Kentish Football 
FA CUP SPECIAL: GREENIE'S FRIDAY PREVIEW
It’s the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup this Saturday and there are FIVE Kent sides involved dreaming of a trip to a League club or perhaps even a visit from the Match Of The Day television cameras.
As we step up the build up to Saturday, looking out from Greenie Towers surveying the what might be’s of a potentially fantastic afternoon, lets begin by looking at the “lowest” of the Counties sides left in the competition meaning we start at the Crabble Athletic ground in Dover…
Dover Athletic are gunning for their third giant killing of this season’s competition, as they will be looking to beat a side from a higher League for the THIRD round running!
Bishop’s Stortford from Conference South are the visitors to Crabble and have been warned! In the previous rounds, Clive Walker’s Ryman Division One South side have won away at Conference South Thurrock, and in the last round beat Heybridge Swifts of the Ryman Premier League with only ten men – their FA Cup run began with comfortable home wins over Bracknell Town and Alton Town from lower leagues.
You know in all seasons you get one player who scores in every round of the FA Cup? Well, Dover have an unlikely hero in central defender Matt Bourne who has so far netted FIVE times in the Whites Cup run. Incidentally watch out for an exclusive interview with Walker on this website during Friday…
If lightening does strike for the third time and Walker’s side are successful on Saturday, it’ll be just the second time that the name of Dover Athletic will have been in the First Round – the only other time was in 2002 when Oxford United were fortunate to win a First Round tie…
Indeed on only FIVE occasions have any club from Dover reached Round one, so if Walker’s charges can overcome their opponents on Saturday it really will be an achievement.
But Saturday’s test really will be Dover’s ultimate test as Stortford come to Kent third in Conference South, and just last Saturday held leaders Histon to a goal less draw!
Managed by former Arsenal and Celtic winger Martin Hayes (who I’m reminded actually had a spell at Crabble towards the end of his career), they’re on a good recent run of one defeat in eight and got this far by beating Sutton United and Stratford Town.
Indeed on the Stortford club website manager Hayes when talking about Saturday’s tie apparently is quoted as saying that there’s “something orangey hanging in the distance and looks like some kind of vegetable!”
Now if ever there was a way to describe what is at stake on Saturday afternoon, surely it is that – though I must admit I’ve never heard it put that way before!
But I’m sure that Saturday Sport’s own Matt Gerrard will find other equally eloquent ways of putting Dover progress, but just plug your ear holes if Clive Walkers side do progress – somehow I don’t think that you’ll need your radio to hear Matt’s cheer!
Meanwhile over at the Longmead Stadium, the Tonbridge Angels are looking forward to visit of Newport County gives Tony Dolby and his side the chance to make a piece of club history.
You see Tonbridge Angels FC have never appeared in the First Round of the FA Cup before. The “old” Tonbridge FC made it five times since their first try in 1948, but since the Angels changed their name and took over (as it were) the football in the town in 1994, the club hasn’t experienced a Fourth Qualifying Round tie.
For the record the last time Tonbridge FC made the First Round was in 1972 when they lost 5-0 to Charlton Athletic.
Currently second in the Ryman Premier Division after their promotion through the Play Offs last season, Dolby has moulded a side that has surprised many by their rise up the Premier Division and when Saturday comes these new Angels have the chance to make that little bit of club history.
To reach this far the Angels have accounted for Kent neighbours Ashford Town, Banbury United and Cheshunt both of the Southern Premier League.
But standing in their way to the First Round Proper are Newport County AFC – the club that rose out of the demise of the old Newport County who played in the Football League (and had even reached a European Club Quarter final in 1981) before the club folded in 1989.
Saturday gives the Welshmen the chance of only their second appearance in the First Round since the club was reformed, and they’ll have some local knowledge to help them too.
Manager Peter Beadle started his playing career with the Gills and at just 34 is one of football’s younger managers.
Newport these days ply their trade in Conference South and are currently just outside of the Play Off places. That said though they have lost four out of their last five League away games – and four of those five games were played in the East of England!
But in their strike force of Craig Hughes and Julian Allsop, the Welsh side have two well-known and respected forwards in the Non League game.
They’ve reached this stage by beating Bedford Town, Bideford Town and Bishops Cleave.
Traditionally the “old” County never seemed to travel very well – they always seemed more difficult to beat on their own patch, and it seems as if the new club don’t either, as since reforming they’ve visited Kent for 20 League games and have won just twice!
Indeed they’ve even played at Longmead before (in January 1998) with Tonbridge running out 2-1 winners – what wouldn’t Kent football give for the same result on Saturday?
And if we do Bill Rice and Peter Guise will be the men calling the Angels through on Saturday Sport.
Next stop for us is just through the Dartford Tunnel as the Ryman Premier League leaders Bromley travel to face Grays Athletic of the Conference in a game that has uncanny similarities to the Fourth Qualifying Round of twelve months ago.
You see that at this stage last season, Grays welcomed Cray Wanderers to the Recreation Ground – and Cray of course share Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground.
Mark Goldberg will be hoping that his side can keep up their remarkable current run off eight wins and a draw in their last nine games – indeed Bromley have lost only once this season and that was with a “rotated” team at Ashford in the Westview Cup.
Top of the table by five points (ahead of Tonbridge incidentally), Bromley are fast becoming the team to beat in the Premier Division and some have argued that the squad that Goldberg has assembled is for Conference South rather than the Ryman Premier.
The Whites have reached the First Round proper on nine previous occasions yet haven’t done so for a decade (they played Enfield in Round One in 1996), and you’ve got to go back to 1976 for the last time they played a League side in the competition and that ended in a 7-0 thumping by Swindon Town.
It’ll be tough for Bromley as Grays have won the FA Trophy in each of the past two seasons and are currently up there challenging in the Conference.
But that said of course Bromley cruised into the next round of the Trophy with a remarkable 6-3 win over East Thurrock United last weekend – a remarkable game that saw a five minute hat trick from Gareth Williams that had my colleague Matt Cole diving for more notepaper.
I hope dear Matthew has a new notebook this week, as he’s the man to keep us up to date with the goings on at the Recreation Ground.
And in Aaron McLean have the Divisions joint top scorer (along of course with Gravesend’s own Charlie MacDonald of whom more later) who undoubtedly will test the Bromley defence, but it must also be remembered that despite letting in six in their last three games before that the Bromley rear guard was unbreached in nearly nine hours of football.
Lowestoft and Hayes have been accounted for by the Bromley run – Hayes being from Conference South the division directly above, and what wouldn’t Goldberg give for his top scorer Nic McDonnell to repeat his double ion the last round on Saturday.
Yes it will be tough for Bromley – after all they’re facing a good side from the top level of Non League football; but there is a genuine belief (or should that be fear) that this could be arguably the biggest weekend in the clubs recent history.
Back through the Dartford Tunnel for our next tie, and on paper it’s arguably the easiest tie for our five clubs left.
But Welling United boss Adrian Pennock is only too well aware that football isn’t played on paper especially when it comes to the Greatest Cup Competition in the World.
After last weekends fantastic 5-0 drubbing / demolition / thrashing (all of those words are accurate believe me) of Bedford Town confirmed Pennock’s side in Conference South’s top five.
It also remarkably maintained Welling’s amazing run of winning every single League game that they’ve played on a Saturday (eight wins from eight games)… problem is with this weekend in mind, the only two Saturday games that the Wings have failed to win have been their two FA Cup ties against Folkestone and AFC Hornchurch! Both those ties were won 3-1 after home midweek replays.
Pennock will be only too well aware of the “shock” value of this tie as near enough everyone favours a Welling United victory. Lets face it all the ingredients are there as the visitors to Park View Road this Saturday afternoon Clevedon Town have never before reached the Fourth Qualifying round let alone the competition Proper!
Sixteenth in the Southern Premier league it would appear the side from North Somerset have got this far by beating Truro City and Willard Rovers, but are currently in a poor run of form – one win in their last five and last weekend Windsor and Eton dumped them out of the FA Trophy.
However, Clevedon do have plenty of FA Cup experience in the managers chair as their current boss, Phil Bater, can list amongst his Football League club’s Bristol Rovers, Wrexham, Brentford and Cardiff City and will have himself graced the First Round on numerous occasions.
As to will his opposite number Pennock of course, but it’s the Wings who’ll have it all to lose on Saturday afternoon. Expected to progress into the First Round for the second consecutive season (last year remember they went to Huddersfield Town in the First Round), but will be preying for their first home tie in nearly 20 years if they do – although ten times in Round One its been 18 seasons since they had a home tie in Round One!
There have been replays but the Wings haven’t played a home First round tie since the visit of Bromsgrove Rovers in 1988. All to play for then for the Wings – lets hope they fly safely into Round One. And keeping you in touch with all the action at park View on Saturday Sport will be Tim Ashton.
Last and by no means least we turn back through the Dartford Tunnel and head up the A12 to the county town of Essex and the Sports and Athletic Centre, and Gravesend and Northfleet’s tie with Chelmsford City which brings the Fleet face to face with their old adversary Jeff King.
The former Canvey Island manager now in charge of City has had many a battle with the Fleet over recent seasons.
But even the optimistic King knows his side goes into the game as underdogs, as lets face it City are “only” currently 9th in the Premier Division of the Ryman League, whilst of course after their 1-0 win over Woking at Stonebridge Road, the Fleet go into the game in 4th place in the Conference – and technically you could say that Liam Daish’s side are fourth seeded for Saturday’s games!
Not that Chelmsford will need to be shown how to make the First Round Proper – the club have been in Round one on TWENTY EIGHT occasions (not sure that if that’s a record or not but it must be close!). Even so the last occasion that they made the velvet bag for the first Round draw was in 1999 when they were drawn away to Oldham Athletic and were comfortably beaten.
Indeed twice in the 1980’s City visited Priestfield to play the Gills – they were hammered 6-1 in 1983/4 (the season when Keith Peacock’s side took eventual winners Everton to two replay’s) and in 1986 when they beaten 2-0.
Last weekend showed the Fleet the way as Maidstone won an FA Trophy tie at the Sports and Athletic Stadium as the Ryman One South side knocked City out of the competition by two goals to one.
I just hope that before kick off on Saturday, our match referee Mr Sheldrake checks the penalty areas, as before kick off last weekend the 18 yard boxes were actually only 17 yards in distance!
The Fleet will be looking for the First Round for only the second time since they were promoted to the Conference in 2001, as for the fourth year in a row they’ve been drawn away in the Final Qualifying Round.
Daish will be desperate for Gravesend not to fall over as they have done in the last two seasons at Hornchurch and Kettering.
This year however, with the club in their highest ever position in the Conference, there is a genuine belief that maybe this will be remembered as the year of the Fleet – the year that Gravesend and Northfleet held the national spotlight and dumped a league club or two out of the Cup.
Final word on Saturday has to go to Fleet top scorer Charlie MacDonald who rightly described Saturday as a banana skin waiting to happen. But as he told my dear friend Chas Webster last weekend, “the thing about banana skins is you either fall flat on your face, or you pick it up and hurl it into the bin!” And if that doesn’t sum it all up, then personally I don’t know what will!
Which means that I’ll have to get my head screwed on because along with Lord Webster, Chelmsford is my destination on Saturday afternoon…
So there you are then… Kent’s involvement in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round! All in all then our fabulous five face different challenges if they’re to keep their respective FA Cup dreams alive.
The realists amongst their various Armies of fans will admit that there will be disappointments! But then the realists will be reminded by the romantics in all football fans that this is THE FA CUP – this is the Greatest Cup Competition in the World and that this could be our year…
There are of course other games this weekend, and quickly through those games now…
In the Ryman Premier, there’s a Kent derby at Southwood where Folkestone Invicta are the visitors. It’s an amazing coincidence really as both sides have won their last four, with Ramsgate being propelled into the top three and Folkestone away from the bottom of the table.
Jimmy Ward’s side are incidentally on a “bigger” run of six wins in their last seven and so it’ll be a real feather for Folkestone if they can get something.
That said of course just like in Cup-ties, the formbook goes out of the window in derbies.
Margate meanwhile head for East London to face a Leyton side one place below them in 12th. Robin Trott’s side will look on in envy as Potters Bar Town run out at Woking tomorrow as they contemplate trying to get back to winning ways, as they’re currently five without a win!
In Ryman One South, second placed Dartford will be looking to continue their goal scoring form from last Sunday in the Trophy (remember they put six past Horsham YMCA without reply) as they travel to bottom of the table Corinthian Casuals.
There’s a Kent derby at Maidstone Road where Phil Miles’ Chatham Town look to build on their last home game and the 5-1 win over Hastings as they welcome Sittingbourne.
Steve Lovell’s side will be looking to repeat their fine midweek trophy win at Arlesey as they push on in the League – the Bourne currently in 5th.
Top game of the day sees fourth place Dulwich Hamlet visit Bourne Park to face 8th placed Maidstone United. Lloyd Hume will be desperate for his side to repeat their fine trophy win at Chelmsford a week ago and secure some much needed League points to keep in the early race for the Play Offs.
Finally lowly Ashford Town travel to face to 16th Walton Casuals, and after coming from behind to get a point in the basement battle with Corinthian last week, Tim Thorogood’s side will travel with some confidence about maybe returning home with something!
So there you have it! A truly Super Saturday for Kent Football!
Full coverage of all five ties as well as the Gills home league game against Carlisle United from the Counties Number One Sports team from 2:00pm on Saturday afternoon in MATT DAVISONS SATURDAY SPORT – goals and all the action as it happens – Goals as they happen and second half commentary from one of the ties… Boy, Saturday afternoon promises so very much – dare you miss it?
www.bbc.co.uk/kent/sport
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