Next up – AFC Sudbury
Saturday, 12th September at Wodson Park, SG12 0UQ.
FA Trophy second qualifying round; kick off 3pm.
Admission
Admission (contactless preferred but cash accepted) – Adults £10, Concessions £5, under 14 free with paying adult otherwise £2.50.
Printed programme on the gate for £2.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://warefc.co.uk/product/ware-v-afc-sudbury/
The match
This one comes in the FA Trophy. This competition was introduced in the 1969/70 season and ran alongside the FA Amateur Cup as a parallel competition for semi-professional sides. By this time however, the distinction between professional and amateur was, to say the least, blurred and the FA soon abolished the amateur status. The last Amateur Cup competition took place in the 1973/4 season after which we entered the Trophy for a number of seasons before we were relegated to the FA Vase. We rejoined the Trophy in 2006/7.
We have a poor record in the Trophy and have never gone beyond the qualifying rounds. In the 46 games we have played so far including the previous round against Brightlingsea we have won just 11 and drawn 9. By contrast AFC Sudbury have played 64 games in the competition despite only entering from 2006/7. Of those 64 they have won half and drawn another 12.
Those who saw or read about our victory in the previous round will not need telling that if this match is drawn at ninety minutes the tie will be decided by a penalty shoot out.
The winners of the tie will receive £2,250 from the prize fund with £575 going to the losers.
Form guide
Currently third from bottom of the Isthmian League north division after relegation last season, the Yellows nevertheless have a good record in knock out competitions. This was bequeathed to them by Sudbury Town who merged with Sudbury Wanderers to form the current club in 1999. Town reached the second round proper of the FA Cup in 1996/7 after beating Brighton in a replay before losing at home to Brentford. AFC took the legacy and added to it, reaching the competition proper twice more.
Given we’re meeting in the FA trophy it’s worth pointing out that Sudbury have also done well in this competition. They have gone beyond the qualifying stages six times, most recently two seasons ago when Hereford knocked them out in the second round.
Whilst Sudbury were at Little Oakley last Saturday and gaining their first league win we were struggling to shake off Fakenham here in the FA Cup. The injury to Fred Burbidge and the difficulty of finding a replacement have unsettled us but we made amends in the replay and now face a trip to Chesham in the next round. Anthony Wordsworth took over responsibility in goal, played well and was protected by a resilient defence. Whether he is required to put on the gloves again in this game or Fred is at long last fit to play, the morale boost that we received will hopefully be carried into this game.
Previous Meetings
We’re not strangers to each other but it’s been a while. This will be the nineteenth meeting, the previous eighteen being very much in Sudbury’s favour. We have secured just two wins and five draws. Those were mostly league matches though there was one defeat in the FA Cup and another in the semi-final of the Isthmian League Cup of 2013/4. They lost to Maidstone United in the final.
The most recent meeting came almost at the end of the 2017/8 season. John Dreyer was manager and secured a 3-1 win at Brundon Lane in front of 242 spectators. Our goals came from Louis Bowen, Damien Green and Josh Oyibo.
Commentary
As always Pete and Symon will be at Wodson Park for those who can’t make the game. Their commentary will start at 2.55 and can be found at https://90minuteslivefootball.mixlr.com/events/5301994
Match Officials
A welcome to all three match officials for this match. Our referee is Michael Smith and the assistants are Stephen Vieira and Bedri Karayaka.
Youth games this Sunday
There are two Eastern Junior Alliance matches at the Park on Sunday. The under-18s face Broadfields United in the league cup at midday whilst under-15s take on Norsemen for league points at 2pm. As always there will be no charge for these league matches and the club room and tea bar will be open throughout.
