Football Review – A Non-League Football Review

1984 was the last time the Essex Senior League was represented in the FA Vase Final with Stansted reaching the competitions showcase match 40 years ago and going onto win the trophy.

During that season [1983/84], the Airportmen faced Epping Town in the Preliminary Round of the competition, winning 2-0, before welcoming Barkingside to Hargrave Park. winning by four goals to one. Stansted continued onto the Second Round, where they came up against Basildon United. A narrow 1-0 win on the road was enough to send them through before they faced a fellow ESL side in Wivenhoe Town, winning 2-0 again. The Fourth Round also brought an all Essex Senior League tie with Stansted facing the eventual champions Heybridge Swifts, but they didn’t stop them as the Airportmen won 2-1.

Stansted were victorious in the Fifth Round against Bristol Manor Farm, winning 2-1 before their tie with Old Georgians in the Quarter-final required a replay after they drew the original game 1-1. The replay saw them narrow win at home, scoring two to Old Georgians one.

The semi-final was a two-legged affair, with Stansted facing Whickham. The first leg at Hargrave Park finished 1-1 before the second leg saw the Airportmen win 2-0, giving them a 3-1 win on aggregate and sending them through to the final at Wembley Stadium. That final had seen them play Stamford, who themselves had beaten Irthlingborough Diamonds 4-1 (first leg 1-2, second leg 2-0). It was another tight affair with Stansted narrowly edging the United Counties Football League side 3-2 to clinch their only FA Vase title.

This year, however, has seen not only one Essex Senior League side reach the FA Vase final , but two. Both Romford and Great Wakering Rovers sealed their place in the final with victories over Lincoln United and Worcester City respectively.

Rovers eased past 10th-tier Basildon Town in the First Qualifying Round to get their run started, winning 5-2, before they narrow eased past fellow-ESL side Buckhurst Hill [winning 4-3]. Having navigated the qualifying rounds, they faced St Neots Town but after a 2-2 draw on the road, Rovers were victorious 4-2 on penalties and would face Downham Town in the Second Round, winning 2-0. Their Third Round tie hadn’t come until mid-December after their originally scheduled tie with Fakenham Town had been postponed, but it didn’t matter when the tie was played in the eye of Great Wakering as they won by three goals to nil. Marcus Bowers’ men faced Whitchurch Alport and Highworth Town in the Fourth and Fifth rounds, winning 2-1 and 3-2 respectively before facing Falmouth in the Quarter-finals.

The last eight game had put them against Western League Premier Division side, where they had won 2-0 against the Cornwall outfit with the win meaning they faced Worcester City in a two-legged game. The first leg saw them defeated by a 77th minute goal for the Blues but with the second leg at home, Great Wakering knew they could turn it around. After taking the lead in the 13th minute, Worcester retook the lead on aggregate and levelled the game at Burroughs Park 10 minutes before half-time. There had been another late goal, this time for Wakering, as they netted in the 83rd minute to level the tie overall. With nothing to separate the sides, penalties decided the game. Four-all after both teams had taken their designated five spot-kicks, a miss by Worcester and a goal for Wakering sent them through to the Wembley final.

Romford, who currently sit 2nd and 10 points behind Tilbury with two games in hand, began their run later in the Second Round Proper, where they beat Crawley Green 2-0. At the start of December, they faced Mildenhall Town and won to nil again, this time 3-0 before the Fourth Round brought their third consecutive home game in the competition with a tie against Stanway Pegasus. They narrowly won that 2-1 before they travelled away from home for the first time in the Vase, taking on Hilltop, but it wasn’t the end of their journey as they won 3-1.

In the Quarter-final, Romford were away from home once again, travelling to North Greenford United, winning 1-0, before their two-legged semi-final affair saw them face Lincoln United. The First leg brought some real drama. After going 1-0 down in the 11th minute, Romford drew level just before the hour mark. The teams had remained tied until a goal at the death from the Amateurs had been heart-breaking for the Boro but four minutes of added time was enough to draw level again. The second leg at Ashby Avenue had been less entertaining with the sides remaining level. The game was decided by penalties where a 10-9 victory for Romford had sent them through.

Alongside an all National League FA Trophy final between Gateshead and Solihull Moors, the FA Vase is set to be played on the weekend of 11th May 2024 and with it guaranteeing an Essex Senior League winner, who do you think will be victorious under the famous Wembley arch?