billsportsmaps.com

March 4, 2017

2016-17 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals), map and attendance list with fixtures./+ illustration: Lincoln City are the first Non-League team since 1914 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals (Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City)./+ illustration: 2016-17 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals)/8 teams: each team’s manager & their top scorer (goals from all competitions in 2016-17, up to 4 March 2017

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 6:40 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_6th-round_location-map_8-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_c_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals), map and attendance list with fixtures




Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, etc…FA CUP: 6th Round: [fixtures/teams/etc] (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).
-FA Cup 2016/17 5th Round Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).

By Bill Turianski on 4 March 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

    2016-17 FA Cup 5th Round: Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City…
    Lincoln City are the first Non-League team since 1914 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals !

-From Guardian/football, Lincoln City topple Burnley as Sean Raggett seals historic FA Cup shock (by Andy Hunter on 18 Feb. 2017 at theguardian.com/football).
-Goal: Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City, Raggett (89′), streamable.com/572av (via reddit.com/r/soccer).
-This 1:36 youtube video is brilliant [collection of fan footage], Lincoln City Beats Burnley. Everyone Goes Nuts. (uploaded by oakcreektv at youtube.com).
lincoln-city_q-for-fa-cup-6th-round_burnley_0-1_lincoln-city_2016-17-fa-cup_5th-round_turf-moor_sean-raggett-goal_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
Vanarama (5th division league-sponsors) do a one-off-sponsorship of Lincoln City’s green away jersey for their FA Cup 5th Round tie versus Burnley, photo by Lincoln City Twitter feed at twitter.com/LincolnCity_FC/status/832284686634381312. Lincoln DF Sean Raggett heading in the winner (89′), photo by Reuters via daily-mail.co.uk/football. Lincoln DF Sean Raggett heading in the winner (89′), photo unattributed at skysports.com. Shot of teammates mobbing Sean Raggett in front of goal, photo by Getty Images via express.co.uk/football. Shot of Raggett jumping for joy following goal as both sets of fans seen with contrasting responses, photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/football. Sceenshot of Raggett and teammates celebrating with traveling Lincoln fans, image from a Youtube video via Football-Lineups.com. Screenshot of Lincoln manager Danny Cowley being congratulated right at the final whistle, image from Lincoln City Beats Burnley. Everyone Goes Nuts. (uploaded by oakcreektv at youtube.com).

    2016-17 FA Cup 6th Round (Quarterfinals)/8 teams…
    Below: each team’s manager & their top scorer (goals from all competitions in 2016-17, up to 4 March 2017)

2016-17_fa-cup_6th-round_8-teams_managers-and-top-scorers_arsenal_chelsea_lincoln-city_manchester-city_manchester-utd_middlesbrough_millwall_tottenham_e_.gif

Photo and Image credits above -
-Arsenal: manager, Arsene Wenger, photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Alexis Sánchez (20 goals), photo by Getty Images via metro.co.uk.
-Chelsea: manager, Antonio Conte, photo by Getty Images via dailystar.co.uk/football. Diego Costa (17 goals), photo by Getty Images via chelseafclatestnews.com.
-Lincoln City: manager, Danny Cowley, photo by Empics Sport via dailymail.co.uk/football. Matt Rhead (13 goals in all competitions), photo by Andrew Vaughan/Camera Sport via gettyimages.com.
-Manchester City: manager, Pep Guardiola, photo unattributed at espnfc.com. Sergio Agüero (22 goals), photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Manchester United: manager, Jose Mourinho, photo by David Rogers/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Zlatan Ibrahimović (26 goals), photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
-Middlesbrough: manager, Aitor Karanka, photo by Greig Cowie/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock via telegraph.co.uk/football. Alvaro Negredo (7 goals), photo by Action Images via Reuters via mirror.co.uk.
-Millwall manager, Neil Harris, photo by Millwall FC at millwallfc.co.uk/article. Steve Morison (13 goals), photo by Millwall FC at millwallfc.co.uk/article.
-Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com. Harry Kane (22 goals), photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-FA Cup Factfile for info, twitter.com/FACupFactfile.
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.

February 13, 2017

2016-17 FA Cup 5th Round, map and attendance list with fixtures./+Biggest 4th-round-upsets: Sutton Utd 1-0 Leeds Utd (difference of 84 league places); Lincoln City 3-1 Brighton (difference of 72 league places)/2 Non-league teams into FA Cup 5th Round for the first time since tournament format was revised in 1925-26./+Update: the biggest upsets in the 5th Round – Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City & Millwall 1-0 Leicester City; Lincoln City is the first Non-League club into the Final 8 of the FA Cup in 103 years (since 1914).

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 5:41 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_5th-round_location-map_16-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_b_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup 5th Round, map and attendance list with fixtures




Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, etc…FA CUP: 5th Round: [fixtures/teams/etc] (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).
-FA Cup 2016/17 5th Round Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).

By Bill Turianski on 13 February 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

    Update on the 18th February 2017: biggest Cup-upsets in the 5th Round

Biggest upsets of the 2016-17 FA Cup 5th Round…
Lincoln City over Burnley [a difference of 81 league places and 4 divisions], Millwall over Leicester City [a difference of 33 league places and 2 divisions]; Lincoln City is the first Non-League club into the Final 8 of the FA Cup in 103 years (since 1914).
2016-17_fa-cup_5th-round_upset-wins_feb-18-2017_d_.gif

    2 Non-League teams – Sutton United of Greater South London, and Lincoln City of Lincolnshire – have qualified for the FA Cup 5th Round for the first time since the current tournamnent format was adopted, which was over 90 years ago, in 1925-26.

As it says in the FA Cup Factfile’s 5th Round Preview {link, again, is here}…”Two Non-League clubs are into the Fifth Round in the same season for the first time since the current FA Cup format was put in place in 1925/26 season. (Note, two non-league clubs or more have been in the last 16 at the same time before, but they all occurred before 1921).”

Sutton United, a Non-League/5th division-club, were positioned 84 league places and 3 divisions lower than the second-tier Leeds United.
(League placements before kick-off on 29 January 2017…Sutton Utd: 16th place in the 5th division, which is #108 in the leagues ladder / Leeds Utd: 4th place in the 2nd division, which is #24 in the leagues ladder.)
-Via Reddit.com, here is the penalty and the goal…my.mixtape.moe/flxtjx.mp4 (uploaded by R2A2 at reddit.com/r/suttonunited/).
-From Guardian/football…Sutton’s dream run continues after Jamie Collins penalty topples Leeds (by Daniel Taylor, from 29 Jan. 2017, by Daniel Taylor at theguardian.com/football).
-From Deadspin.com…Bricklayer Leads Semi-Pro Sutton United To FA Cup Fifth Round (by Timothy Burke from 29 Jan. 2017 at deadspin.com).

sutton-utd_1-0_leeds-utd_2016-17-fa-cup_4th-round_jamie-collins-goal_manager-paul-doswell_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Sutton High Street, photo by Alan McFaden at britainfromabove.org.uk. Sutton GK Ross Worner making save, photo by Reuters via express.co.uk. Foul on Sutton RW Maxime Biamou that led to penalty, photo unattributed at skysports.com/football/sutton-utd-vs-leeds. Sutton DF/captain Jamie Collins scoring goal from the penalty spot, photo by Getty Images via dailystar.co.uk/Jamie-Collins-Sutton-United-Leeds-United-FA-Cup. Photo of teammates (with fans looking on) in celebration, photo by AFP/Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/football/Sutton-United-1-0-Leeds-Jamie-Collins-penalty-sends-National-League-FA-Cup-dreamland. Pitch invasion with Collins mobbed, photo by Nick Potts/PA via yourlocalguardian.co.uk/football/. Pitch invasion with Sutton manager Paul Doswell mobbed, photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk.

Lincoln City, a Non-League/5th division-club, were positioned 72 league places and 3 divisions lower than the second-tier Brighton & Hove Albion.
(League placements before kick-off on 28 January 2017…Lincoln City: 1st place in the 5th division, which is #93 in the leagues ladder / Brighton: 1st place in the 2nd division, which is #21 in the leagues ladder.)
-Via youtube.com, highlights…Lincoln City 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion – Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 (R4) | Official Highlights (5:05 video uploaded by FATV at youtube.com).
-From the Lincolnite site…Lincoln City make history with 3-1 Brighton win (by Gary Hutchinson at thelincolnite.co.uk).
-From Mirror.co.uk/football…FA Cup round-up: Lincoln’s dream run continues with victory over Championship leaders Brighton (by Liam Corliss at mirror.co.uk//football).

lincoln-city_3-1_brighton_2016-17-fa-cup_4th-round_sincil-bank_alan-power_theo-robinson_danny-cowley_f_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
Exterior shot looking in to Sincil Bank, photo by Andrew Scott at thelincolnite.co.uk. Brighton’s Richie Towell (MF) opens the scoring (24″), photo by Mike Egerton/PA via theguardian.com/football. Alan Powell scoring from the penalty spot, photo by Reuters at express.co.uk/football. Brighton own goal, screenshot from video uploaded by BenandOwen7 at youtube.com. Theo Robinson receiving pass from Nathan Arnold (en route to scoring), screenshot from video uploaded by BenandOwen7 at youtube.com. Theo Robinson scores to make it 3-1, photo by Camera Sport via lincolnshirelive.co.uk/theo-robinson-in-demand-after-latest-fa-cup-goal-heroics-for-lincoln-city. Pitch invasion, photo by twitter.com/SteveJ333. Pitch invasion, photo by Gary Hutchinson at thelincolnite.co.uk/2017/01/lincoln-city-make-history-with-3-1-brighton-defeat. Danny Cowley saluting fans durin pitch invasion, photo by Camera Sport via lincolnshirelive.co.uk/lincoln-city-reached-new-levels-in-heroic-fa-cup-victory-over-brighton/story.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-FA Cup Factfile for info, twitter.com/FACupFactfile.
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.

January 22, 2017

2016-17 FA Cup 4th Round, map and attendance list with fixtures./+ The biggest upset in the 3rd Round – Lincoln City 1-0 Ipswich Town (replay from Tuesday 17 January 2017)./+ update: biggest Cup-upset-winners in the 4th Round (Sutton Utd, Lincoln City, Millwall, Wolves, Oxford Utd).

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 4:25 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_4th-round_location-map_32-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_d_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup 4th Round, map and attendance list with fixtures




Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-Fixtures, results, etc…FA CUP: 4th Round: fixtures/teams (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).
-FA Cup 2016-17 4th Round Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).
-With Lincoln on the FA Cup trail: from 4.20am ticket queues to toilet trouble
Non-league Lincoln face Brighton in the fourth round having knocked out another Championship team, Ipswich. A day behind the scenes with management, players and fans uncovers a club and city with their buzz back
(on 27 Jan.2017 by Andy Hunter at theguardian.com/football).

By Bill Turianski on 22 January 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

    Updates on the 28th & 29th of January 2017: biggest Cup-upsets in the 4th Round

Biggest upsets of the 2016-17 FA Cup 4th Round…
Sutton United over Leeds United [difference of 84 league places], Lincoln City over Brighton & Hove Albion [difference of 72 league places], Millwall over Watford [difference of 40 league places], Wolverhampton Wanderers over Liverpool at Anfield [difference of 34 league places], Oxford United over Newcastle United [difference of 34 league places].
2016-17_fa-cup_4th-round_upset-wins_upset-draws_jan-28-2017_lincoln-city_oxford-utd_wolves_sutton-utd_millwall_d_.gif

    The biggest upset in the 3rd Round – Lincoln City 1-0 Ipswich Town (replay from Tuesday 17 January 2017)…

-Video highlights, Lincoln City 1-0 Ipswich Town | 17 Jan 2017 (3:42 video at youtube.com)

The biggest upset of the 3rd Round was in a replay, on Tuesday night the 17th of January 2017, when Non-League side Lincoln City beat League-Championship-side Ipswich Town one-nil. Attendance at Sincil Bank in Lincoln was a full-capacity crowd of 9,054. Lincoln City (a 5th division-club) were 59 league places and 3 divisions lower than Ipswich Town (a 2nd-tier side currently in 14th place there). The lone goal was scored by former Grimsby Town striker Nathan Arnold in the 91st minute (see screenshots and photos in illustration further below). Lincoln City thus advances to the 4th Round for the first time since 1976 (when the just-departed Graham Taylor was manager). For the 4th round, the Red Imps of Lincolnshire have been given a plum tie, at home versus second-division high-fliers Brighton & Hove Albion.

Lincoln City’s excellent season under their new young manager Danny Cowley continues on…
-From the Guardian from 17 Jan.2017, Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley proud of FA Cup ‘win for the people’ (by Steve Madeley at theguardian.com/football).
-From the official Lincon City website, THE MANAGEMENT TEAM (redimps.co.uk/team/gaffer).
Danny Cowley has absolutely revitalised Lincoln City. Cowley is a 37-year-old who was formerly the manager of two small-and-now-overachieving Essex-based clubs. First with now-6th-tier-side Concord Rangers (from 2007 to 2015, which included 3 promotions from the 9th level to the 6th level), and then Cowley had one year at the helm of 5th-tier-side Braintree Town (last season in 2015-16, when Braintree finished in 3rd place in the 5th division). Lincoln City are a former Football League club with 104 seasons in the League (last in 2010-11), as well as an all-time-most five demotions/relegations back into Non-League Football (in 1908, in 1911, in 1920, in 1987, and in 2011). In all but the last of these (2011), Lincoln City had returned to the Football League the following season. But for the last 5 seasons (from 2011-12 to 2015-16), the club had been mired in the lower-half of the Conference/National League table, with no real hope in sight of getting back into the League. And Lincoln City’s attendances had dropped off from 5.1 K ten years ago, to just 2.5 K last season {Football League attendances}. But that has changed now, and Lincoln City under Cowley lead the National League table by 4 points, currently. And Lincoln City have now had their best Cup-run in four decades (since they last made it to the FA Cup 4th Round, back in 1975-76). And Lincoln City’s crowd-size has increased by about 1.4 K, to 3.9 K now {National League table/attendances here}. Their ground, Sincil Bank, was swelled to 9-thousand capacity for the 3rd round replay on 17th January versus Ipswich Town. Now Lincoln City will host Brighton in the 4th round (on Saturday 28th January 2017), and the 122-year-old Sincil Bank will certainly be sold-out again. If the Red Imps can handle the Seagulls and pull off another Cup-upset, they will have made it to the 5th Round for the first time in 130 years. The last time Lincoln City made it to the 5th round was all the way back in 1887, when the club, which was established in 1883, had only been in existence for 4 years. In that match 130 years ago, Lincoln City lost 3-0 to Rangers FC, in Glasgow, way back in the FA Cup’s early days when Scottish teams were allowed to play in the competition {1887 FA Cup/Fifth Round}.

Below: Lincoln City 1-0 Ipswich Town (2016-17 FA Cup 3rd Round replay)…
lincoln-city_1-0_ipswich-town_2016-17-fa-cup_3rd-round-replay_sincil-bank_nathan-arnold-goal_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
Photo of Lincoln Cathedral, photo by Getty Images via thetimes.co.uk/travel. Photo of street in Lincoln by a canal, with Lincoln Cathedral in background, photo by YTFC independent site ciderspace.co.uk/[match gallery 23 May 2004, Lincoln City 2-3 Yeovil Town (3rd Div match)]. Photo from June 2015: Lincoln Cathedral (in background) seen from a stream adjacent to the Sincil Bank ground, photo by clivecatton.co.uk; also see clivecatton.co.uk/tag/lincoln-city-football-club/. Photo of minutes applause in the memory of former Lincoln City player-and-manager Graham Taylor, photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images via theguardian.com. Screenshots (3) of Sincil Bank and of the lead-up to the winning goal, images from video uploaded by ByShowtime at youtube.com. Photo of Nathan Arnold about to score, photo unattributed at sportstarlive.com/football/fa-cup-review-nonleague-lincoln-stuns-ipswich. Photo of Danny Cowley celebrating with coaches and players, photo by Reuters via irishmirror.ie. Photo of Lincoln City players celebrating with fans after victory, photo by Getty Images via dailymail.co.uk/football.

___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.

-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.

Thanks to @FACupFactfile for following @billsportsmaps on Twitter.

January 3, 2017

2016-17 FA Cup 3rd Round, map and attendance list with fixtures./+ Stourbridge FC, the lowest-placed club still alive in the tournament (for the second-straight round)./+Update: biggest Cup-upsets and Cup-draws in the round.

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 2:54 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_3rd-round_location-map_64-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_b_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup 3rd Round, map and attendance list with fixtures




Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-3rd Round: fixtures/teams… (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).
-FA Cup Factfile’s 2016-17 FA Cup 3rd Round Tie-by-Tie Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).
-Faces behind the FA Cup third round: ‘At this level these are the days you live for’ (by Louise Taylor, Nick Miller and Michael Butler at theguardian.com/football on 6 Jan. 2017).
-FA Cup third round: 10 things to look out for this weekend (by Greg Bakowski and John Ashdown at theguardian/football on 6 Jan, 2017).

By Bill Turianski on 3 January 2017; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Update…as per the league tables, here are the teams who had the biggest Cup-upset(s) & Cup-draws of the 3rd round (Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, Lincoln City, Blackpool, Sutton United)…
2016-17_fa-cup_3rd-round_upset-wins_upset-draws_jan2017_e_.gif

The map…
The map shows the 64 clubs who have qualified for the 2016-17 FA Cup Third Round Proper. Also on the map page is the 3rd Round fixture list, and there is a list of the 64 clubs’ current home league average attendances (well, somewhat current: attendance figures to 1 Jan. 2017).

The 3rd Round is when teams from the top two divisions of English football join the competition…
In the 3rd Round, the 20 clubs from the Premier League, and the 24 clubs from the Football League Championship enter the competition. Included with those 44 teams are the last 20 teams still alive from all the 5 Qualifying Rounds and the 2 earlier Rounds. This season that breaks down to 5 Non-League teams still alive, as well as 19 teams from the lower two divisions of the Football League (Leagues One and Two).

The lowest-placed of those 5 Non-League teams that have qualified is West Midlands-based Stourbridge FC (see short write-up and illustration below). The other 4 Non-League teams still alive in the competition are all from the 5th-division/National League: Barrow AFC (of coastal Cumbria, up in the north-west of England), Eastleigh FC (of Greater Southampton, down in the south of England in coastal Hampshire), Lincoln City FC (the highest-placed Non-League club, currently, and hailing from Lincolnshire), and Sutton United FC (a club traditionally considered as from Surrey, but now officially situated in the southern edge of Greater London).

The lowest-placed team still alive in the competition, for the second straight round, is West Midlands-based Stourbridge FC…
-From the Guardian/football…Stourbridge reach FA Cup third round for first time with Northampton win (by Press Association via theguardian.com from 13 Dec. 2016).
-From the West-Midlands-based Express and Star…FA Cup shock: Stourbridge 1 Northampton Town 0 – So, where were you, BBC? And where were you, BT Sport? (expressandstar.com/sport).
-See the highlights hereStourbridge 1-0 Northampton Town – Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 (R2) | Goals & Highlights (1:59 video uploaded by FATV at youtube.com).

7th-level-side Stourbridge beat 3rd-division-side Northampton Town 1-0, at their War Memorial Athletic Ground, on a chilly Tuesday night in the Black Country, in front of a solid crowd of 2,520, in a game which had been rescheduled from 9 days earlier, due to an icy pitch. University student/part-time bartender Jack Duggan (then-aged 23) scored the winner for Stourbridge in the 85th minute, after a goal-mouth-scramble saw the ball drop in front of Duggan, who fired home from close range. Duggan couldn’t celebrate too much with his teammates after the match, because he had university classes the next morning. It was a true giant-killing, seeing as how Stourbridge were placed 4 divisions and 89 league-places below Northampton. Plus Northampton manager Gary Pope had paid enough respect to Stourbridge to field a virtually unchanged lineup from the Cobblers’ previous weekend’s league fixture.

Stourbridge FC are in the Northern Premier League, and are from the town of Stourbridge, which is situated about 11 miles west of central Birmingham. {Note: I wrote a bit more in-depth about Stourbridge, including an illustration, in my 2nd-round-post, here.} Owing to the cut-glass industry traditionally associated with the town, Stourbridge FC are known as the Glassboys. Stourbridge (est. 1876) will be making their 3rd Round debut in the 2016-17 FA Cup. Led by local-born manager Gary Hackett, who has been manager since 2003, Stourbridge have been lower-Non-League-Cup-specialists these last 8 seasons. In that time-period, Stourbridge have qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round 5 times, the 2nd Round 4 times, and now the Glassboys are into the rarefied air of the 3rd Round, after beating Northampton. And Stourbridge have a decent chance of advancing to the 4th Round, because, for the 3rd Round, they have been drawn against a 4th-division side – Wycombe Wanderers – who, though playing well (and are in 5th place in League Two, currently), are essentially a 3rd/4th-division yo-yo club, and very well might be prioritizing another promotion-run, over a Cup-run. Stourbridge will travel the 83 miles south-east to Adams Park in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, on Saturday the 7th of January, to face Wycombe Wanderers. Stourbridge will be taking 2,200 supporters there.

Below: 2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round. Tuesday, 13 December 2016. War Memorial Athletic Ground, Stourbridge, West Midlands.
Stourbridge 1-0 Northampton Town…
stourbridge-fc_war-memorial-athletic-ground_stourbridge_1-0_northampton_13-dec-2016_2016-17-fa-cup_2-r_jack-duggan_e_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
3 screenshots from youtube video, Stourbridge 1-0 Northampton Town – Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 (R2) | Goals & Highlights (uploaded by FATV at youtube.com). Shot of stoked-up Stourbridge supporters at the match, photo by PA Wire via itv.com/news. Shot of Jack Duggan banging the goal home, photo by Reuters via bournemouthfootball.net/stourbridge-1-0-northampton-town. Manager Gary Hackett congratulating Jack Duggan, photo by Express and Star at expressandstar.com/sport/2016/12/13/stourbridge-1-northampton-town-report/stourbridge-v-northampton-town-fa-cup-second-round-replay-the-war-memorial-athletic-ground.

The 6 televised matches do not include any of the 5 Non-League teams (not even Sutton United v AFC Wimbledon)…
None of the 5 Non-League clubs’ matches will be televised, although two 4th division clubs’ matches will be broadcast – Plymouth Argyle away to Liverpool on the Sunday, and Cambridge Utd hosting Leeds Utd on the Monday. The other four matches being televised all involve 1st or 2nd division clubs: West Ham v Man City on the Friday, Man U v Reading early on the Saturday, Preston North End v Arsenal for the late Saturday match, and Spurs v Aston Villa for the late Sunday match. Stourbridge will be taking 2,200 fans {see this article from the Guardian/football, Faces behind the FA Cup third round: ‘At this level these are the days you live for’ (by Louise Taylor, Nick Miller and Michael Butler at theguardian/football on Friday 6 Jan. 2016)}.

So, the powers that be seem to have decided that the magic of the Cup, while still perhaps in existence, does not necessarily apply to the minnows, once the big clubs join the party. I would rant about it, but I am sort of ranted-out. Besides, I couldn’t say it any better than FA Cup Factfile did, in a tweet, where he methodically ticks off the reasons why all 5 of the matches involving Non-League clubs – especially Sutton United versus AFC Wimbledon – deserve to be televised (see embedded tweet below)

.
___
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of West Midlands, by Nilfanion, at File:West Midlands UK relief location map.jpg

-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.
-Current average attendance for lower Non-League club (7th Level), at non-league-matters.co.uk.

Thanks to @FACupFactfile for following @billsportsmaps on Twitter.

November 29, 2016

2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round – map and attendance list./+ Stourbridge FC, the lowest-placed club still alive in the tournament.

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 1:55 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_2nd-round_location-map_40-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_b_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round map and attendance list




Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-2nd Round: fixtures/teams… (us.soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).
-2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round Tie-by-Tie Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).
-FA Cup second round: Early reunions and second chances among stories to watch (compiled by Tom Garry on 2 December 2016 at bbc.com/football).

By Bill Turianski on 29 November 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.com.

Schedule for 2016-17 FA Cup…
2016-17_fa-cup_schedule_d_.gif

The map…
The map shows the 40 clubs who have qualified for the 2016-17 FA Cup Second Round Proper. There are 12 Non-League teams still alive, as well as 28 teams from the lower two divisions of the Football League (Leagues One and Two). Also on the map page is the 2nd Round fixture list, and there is a list of the 40 clubs’ current home league average attendances.

The lowest-placed club to qualify for the 2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round is Stourbridge FC
Stourbridge are in the Northern Premier League (which is a 7th-level league); they currently are in 10th place. Stourbridge FC are drawing 778 per game, which is the highest crowd-size in the league. Stourbridge is in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, just southwest of Dudley, and 18 km (11 mi) W of central Birmingham (as the crow flies). As it says at Stourbridge’s Wikipedia page,…”Historically a part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley.” Stourbridge has a population of around 63,000 {2011 figure}.

Owing to the town’s traditional association with the glass-making and cut-glass industries, the football team is known as the Glassboys. They wear red-and-white vertically-striped jerseys. Stourbridge have played at the War Memorial Athletic Ground for over 120 years (since 1890). (The War Memorial Athletic Ground is sometimes referred to as Amblecoat, for the region in Stourbridge that the ground is located in.) It is a dual-sport facility: Stourbridge FC ground-share with the Stourbridge Cricket Club. So the pitch features just three sides of small-stands-or-terracing, with the one long side open to accommodate the cricket playing-field. The main stand is very small and features a small central section that is a barn-style roof. Here is a nice groundhoppers-type article, from 2013, which features Stourbridge’s ground [scroll all the way to the end of the post to see the Stourbridge section], 20 Glorious Non-League Grounds (peterrmiles.wordpress.com).

The manager of Stourbridge FC is Gary Hackett, who is Stourbridge-born and has been on the coaching staff at Stourbridge since 2003. Gary Hackett is a former Winger who had a long career at Bomsgrove Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Aberdeen (in Scotland), West Bromwich Albion, Peterborough United, Chester City, and Halesowen Town, retiring from the playing field in 1997. Gary Hacket has been at the helm at Stourbridge for 11 years now. In the early 2000s, Jon Ford and Gary Hackett had been the co-managers at nearby Bomsgrove Rovers. The two moved over to Stourbridge FC in 2003. Hackett took over as full-time manager of Stoursbridge in 2005, with Ford taking the assistant manager job (Ford decided to step down owing to work and family commitments). The two have remained in those capacities ever since, ushering in Stourbridge’s best decade ever. In that time, the Glassboys have won two promotions (up to the 7th level) and have qualified for the FA Cup 5 times in 8 years, including 4 FA Cup 2nd Round appearances, two of which as the lowest-placed team still alive in the competition.

Stourbridge have had a recent history of FA Cup success…
Stourbridge FC have been around since 1876, but had never made it to the FA Cup 1st Round in over a century of trying, until the 2009-10 season. And then making it to the 2nd Round four times in less than a decade…well that is a pretty impressive accomplishment for a club that has never been above the 7th division. Stourbridge’s second FA Cup 1st Round appearance, in 2011-12, saw them beat Football League mainstays Plymouth Argyle (in the re-play) to make it to the 2nd Round. The re-play at home v Plymouth, and the 2nd Round match at home v Stevenage were both televised. Then Stourbridge also made it to the 2nd Round in 2013-14, when they beat 7th-level-side Biggleswade Town. Then in 2015-16, Stourbridge beat then-5th-division-side and local rivals Kidderminster Harriers in the 4th Qualifying Round, and then beat 5th-division-side Dover Athletic, away, in the 1st Round, to again advance to the 2nd Round. And then this season [2016-17], Stourbridge once again advanced to the 2nd Round when they beat 9th-level-side Westfields (in the re-play).

Now, in the 2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round, Stourbridge have gotten a decent match-up – at home versus 3rd-division-side Northampton Town (who are in 17th place in League One currently). As the FA Cup Factfile site says…”Stourbridge fans and players can take heart in the knowledge that The Cobblers hold the record of most FA Cup 2nd Round exits with 30.”…{excerpt from 2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round Tie-by-Tie Preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com)}. I think a draw or even a giant-killing upset is definitely feasible at Stourbridges’ War Memorial Athletic Ground [on Sunday the 4th of December 2016]. Especially because Northampton Town’s top priority is to avoid being relegated right back to the 4th division, yet have lost the 4 straight League One games leading up to this Cup-match on Sunday. The match is sold out {see this, from the official Stourbridge FC site.}

Televised matches for 2016-17 FA Cup 2nd Round…
In my opinion, the Stourbridge-v-Northampton match should have been chosen as one of the live televised games, but it wasn’t. That being said, there is a very enticing match being televised live…Curzon Ashton v AFC Wimbledon. 6th-level/National League North side Curzon Ashton are from the eastern part of Greater Manchester, in the foothills of the Pennines just south of Oldham (and 10 km E of Manchester). At their relatively-new Tameside Stadium in Ashton-under-Lyme (which opened in 2005), Curzon Ashton will host AFC Wimbledon, the world-renowned supporter-owned club from South London (who are now in the 3rd division, and have been playing well, and sit 7th, just below the play-off places). {To whet your appetite for the match, here is a Curzon Ashton/Tameside Stadium groundhopping-post, from 2012, from the excellent Gibbos92 site, here.} That Curzon Ashton/AFC Wimbledon match is on the Sunday the 4th. Also being televised live for the 2nd Round is the Friday the 2nd game: Macclesfield Town v Oxford United, as well as the Monday the 5th game: Lincoln City v Oldham Athletic. {Here is a nice Macclesfield Town/Moss Rose groundhopping-post, from 2013 from the great Groundhopping.se site, here; here is a nice Lincoln City/Sincil Bank groundhopping-post from, from 2016, from the Groundhopping with Ryan blog, here.}

Below: the War Memorial Athletic Ground, home of Stourbridge FC…
stourbridge-fc_war-memorial-athletic-ground_gary-hackett_c_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Stourbridge home kit, illustration from en.wikipedia.org. Stourbridge town centre, photo by Stephen McKay at commons.wikimedia.org. Photo of entrance to ground, photo unattributed at warmemorials.myfastforum.org. Photo of main stand, photo by europlan-online.de. Game-action shot of main stand, photo by richardl1967 at stadiumsandcities.wordpress.com. Shot of manager Gary Hackett, photo by Kevin Quigley via dailymail.co.uk/football.

____
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Photo of Curzon Ashton badge, photo from ebay.com.
-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.
-Current average attendance for lower Non-League club (7th Level), at non-league-matters.co.uk.

November 1, 2016

2016-17 FA Cup 1st Round – map and attendance list./+ the 3 FA Cup 1st Round first-timers (Merstham FC, Stamford AFC, Westfields FC).

Filed under: 2016-17 FA Cup — admin @ 3:07 pm

2016-17_fa-cup_1st-round_location-map_80-clubs_w-current-attendances-in-leagues_w-fixtures_post_e_.gif
2016-17 FA Cup, First Round Proper: location-map with current average attendances





Links…
-The competition…FA Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
-First Round: fixtures/teams…2016-17 FA Cup/First Round Proper (soccerway.com/national/england/fa-cup).
-Preview, from FA Cup Factfile…FA Cup 2016-17 1st Round ‘Proper’ tie-by-tie preview (facupfactfile.wordpress.com).
-BBC’s page on the FA Cup…FA Cup (bbc.com/sport/football/fa-cup).

-From the Guardian/football…FA Cup first round: the minnows’ stories, from Westfields to Merstham (Interviews by Alan Smith and Paul MacInnes at theguardian.com/football/blog).

By Bill Turianski on 1 November 2016; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.com.
The map (click on image at the top of this post) shows all 80 clubs who have qualified for the 2016-17 FA Cup First Round Proper. Also on the map page is the 1st Round fixture list, and there is a list of the 80 clubs’ current home league average attendances.

There were 736 clubs accepted into this season’s tournament. The 44 clubs from the Premier League (the 1st division) and the Football League Championship (the 2nd division) will join the competition in the 3rd Round (played in early January). The 1st Round and the 2nd Round are contested between all the clubs from the two lower leagues of the Football League (48 teams) – League One (3rd division) and League Two (4th division) – plus the 32 Non-League clubs who qualified through the preliminary and qualifying rounds (6 rounds). After those 6 qualifying rounds were played this season, the lowest placed club still alive, and into the 2016-17 1st Round, is the 9th-level-side Westfields FC of Hereford (see Westfields section further below). As well as the Westfields section, further below there are also sections on the other two clubs making their FA Cup 1st Round debuts: the 8th-level side Stamford AFC of south Lincolnshire, and the 7th-level side Merstham FC of Surrey. (Note: two other clubs which were the result of club-mergers – Solihull Moors and Spennymoor Town – are making their 1st Round debuts, but in both cases one of the pre-merger-clubs had qualified for the 1st Round in the past [Spennymoor Town (est. 2005), as Evenwood United in 1956-57; Solihull Moors (est. 2007), as both Solihull Borough in 1992-93 and in 1997-98, and as Moor Green in 2002-03].)

This is the 136th FA Cup competition. The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world. The FA Cup was first played in the 1871-72 season. This year’s competition [2016-17] will be the 136th edition of the tournament. Current Cup Holders are Manchester United, who beat Crystal Palace 2-1 (aet), at Wembley Stadium on 21 May 2016. That put Manchester United back with Arsenal at the top of the all-time FA Cup title-winners’ list – both have won 12 FA Cup titles {List of FA Cupfinals/Results by team (en.wikipedia.org)}.

Schedule for 2016-17 FA Cup…
2016-17_fa-cup_schedule_d_.gif

    The 3 clubs which are making their FA Cup 1st Round debuts in 2016-17:
    Merstham FC (of Surrey), Stamford AFC (of south Lincolnshire) and Westfields FC (of Hereford)…
    Merstham FC.

Est. 1892.
Ground: Moatside, Merstham, Surrey. Capacity: 2,000. Opened 1921.
Manager: Hayden Bird.

Merstham is a small village in Surrey of around 8,000, near Redhill, and located 28 km (17 mi) S of central London. Merstahm FC are a 7th-division club that wear old-gold (aka pale orange) and black colours. Their nickname is the Moatsiders, after their ground, Moatside.

Five years after their founding in 1892, Merstham FC were a founder-member of the Redhill and District League in 1897. In the early 1920s, Mertham FC moved into their present-day location just south-east of the village centre. It took a couple decades to finally win their first league-title, and Merstham ended up winning 5 titles in the Redhill and District League (1927, 1935, 1936, 1950, 1951). By the spring of 1951, the the club felt they could take a step up, and they applied to the Surrey Intermediate League, and in 1952-53 Merstham were admitted into the Eastern Section of the Surrey Intermediate League. Merstham promptly won the title at the first try (1953), but were unable to win the league for the next eleven seasons. Nevertheless, after 12 seasons in the Surrey Intermediate East, Merstham was admitted into the Surrey Senior League in 1964. They won one title in their 14 years there, in 1972-73. In 1978 they joined the London Spartan League, but only finished as good as in third place (in the first two of their six seasons there). Also at that point in time, Merstham made their debut in the FA Cup in 1978-79, losing to Hendon in the First Qualifying round.

Then, as it says at the official Merstham FC site’s history page …”By the 1984/85 season Merstham had decided that the travelling involved in the Spartan League was proving too much on the club’s resources and they applied to join the Combined Counties League, partly reformed from the Surrey Senior League. This new league encompassed teams from Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and Middlesex. 1984 also saw the completion of the new clubhouse replacing the portable shelter that had been in use since 1975.”…{excerpt from mersthamfc.co.uk/mfchistory}.

Merstham remained in the Combined Counties League for over two decades, up to 2007-08, when they finally won promotion to the Isthmian League South (an 8th level league). Seven seasons later, Merstham won promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division (in the 7th level), by winning the 2014-15 Isthmian South play-offs. Merstham had finished fourth that season, then beat Faversham Town 5-4 aggregate in the semifinals, and then the Moatsiders beat Folkestone Invicta 0-3 in the final at Folkestone, Kent. Then last season [2015-16], Merstham had a decent showing in their first-ever season in the 7th level, finishing in 10th place and drawing 201 per game {median-crowd size in the Isthmian Premier last season was 261 per game; see this}. This season, their second in the 7th tier, sees Merstham currently in 17th place, with an average gate of 195 {see Isthmian table and attendances here (nonleaguematters.co.uk)}.

To qualify for the 2016-17 FA Cup 1st Round, Merstahm beat 6th-division side Ebbsfleet United (of Kent) 2-1, in front of 664 at Moatside, on Saturday 15 October 2016 [in a 4th Qualifying round match] (see photos from that game below). Triple their average crowd showed up at the Moatside for the match. Merstham fell behind in the 10th minute, then equalized in the 26th on a nice curling 25-yard strike by the Merstham squad captain, MF Tom Kavanagh. The winner came just before the half on a goal by Merstham FW Charlie Penny, who scored at close range after an Xavier Vidal free kick found its way into the box.

Then, in the FA Cup 1st Round draw, Merstham drew a very plum tie – at home, versus 3rd-division side Oxford United. Then it was announced that the Mertham/Oxford match at Moatside would be televised live {see this, FA Cup live TV date on BT Sport for Merstham FC vs Oxford United (getsurrey.co.uk)}. So the Moatsiders of Merstham will play at their humble home-ground, versus a former First-Division team – a team 4 divisions above them, on national television, on Saturday 5 October 2016. That means a £67,500 windfall for Merstham {see this from the Mirror.co.uk/football, which also mentions the other televised matches}. The Merstham v Oxford United match is sold out.

merstham-fc_moatside_2016-17_fa-cup_1st-round_cup-debut_b_.gif
Photo and Image credits above –
Street-view of Mertham village centre, photo by Peter Trimming at geograph.org.uk. Interior shot of ground, photo by Merstham FC at facebook.com/MersthamFC. 7 photos of 4th Qualifying round match [Merstham 2-1 Ebbsfleet Utd on 15 Oct 2016], photos by Donna Prior at surreymirror.co.uk/photos-fa-cup-fourth-qualifying-round-merstham-2-v-1-ebbsfleet-united.

    Stamford AFC.

Est. 1896.
Ground: Zeeco Stadium, Stamford, Lincolnshire. Capacity: 2,000 (250 seated). Opened December 2014.
Manager: Graham Drury.

Stamford AFC are an 8th-level club, currently [2016-17] playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. As of 1 November 2016, Stamford are in 19th place in the 22-team Northern League D1-South. But, due to their FA Cup-run this season, Stamford have played about 4 or 5 less games than most other teams in their league, and that has contributed to their lower-table position {here is the 2016-17 Northern Premier League Division One South table (with attendances)}. Stamford are currently drawing 284 per game, which is second-best in the league (AFC Rushden & Diamonds draw best in the league at 454; median average attendance in the league is 169 per game).

Stamford AFC drew over 4 times more than their league-average for their 4th Qualifying Round match, on 15 October versus 5th-division-side Wrexham (of North Wales). Stamford drew 1,264 and played a strong second half to come back from a 0-1 deficit and equalize the game (on a penalty converted by Lee Beeson), and send it to a re-play. This in what, before the game, the PA announcer called Stamford’s biggest game in its history. From the official Stamford AFC site, {here is a gallery from that match, 2016/17 : Stamford AFC v Wrexham AFC (15.10.16)}.

Then, three days later, in the re-play, played at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, North Wales on Tuesday 18 October, Stamford beat Wrexham 2-3 in aet, with Jake Duffy’s extra-time free kick the winner {you can see that nicely curled shot at the following link [scroll down there half-way], Stamford AFC reach FA Cup 1st round for first time in 120-year history (by Stefan Pidluznyj at lincolnshirereporter.co.uk)}. Stamford had bested a team 3 levels and 73 league-places higher than them. And so Stamford AFC qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round for the first time in the club’s 120-year history. {See this article, FA Cup: Wrexham 2-3 Stamford (bbc.com/football).}

Stamford AFC are from the small market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, which has a population of around 19,000. Stamford is 167 km (104 mi) N of London by road, and Stamford is 50 km (31 mi) E of the city of Leicester by road. Stamford is situated on the River Welland (which flows eastward, into the Wash). Stamford is located in the far south-western edge of Lincolnshire, right next to the very small county (smallest in England) of Rutland, which is just north and west of Stamford. (Stamford is so close to and so linked to the two-town county of Rutland that a prominent local paper there is called the Rutland and Stamford Mercury.) To the south-west of Stamford is Northamptonshire, and to the south-east of Stamford is Cambridgeshire and the city of Peterborough.

Stamford is a picturesque little town. Owing to its many well-preserved 17th and 18th century honey-stone houses and stone streets, its beautiful streets and vistas, its good schools, its nice shops and its fast-and-extensive rail service (55 minutes to London), Stamford was in fact rated by the Sunday Times as the best town to live in, in all of England {see this from 2013; also see this 2013 article on how nice Stamford is, from the Guardian, here}.

Stamford AFC wear red, and are nicknamed the Daniels, after the heaviest man in England, Daniel Lambert (1770-1809), who was the gaol-keeper in Stamford, and who weighed over 50 stone (700 lb; 320 kg), and, after becoming the heaviest authenticated person up to that point in recorded history, became something of a celebrity in London and in nearby Leicester, in the early 1800s.

Stamford AFC had played for 100 years at the Kettering Road ground near the town centre. They now play at the relatively brand-new Zeeco Stadium at the Stamford Sports Centre, which is just beyond the last houses on the south side of town. The stadium, which opened in December 2014, has a 2,000 capacity (250 seated). (Zeeco is a company involved in refining, petrochemical production, power/steam, and bio-gas industries.) As it says in this article from the Rutland and Stamford Mercury.co.uk, “the ground is part of a £5.5m development at the Borderville site which also includes a sports centre, classrooms and artificial pitches. The Daniels have teamed up with New College Stamford and Burghley Estates on the development.”

For the 1st Round, Stamford have been given a draw away to 4th-division-side Hartlepool United, at their Victoria Road ground up in County Durham. Here is an article from the Hartlepool Mail.co.uk, Who are Hartlepool United’s FA Cup opponents Stamford AFC?.


stamford-afc_zecco-stadium_stamford-lincolnshire_i_.gif

Photo and Image credits above –
Photo of Stamford viewed over the Meadows, photo by Old Phthg at picturescolourlibrary.co.uk. Photo of cobblestone street in Stamford, photo by Travelpix via thesundaytimes.co.uk. Photo of a street in Stamford town centre, photo by lincolnshire.org. Aerial shot of Zeeco Stadium, photo by lk2.co.uk/projects. Screenshot of Zeeco Stadium, partially completed and 4 months prior to opening (August 2014), image from 0:16 video uploaded by Stampy72 at Zeeco Stadium – 15th August (youtube.com). Shot of 2016-17 FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round match (Stamford 2-2 Wrexham, on 15 October 2015), photo by Chris P at groundhoppersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/10/stamford-afc-zeeco-stadium. Shot of goal scored by Stamford, photo by Jake Whiteley at Stamford AFC official site pitchero.com/clubs/stamfordafc/news/photos-daniels-v-wrexham-afc.

    Westfields FC.

Est. 1966.
Ground: allpay.park (at Widemarsh Common), Hereford, Herefordshire. Capacity: 2,000 (216 seated). Opened December 2003.
Manager: Sean Edwards.

Westfields FC are a 9th-level club in the Midland Football Alliance. Westfields are the lowest-placed team in the 2016-17 FA Cup 1st Round. Westfields currently [1 Nov 2016] are in 3rd place in the Midland Premier, despite playing much less games than most other teams in the league (owing to their 6-game-long FA Cup-run this season); {here is the 2016-17 Alliance Premier Division table (with attendances)}. Their current average home attendance is 194, which is the largest crowd-size in the Midland Football Alliance Premier Division (the median-crowd-size in the 22-team league, currently, is 81 per game). Westfields drew almost four times their home-crowd-average for their 4th Qualifying Round match, when 741 were on hand to see Westfields beat 7th-division-side Leiston (of Suffolk), 2-1 (see two paragraphs below, and see photos in the illustration further below).

Westfields wear claret and sky blue. Inspired by England’s triumph in the 1966 World Cup, Westfields FC were formed in November 1966, by some local teenagers who played friendlies on Widemarsh Common nearby the city centre of Hereford. One of the youths who founded the club was Andy Morris; he is still involved with the club and is now its chief executive. Westfields first played in the Hereford Sunday League. In 1975, the club moved from Widemarsh Common to the sports ground of Thorn Lighting on the Rotherwas Industrial Estate, in south-east Hereford. In their 12th year, in 1978, Westfields joined the West Midlands Regional League [present-day 12th level]. In 1983, they were promoted to the 1st Division of the West Midlands Regional League. And four years later in 1987, they were promoted to the Premier Division of the West Midlands Regional League. Sixteen years later, in 2003, Westfields won promotion to the Midland Football Alliance [which is in the present-day 9th level]. That same year, in December 2003, Westfields moved back to Widemarsh Common in the heart of Hereford, in a purpose-built ground (cost: £250,000). For sponsorship purposes, the name of the ground is allpay.park, after allpay.net, a Hereford-based cashless-payment firm.

On 15 October 2016, after defeating 7th-division side Leiston in the 2016-17 FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, Westfields FC qualified for the FA Cup 1st Round for the first time in the 60-year-old club’s history. Of course, Westfields had the good fortune of drawing 5 consecutive home matches in the preliminary rounds (Westfields 16/17 FA Cup-run listed below, along with their steadily-increasing home attendances). And that luck has carried on to the First Round Proper, as Westfields got a rather winnable home match versus 6th-division side Curzon Ashton (of Greater Manchester). {2016-17 FA Cup 1st Round draw, here: FA Cup first-round draw: Westfields ‘quietly confident’.}

As a 9th-division side, Westfields had to enter the FA Cup right at the start of the competition, on 6 August 2016.
In other words, to qualify for the 2016-17 FA Cup 1st Round, Westfields went the maximum 6 preliminary/qualifying rounds…
-In the Extra Preliminary Round, Westfields beat Stourport Swifts away, 3-4.
-In the Preliminary Round, Westfields beat Tivdale 5-1 at Widemarsh Common (attendance, 96).
-In the 1st Qualifying Round, Westfields beat St Ives Town 4-0 at Widemarsh Common (attendance, 190).
-In the 2nd Qualifying Round, Westfields beat Highgate United 4-2 at Widemarsh Common (attendance, 239).
-In the 3rd Qualifying Round, Westfields beat Walton Casuals 4-0 at Widemarsh Common (attendance, 349).
-And then in the 4th Qualifying Round, Westfields beat Leiston 2-1 at Widemarsh Common (attendance, 741) {see photos and captions further below}.
westfields-fc_allpay-park_widemarsh-common-hereford_2016-17_fa-cup_1st-round_cup-debut_h_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Street-level exterior shot of allpay.park, photo by moravianfootball.blogspot.com via soccerway.com. 3 interior shots of ground, photos by Antti’s Football Scarves at saturday3.com/showmg.php?id=allpay.park_westfields_fc_12.03.2011. Photo of 4th Qualifying Round match at allpay.stadium by Jan Kruger/The FA via Getty Images via theguardian.com/football. 5 photos from 4th Qualifying Round match, photos by James Maggs at Westfields beat Leiston 2-1 in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round (herefordtimes.com).
____
Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of UK historic counties, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:United Kingdom police areas map.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Blank relief map of Greater London, by Nilfanion (using UK Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater London UK relief location map.jpg.
-Blank relief map of Greater Manchester, by Nilfanion (using Ordnance Survey data), at File:Greater Manchester UK relief location map.jpg.
-Photo of Curzon Ashton badge, photo from ebay.com.
-Current average attendance figures from Soccerway.com.
-Current average attendance for lower Non-League clubs (7th and 8th and 9th Levels), at non-league-matters.co.uk.
-Thanks to the official site of Merstham FC, for club history info, at mersthamfc.co.uk/mfchistory.
-Thanks to the official site of Westfields FC, for FA Cup qualifying rounds info, westfieldsfc.com.
-Thanks to the official site of Stamford AFC, for the match-photo and for general information.
-Thanks to Donnaa Prior at the Surrey Mirror, for match-photos of Merstham’s Cup-qualifying win, PHOTOS: Merstham beat Ebbsfleet United to qualify for the FA Cup first round proper.
-Thanks to James Maggs at the Hereford Times, for match-photos of Westfield’s Cup-qualifying win, Westfields beat Leiston 2-1 in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round [with pictures].

Powered by WordPress