After the busy Bank Holiday schedule in which we took 4 points, we now turn our attention to this years Emirates FA Cup competition, with a 70-mile trip to Southern League South side Didcot Town.
Pat and Joe have told us previously that they both take the FA Cup competition very seriously and they will be putting out a strong team with the intention of being in the Second Round Qualifying draw on Monday 1st September at 1pm.
The new season has not started well for The Railwaymen as they have taken just one point from the opening 4 matches. There have certainly been plenty of goals in those four matches, 22 in total, 5 for and 17 against. In their last match on Bank Holiday Monday, they went down 3-1 at home to Winchester City who were relegated from Southern League Southern Premier Division last season. Their only point so far this season came in the 1-1 draw away at Bristol Manor Farm last Saturday.
The club is managed by Jamie Heapy who really is ‘Mr Didcot’ with an incredible 912 club appearances as a player and he was captain of the 2005 FA Vase winning team.
He was previously joint manager of Didcot with another club legend in Ian Concannon, before continuing his coaching experience at Banbury United. Jamie returned as manager in his own right for the 2019/20 campaign.
Didcot are celebrating the 20th anniversary of winning the FA Vase at White Heart Lane in 2004/5. In April the winning team members gathered at The Loop Meadow Stadium ahead of their home fixture and received an ovation from the crowd as they walked onto the pitch. A signed shirt was auctioned for a local charity raising £350.
There will be 111 ties over the weekend starting with 3 matches on Friday evening, 106 on Saturday and the remaining 2 taking place on Sunday.
Funnily enough all of our local teams have been drawn away from home. Weymouth have been chosen as the BBC pick for live coverage, so they will kick off at 12.30pm at Tadley Calleva. Before you ask, Tadley Calleva are the Hampshire-based non-League side who beat Millbrook 2-1 in the extra preliminary round before overcoming Christchurch 3-0 in the preliminary round to reach this stage of the competition.
Wimborne are away to Bishops Cleeve and Dorchester are at Slimbridge, both 3pm kick offs. The winners of each tie will receive £2,250 from the prize pot with the losers taking home £750.
It would be great to have an extended cup run, so let’s get behind the lads and hope that we make it into the draw on Monday.
Enjoy the game
Neil Wellington.
