Season 2017/18 - Third Qualifying Round

Tuesday 28th November
Bath City 0 Margate 0
Bostick Premier Margate earned a draw against Vanarama South Bath City to take them back to the Kent Coast for a replay at Hartsdown Park.

Frannie Collin had the visitors’ first attempt on goal, firing just over from 25 yards out, before the hosts got their first shot on target, crafting an opportunity on the edge of the penalty area. Patrick Lee watched it all the way though to safely collect the ball.

Chiedozie’s trickery down the left hand side and into the penalty area won The Gate a corner. The inswinging delivery was punched away and the hosts countered, and Tom Wynter entered the referee’s book following a clumsy challenge in the middle of the park. Ben Swift cleared the resulting free-kick away from danger though.

Chiedozie then found himself in a 3 against 1 situation and managed to send in a tantalising cross, picking out Jack Evans who fired the loose ball over from distance, before Evans was harshly adjudged to have committed a foul on the edge of the box. However Lee calmly punched the in-swinging free-kick away before Wynter skilfully headed the follow up delivery away.

Kane Haysman then laced a neat through ball on the turn to send Chiedozie into the box but the Bath keeper came off his line quickly to smother the ball at the number 9’s feet, however the half time whistle soon sounded and the game remained goalless after a half were both teams enjoyed good spells on the ball.

Half Time Bath City 0 Margate 0

The second half began how the first ended; a good battle between the two teams, and the hosts soon had their best opportunity of the game so far as a ball in from the left was cleared at the front post, with the hosts running in and scuffing a shot which The Blues cleared.

Jack Evans then received a yellow card following a mistimed tackle on the hosts, Swift then produced a strong block to ensure the hosts failed to capitalise on the consequent set piece, before Bath City came close to opening the scoring when a quick counter attack almost exposed The Gate goal. However the shot whistled wide of Lee’s outstretched palm and also the goal.

Martin then dipped a great ball into the visitors box and saw Haysman hit a shot which enforced a corner from which Liam Friend came close to converting with a strong header on goal, before Chiedozie laid the ball off nicely for Evans to unleash a stinging shot on target from the edge of the box for the visitors.

It was now end to end stuff as the match became stretched, with both teams creating a number of half chances, searching for the game’s first goal, but Bath City had their keeper to thank for pulling off an outstanding save to deny Haysman for what looked destined to be a goal from a glancing header and give Gate a famous win.

However it meant that the game ended all square and a replay at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday.

Full Time Bath City 0 Margate 0

Here are some photos of the evening courtesy of Bath City FC:-

So just a week later the teams met again for that replay, here is how it panned out:-
Margate 2 Bath City 2 (aet; Bath City won  5-4 on penalties)
A major traffic incident on the M2 delayed kick off till 8:20pm in this one however once the game began the hosts had the first effort in the third minute when Kane Haysman stung the gloves of the Bath keeper from range, and in the 12th minute Tom Wynter kept the scores level with a superb clearance off the line from the visitors.

On the quarter hour mark Marvin Morgan shot wide of the target for Bath but just before the half hour mark the hosts found the breakthrough when Dave Martin let fly from range and found the back of the net as the ball squirms through the keeper's hands for the ties first goal in 119 minutes of play.

Eight minutes before the break Patrick Lee saved well at the feet of Marvin Morgan as he charged out to deny the visitors big striker, and two minutes later Jordan Chiedoze surged through on goal, only for his low shot to be kept out by a fantastic save from the Bath keeper.

Five minutes before half time Frannie Collin shot wide of the target after a poor clearance from the visitors, as Margate keep up their high tempo, and then two minutes before the break Jack Evans was denied this time as his rising effort from the edge of the box was tipped over the bar.  It had been a good half for the underdogs and they led at the break.

Half Time Margate 1 Bath City 0

Bath came out with much more purpose second half and levelled the tie with only eight minutes of the second period gone as Jack Compton curled a fine free-kick into the top corner, however just before the hour mark another brilliant stop denied Jordan Chiedoze, after he had looked set to hand Margate back the lead.

But instead it was the visitors who went in front in the 62nd minute with another incredible effort from Jack Compton, who handed Bath the lead with a 30 yard piledriver, to turn this game on its head.  However Margate were still well in this game and with twenty minutes left Frannie Collin struck a sharp shot just over the bar.

But with just over ten minutes remaining the hosts found a leveller thanks to a fantastic volley from Lee Prescott, and with six minutes left Margate came unbelievably close to a winner as Kane Haysman surged down the left and struck an effort against the far post. The Blues were now all over their opposition.

And with a minute left so nearly found a winner as after the hosts keeper had made a quick double save, Jay May rattled the bar with a header, and the game went into extra time as a result.

Full Time Margate 2 Bath City 2

Eight minutes into the extra time period Bath came close to retaking the lead but saw their effort from the edge of the box flick the bar and go over, and then in the 110th minute Margate went close when superb play from Liam Enver-Marum saw him tee up Frannie Collin who rattled the bar.

And with five minutes left of extra time Patrick Lee saved well down to his left from an effort from range from the visitors, and it meant the tie went to penalties.

Margate missed their first kick, before the rest were scored, leaving Bath needing to score to win 5-4 but they missed so it was 4-4 and sudden death.  The hosts then missed before the visitors netted the winning spot kick to progress 5-4 on penalties and set up a 1st Round Proper away tie at Hendon on December 16th.   It was tough on Margate who had more than matched their higher league opponents, but they just could not get the job done and Bath City squeeze through as a result.

Full Time Margate 2 Bath City 2 (aet; Bath City won  5-4 on penalties)

Here are some photos of the evening courtesy of Bath City FC:-

So a wonderful tie was finally ended by the dreaded shootout, and it's now Hendon vs Bath City for me in the First Round Proper on Saturday December 16th.

Right here are the Third Qualifying Round results in full:-
Friday 24th November
Darlington 2 Harrogate Town 3

Saturday 25th November
Brackley Town 4 Salford City 0
York City 3 Coalville Town 1
Cleethorpes Town 1 Spennymoor Town 2
Grantham Town 3 Chorley 4
Tamworth 2 Warrington Town 2
AFC Telford United 4 Droylsden 2
Gainsborough Trinity 2 Stafford Rangers 0
Bradford (Park Avenue) 1 Stourbridge 1
Boston United 2 Kidderminster Harriers 2
Nuneaton Town 5 North Ferriby United 1
Stockport County 2 Southport 2
Blyth Spartans AFC 2 Stalybridge Celtic 1
Glossop North End 0 Workington AFC 0
Alfreton Town 0 Altrincham 2
Leamington 3 Curzon Ashton 1
Lancaster City 1 Mildenhall Town 0
Marine 1 FC United Of Manchester 0
Lewes 1 Truro City 3
Havant & Waterlooville 3 Dorking Wanderers 1
East Thurrock United 3 Shortwood United 1
Taunton Town 3 Concord Rangers 2
Hemel Hempstead Town 1 Bognor Regis Town 1
Oxford City 1 Hereford 2
Hendon 1 Slough Town 1
Braintree Town 3 Cray Wanderers 0
Welling United 0 Weston Super Mare 1
St Albans City 3 Poole Town 1
Metropolitan Police 0 Wingate & Finchley 1
Whitehawk 2 Chippenham Town 1
Haringey Borough 3 Thame United 1
Brentwood Town 1 Dartford 2
Chesham United 2 Gloucester City 1
Hungerford Town 0 Billericay Town 2
Hampton & Richmond Borough 5 Harlow Town 1
Wealdstone 1 Chelmsford City 1
Eastbourne Borough 1 Royston Town 1

Sunday 26th November
Kingstonian 2 Heybridge Swifts 2

Monday 27th November
Replay
Stourbridge 2 Bradford (Park Avenue) 1

Tuesday 28th November
Bath City 0 Margate 0

Replays
Warrington Town 3 Tamworth 0
Kidderminster Harriers 2 Boston United 0
Bognor Regis Town 1 Hemel Hempstead Town 0
Slough Town 1 Hendon 1 (AET, Hendon won 3-0 on penalties)
Royston Town 2 Eastbourne Borough 2 (AET, Eastbourne Borough won 4-3 on penalties)
Workington AFC 5 Glossop North End 1

Wednesday 29th November
Farnborough 1 Hartley Wintney 2

Replays
Southport 0 Stockport County 3
Chelmsford City 1 Wealdstone 2
Heybridge Swifts 5 Kingstonian 1

Tuesday 5th December
Replay
Margate 2 Bath City 2 (AET, Bath City won 5-4 on penalties)

Right that concluded the Qualifying Rounds, here is the First Round Proper fixtures in full now as the Vanarama National League sides enter the fray:-
Saturday 16th December
Solihull Moors VS Tranmere Rovers (extra time & penalties agreed, no replay)
Blyth Spartans AFC VS AFC Telford United
Kidderminster Harriers VS York City
Chorley VS Marine
FC Halifax Town VS Macclesfield Town
Spennymoor Town VS Gainsborough Trinity
Chester VS AFC Fylde (extra time & penalties agreed, no replay)
Wrexham VS Harrogate Town
Leamington VS Stourbridge
Lancaster City VS Stockport County
Warrington Town VS Altrincham
Gateshead VS Guiseley AFC
Nuneaton Town VS Barrow AFC
Workington AFC VS Hartlepool United
Haringey Borough VS Leyton Orient
Dover Athletic VS Eastbourne Borough
Wealdstone VS Wingate & Finchley
Billericay Town VS Havant & Waterlooville
Chesham United VS Weston Super Mare
Sutton United VS Truro City
Woking VS Maidenhead United
Whitehawk VS St Albans City
East Thurrock United VS Aldershot Town
Hendon VS Bath City
Ebbsfleet United VS Eastleigh
Torquay United VS Maidstone United
Hartley Wintney VS Bromley
Braintree Town VS Brackley Town
Taunton Town VS Bognor Regis Town
Hampton & Richmond Borough VS Heybridge Swifts
Dartford VS Boreham Wood

Sunday 17th December
Hereford VS Dagenham & Redbridge

As I said it's Hendon Vs Bath City for me, Bostick Premier against Vanarama South, just like the last round, wonder what will happen?

Season 2017/18 - Second Qualifying Round

Saturday 25th November 2017

Just a small note before the match report of my featured game, Bowers & Pitsea's appeal was turned down so they were thrown out for a breach of FA rules, meaning Egham were reinstated and travelled to Margate.  The game was played on Third Qualifying Round day due to the delay with the FA hearing and the winners faced  a trip to Twerton Park to take on Bath City the following Tuesday for the Third Qualifying Round matchup.

Anyway here is how the game went at Hartsdown Park:-
Margate 2 Egham Town 0
Two second half Frannie Collin goals were enough for Bostick Premier Margate to see off Evo-Stik Southern East One Egham Town at Hartsdown Park on the Kent coast, setting up a Third Qualifying Round tie at Bath City on Tuesday evening.

The game was pretty much settled in a twenty minute purple patch for the hosts in the second period when the two goals were scored, and was the only time in the contest when the home side looked a league above their Surreyvisitors who more than matched their higher league opponents in the other 70 minutes of the contest.

Indeed Egham saw an early effort blocked whilst Margate also had a sniff of an opening but were thwarted inside the visitors area, and then the hosts saw a decent effort blocked, however the opening quarter hour or so had been pretty even.

On twenty minutes Egham struck a long range effort wide, but already you could detect a degree of frustration amongst the Bostick Premier hosts and their fans as their team were struggling to get themselves going.

And four minutes later Egham had another effort from the edge of the box although it was straight the down keepers throat, however the Evo-Stik Southern East One visitors were playing well here, and just before the half hour a good Egham move saw the ball laid across the area and their goalbound effort was brilliantly blocked by a defender.

It took until the 31st minute for the hosts to properly threaten the visitors goal and they came so close to opening the scoring as a deflected header was brilliantly saved by the visitors keeper at full stretch, and then three minutes later another chance for the hosts saw a backheal set up an effort which the keeper saved with his legs, and then moments later a near post effort was deflected behind as the hosts were finally into their stride.

Seven minutes before the break the visitors had to do more defending and saw a volley fly over their crossbar, however it did remain goalless at the break.  The hosts had taken a good half hour to get going, but the visitors would of been the happier of the two sides at the half.

Half Time Margate 0 Egham Town 0

The early exchanges of the second began like the first, altbough Egham had probably started the half the better however we were about to enter that purple patch from the hosts and it began with the visitors keeper having to tip a decent Margate effort round the  post.

Ten minutes into the second half a goalmouth scramble inside the visitors area was just about cleared to safety by a desperate visitors defence, and two minutes after that the home side curled another effort inches over the bar as they were looking very dangerous by now.

The hosts continued to attack and just before the hour saw a dangerous cross tipped away by the Egham keeper, and then moments later a shot from twenty yards or so flew a foot over the visitors goal.

Margate continued to knock on the door and just past the hour mark saw a powerful free kick inexplicably punched back into the area by the keeper, but the follow up header went way over the bar, and two minutes after that the visiting stopper produced an incredible save to his left before recovering to kick the ball out of danger as the visitors survived again.

But in the 65th minute Margate finally blew the door down when Frannie Collin struck a powerful set play towards goal, saw it take a small nick off a defender, which deceived the keeper and saw him fail to keep the effort out despite his best efforts, and the hosts finally had a slender advantage.

Margate were absolutely humming by now and midway through the half saw a lovely one two end with the hosts in down the left, but found the visiting keeper there again to thwart them, saving the effort with his legs, before the rampant hosts got in again moments later and saw a shot across goal go just wide of the far post.  It has been one way traffic for the last fifteen to twenty minutes.

And with twenty minutes remaining the hosts made it two goals in five minutes when they added a brilliant second, as a good move ended with a ball laid into path of Collin who side footed first time into the corner of the net and Margate had some breathing space.

With just over ten minutes remaining another delightful ball across from the hosts ended with the ball being prodded wide at the far post, however sincd the second goal the hosts tempo had dropped significantly, and Egham almost capitalised on this when they nearly got in on goal, but a fine last ditch tackle thwarted them.

The visitors never really threatened a comeback tbough and Margate did have two shots from range go off target late on before a free kick was headed over the Egham crossbar in stoppage, however they had done enough to progress into the final qualifying round and travel to Twerton Park to take on Vanarama South side Bath City on Tuesday night.

Full Time Margate 2 Egham Town 0

Here are some photos from the day:-

So it's Margate who progress through to play Bath City of the Vanarama South, ill bring you what happened in that in my Third Qualifying Round blog.

Right here is the Second Qualifying Round results in full:-
Saturday 11th November
Lancaster City 3 Stratford Town 0
Kidsgrove Athletic 0 Grantham Town 2
Alvechurch 1 Coalville Town 5
Warrington Town 1 Ashton United 1
Altrincham 4 Ramsbottom United 1
Stalybridge Celtic 3 Rushall Olympic 2
Glossop North End 4 Leek Town 3
Stamford AFC 1 Droylsden 2
Chasetown 1 Workington AFC 3
Hednesford Town 1 Cleethorpes Town 1
Atherton Colleries 1 Marine 5
St Neots Town 2 Stourbridge 3
Barwell 0 Mildenhall Town 1
Stafford Rangers 3 South Shields 1
Chesham United 3 Hitchin Town 1
Taunton Town 1 Beaconsfield Town 1
Brentwood Town 3 Needham Market 1
Hereford 0 Potters Bar Town 0
Corinthian Casuals 1 Wingate & Finchley 3
Lewes 2 Bishop's Stortford 0
Dorchester Town 1 Heybridge Swifts 2
Harlow Town 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1
Hendon 3 Burgess Hill Town 0
Ashford Town (Middx) 2 Kingstonian 2
Maldon & Tiptree 1 Slough Town 4
Sittingbourne 1 Haringey Borough 1
Thamesmead Town 0 Metropolitan Police 1
Royston Town 3 Leatherhead 2
Hartley Wintney 3 Gosport Borough 0
Farnborough 3 Banbury United 3
Thame United 1 Worthing 0
Paulton Rovers 1 Shortwood United 2
Billericay Town 6 Bury Town 2
Dorking Wanderers 4 Leiston 1

Monday 13th November
Replays
Beaconsfield Town 1 Taunton Town 1 (AET, Taunton Town won 7-6 on penalties)
Kingstonian 2 Ashford Town (Middx) 0
Haringey Borough 1 Sittingbourne 0

Tuesday 14th November
Moneyfields 1 Cray Wanderers 1

Replays
Ashton United 2 Warrington Town 2 (AET, Warrington Town won 4-2 on penalties)
Potters Bar Town 1 Hereford 2

Wednesday 15th November
Replay
Cleethorpes Town 2 Hednesford Town 1

Wednesday 22nd November
Replay
Cray Wanderers 4 Moneyfields 1

Saturday 25th November
Margate 2 Egham Town 0

Replay
Banbury United 2 Farnborough 3 (AET)

Right for information on the Third Qualifying Round go to my blog on that round.