Vase

The FA Vase ends in a Wembley final, so is something of a fabled competition for clubs in the ninth tier of English football. It’s been a long while since any of the clubs now local to me have gone deep into the competition. Guiseley won it in 1991 and were finalists again the year after, but there’s been little from this pocket of West Yorkshire since. So it’s something of an event that Eccleshill United, two miles away across the valley, have made it into the Fifth Round, the last 16, from more than 500 clubs that entered the draw.

North Warwickshire’s Atherstone United  (red and white stripes) were the opponents, and they had brought up a couple of coach loads of fans which made for a livelier atmosphere than is typical at this level. A couple of them had even braved obscure Bradford buses for their final leg to the ground, so I was able to lead them through the suburban villas of Wrose to the slightly hidden away ground.

The first half was quite dour. Atherstone probably had more of the play but there were no clear chances for either side. The game opened up after the break, and Eccy looked a lot sharper. So it was even more galling when the visitors took the lead, a follow on from a quickly taken dubiously awarded free kick. Eccleshill pressed for an equaliser, but in the final stages of the game a stumble from a home defender let Atherstone through on goal to score again. 

0-2 it finished and the Midlanders progress to the quarter finals, and who knows, perhaps onward to Wembley, where they would experience a finals day something like the ones I attended in 2017 and 2019.