reached this round with a 3-0 win over Long Buckby two weeks ago. Despite being in good form, they do come into this game on the back of a loss though, going down 3-1 to Racing Club Warwick in their League Cup on Tuesday.
Hanley are 10th in the Premier Division at present with games in hand on all teams above them. They have lost just once in the league, and certainly know where the net is having scored five goals in their last two games, excluding Wednesday’s abandoned game. Dan Cope and Theo Stair have formed a lethal partnership for Hanley, with 14 goals between them so far this season.
Studley do have a good FA Vase record, having reached the last 16 in 2003/04. They've also reached the 4th Round once and the 3rd Round four times, which is decent. However they were all before 2010, and in the last six campaigns, they have only reached the First Round once, that coming in 2014/15.
As for Hanley, success in the FA Vase has been sporadic for them, and In seven previous campaigns, they had won just three games. which they made four in the last round with
their biggest ever Vase win when they beat Litchfield City 5-1.
Northern League Opponents
Due to the increasingly regionalised nature of the FA Vase, just two of our opponents are facing Northern League sides. The first of these is Silsden, who will be looking to maintain their 100% start to the season with a win at West Auckland Town.
Silsden sit top of the First Division with eight wins from eight in the league, and they made it nine from nine with a win at Chester-Le-Street in the last round. Defence has been the key for Danny Forrest’s men, with just seven goals conceded so far and four clean sheets, although Player of the Month for August Joe Gaughan has also weighed in with eight goals in eight games.
West Auckland Town sit third in Northern League Division One, although they have played a lot more games than any other team. Six wins from 12 games is their record, and they have lost just once at home this season. They come into this game though on the back of a loss, that coming at league leaders Morpeth Town last Saturday.
Silsden have reached the First Round of the FA Vase five times, with two of those coming in the last three years. Their best is the Second Round in 2004/05. West Auckland have reached two of the last five Finals of the FA Vase, losing on both appearances at Wembley Stadium. Since their last appearance though in 2013/14, they have won just three games in the Vase.
West Auckland have a long record against NWCFL sides, the first meeting coming in 1983. Of twenty previous meetings, its right down the middle with ten wins each.
Our final match in this frankly quite ridiculously long preview (4,500 words in case you were wondering!) sees Carlisle City entertain Thornaby. Carlisle are 12th in the First Division at present with three wins from their nine league games. They are in good form though, losing just one of their last four games, that coming on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 loss at Holker Old Boys.
Thornaby are in the equivalent league as Carlisle in Northern League Division Two, and are currently in 7th place in their league. They have won five of their eleven league fixtures so far, including their last two league games which were both away from home in which they scored five goals both times.
Carlisle entered five FA Vase campaigns in the late 1970’s, reaching the Third Round once and Second Round twice. They then didn’t enter for 36 years until last season, and they achieved their first win since 1979 in the last round when they won away at Heaton Stannington.
Thornaby have been entering the FA Vase since the year 2000 and they have reached the Second Round on four occasions in the past. However recently they cannot buy a win in the competition, and have bowed out at the first hurdle in each of their last nine campaigns, with their last Vase win coming back in 2007.
There have been seven meetings in the past with our sides in the Vase in the past, with Thornaby and NWCFL sides both winning three. The last meeting came in 2015 when Silsden emerged victorious with Chris Wademan scoring twice.
So that’s it. 17 ties in total featuring 21 sides, so let’s hope we can have 17 winners this weekend. Bootle, Runcorn Linnets and Runcorn Town join in the next round. Good luck to all of our clubs.
