A FEW weeks ago, every railway station leading into London Kings Cross had people with cameras and notebooks perched at the end of their platforms. The reason? The Flying Scotsman was heading north from London for the first time in years. “I don’t get it,” said someone on the 7.36 am train into London. “I […]
Tag: FA Vase
FA Vase semi-finals: Big clubs, little clubs
THE FIRST legs of the FA Vase semi-finals take place this weekend, with little Bowers & Pitsea hoping to take a big step towards Wembley against Morpeth Town, and two big non-league names meeting headlong in the other game. Morpeth will travel over 300 miles from Northumberland to Pitsea in Essex for their tie. The […]
Kidlington’s big day turns sour
THE FA VASE might not register with a lot of people until it starts to get interesting, but there was no doubt that the quarter-final tie between Kidlington and Bowers & Pitsea had captured the attention of local people. Kidlington is the sort of place you see signposted on a roundabout and wonder what goes […]
Preview: Hartley v Hereford – landmarks for both clubs
IT’S FA VASE weekend and we’ve reached the last 16 stage. There’s an unfamiliar name among the participants in the form of Hereford, the phoenix club that rose from the ashes of the old Hereford United. Hereford, like their predecessors, play at Edgar Street and are averaging 2,800-plus in the Midland League Premier Division – […]
When history weighs you down – a visit to Ilford
THEY HAVE a big honours board in the Ilford Football Club committee room. “It stops all of a sudden,” said one official after I had acknowledged the “wonderful history” the board portrayed – twice winners of the FA Amateur Cup and three times Isthmian League champions. The current Ilford club’s major achievement was finishing 17th […]
FA Vase day: Double winners Glossop aim for the treble
Glossop North End can seal their place in history if they win the FA Vase at Wembley this afternoon. They are already Northern West Counties League champions and League Cup winners, and a Vase victory would undoubtedly make them one of non-league football’s teams of the year. Glossop Chairman Dave Atkinson told the Buxton Advertiser […]
FA Vase day: North Shields can lift the “fog” on the Tyne
Those old enough to remember will know that North Shields have been to Wembley before. In 1969, the club won the FA Amateur Cup, beating Sutton United 2-1. North Shields, which sits on the north bank of the River Tyne, turned out in force to see their heroes bring the famous old cup home. There’s […]
Glossop need to ease their congestion before Wembley
Glossop North End v North Shields is this season’s FA Vase final (May 9, Wembley). It’s North v Far North. Glossop North End are trying to make it a cup and league double, indeed some form of treble. They are second in the North West Counties League, eight points behind Runcorn Linnets, but with five […]
Where did Tadcaster Albion come from?
As you approach York from the A1 and journey across via the A64, you pass an ornate-looking brewery at Tadcaster. It’s a classic Yorkshire name, Tadcaster, and the brewery is better known as John Smith’s. They’ve got a football club and it started life as the brewery team, but since 1923, it’s been known as […]