It’s known as the greatest knockout competition in world football and each season the FA Cup provides with heros and villains in equal measure. We normally associate giant killing feats with a Championship high-flyer taking out a struggling Premiership outfit.
However even League Two sides are proverbial giants compared to the sides lower down in the pyramid that compete in the trophy’s early rounds. On August 16th 406 sides entered at the lowest possible stage of the competition but yesterday saw it kick off proper, when another 332 joined in for the last preliminary round before even the firs qualifier. Win yesterday, and you’re only three wins away the first round when the really big boys of League Two and League One get involved.
It was the combination of FA Cup romanticism and glorious London sunshine that made me travel to Barkingside for the tie between Redbridge FC of the Isthmian Division One North and and Uxbridge FC of Isthmian Division One South.
Redbridge FC, warming up.
I was not expecting to be blown away but can garner enjoyment out of watching pretty much any level of football, and most of those on display were semi-professional (with one being a pro) so I went into it with an open mind.
Barkingside FC’s stadium (which they share with Redbridge FC) is capable of holding a couple of thousand I would imagine but was filled by just 91 people reportedly. Five of these were a very vocal and aggressive away contingent who made the referee’s life pretty miserable throughout.
Uxbridge FC, pre-match
The two sides are in roughly equivalent divisions so an even encounter looked to be on the cards. Redbridge boasted the professional in their side with 17-year-old Harlee Dean who is on loan from League Two leaders Dagenham & Redbridge.
I won’t go into the full match report, which you can read in this week’s Ilford recorder newspaper or on their website, but Uxbridge went in to half-time 2-0 up after some poor defending from the Motor Men’s defence. individually the back four had played well, although left back George received a frequent and vicious coating of verbal abuse from his own bench, but as a unit they looked like strangers and unorganised. This is to be expected when you consider that the ten outfield players (and manager) and new to the club this season. Such is the life of a lower league football club.
Redbridge waste a free kick, much to the annoyance of the vocal assistant manager (have your sound on)
They fought back well in the second half and forced home a goal to create a relatively tense final twenty minutes. The home manager made three substitutions (including three of his defenders) and looked to take the game to the visitors.
The away side then had a man sent off for a two-footed lunge and their bench used every opportunity to waste time and delay proceedings even further. Looking to use their man advantage, they pushed on and chances came and went with regularity but the home strikers could not finish any of them off. The supporters grew frustrated and sensed that it was not to be their day. Redbridge became more and more route one despite enjoying success when they did pass the ball on the floor as desperation set in. On 85 minutes Uxbridge broke away and showed one of the hughest quality moment of the day when placing a low 20 yard drive into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 and secure their passage to the first qualifying round.
When the final whistle went, some home supporters stayed and contemplated their exit from the competition. While nobody entertains hopes of winning it, or even reaching the first round in all likelihood, a win today would have paid for the entire’s seasons training expenses in prize money alone – which puts even the smallest fixtures into context.
The chairman walked dejectedly round the pitch in his shorts while the sole journalist in attendance walked across the pitch gathering the reaction from disappointed manager Jay Deveraux. In contrast, victorious Uxbridge emerged from their dressing room with many players choosing to go topless and showing the difference between those that prepare properly, perhaps with hopes of reaching a higher level, and those that are accepting of their fate and thus long-since abandonned any form of dieting or footballers lifestyle.
The Uxbridge striker, who had earlier scored a good goal, was usddenly short of firepower and borred a lighter from a local steward and made his way towards the team coach. As I left, the husband and wife (the latter of which appeare to be ther under duress) finally stood up to make their exit with neither speaking a word to each other in solemn reflection. Oh well, maybe next season.
