That was the season that…wasn’t: Cup success

Given all of our clubs are sadly now out of the FA Cup and FA Trophy, we’re going to look at their performance in cup competitions this season. We’re going to focus particularly on these two competitions and not the Velocity Trophy or County Cup, because the last two saw many weakened sides fielded, so those results would skew our already fairly random ‘cup’ table!

We’re going to start- just for fun- with a combined table that shows how our teams performed in Cup competitions, with three points for each victory and one for a draw. Everybody has two defeats as it only takes one to knock you out of a competition, and they’ve all been knocked out of both of them!

The FA Cup brought great excitement, as it always does- and for once, it also brought great success. We start by saluting Maldon & Tiptree, who of course departed the competition live on terrestrial TV, as the BBC showed them putting in an excellent performance but unluckily bowing out in the Second Round against Newport County. They had already knocked out another professional club in Leyton Orient, and defeated higher Division sides in Royston Town and Wingate & Finchley. The Jammers also did well in the FA Trophy, taking out Premier Division promotion chasers in Cray Wanderers and Folkestone Invicta.

Chichester City are next up. At Step Four for the first time, they didn’t look anything like absolute beginners, killing the relative giants of Hartley Wintney, Enfield Town and Bowers & Pitsea on the way to a Second Round defeat against Tranmere Rovers.

Kingstonian fans may think they let their cup success get in the way of their league campaign, but they had a great deal of cup success to enjoy, losing to AFC Fylde in the FA Cup Second Round after defeating the likes of Macclesfield Town and Dartford, and also making it to the Second Round of the FA Trophy, National League ‘neighbours’ Woking amongst the vanquished.

You may be surprised to see Canvey Island so high up our make-believe table. The Gulls were particularly hard to beat in cup competitions, playing five replays, and winning four of them.

Aveley fell from the FA Cup at the first hurdle, but didn’t they make up for it in the FA Trophy? The Millers became serial giantkillers, Bowers & Pitsea, Taunton Town, Carshalton Athletic, Hornchurch and Chelmsford City amongst the vanquished, progressing as far as the Quarter Finals.

The Carshalton faithful will long remember how they vanquished Dagenham and Redbridge on the way to the FA Cup First Round, whilst Tooting & Mitcham United supporters will revel in tales of their FA Cup win over Dorking Wanderers and their FA Trophy hammering of Premier Division Margate.

Hornchurch defeated National League South opposition in the FA Trophy, knocking our Oxford City, and then the Urchins went and did it again, defeating Dulwich Hamlet. Enfield Town did that once, removing Braintree Town, whilst Potters Bar Town fans will long remember their televised draw with National League Barnet.

AFC Sudbury travelled to Worthing in the FA Trophy and walloped the Premier Division side, who were on a long unbeaten run, by four goals to one. Margate knocked FA Trophy Semi-Finalists Concord Rangers out of the FA Cup, and will also remember a trip to face Steve Claridge’s Salisbury that ended in a joyous trip home after victory, whilst Soham Town Rangers will have fond memories of their win over St Ives Town of the Southern Premier Central in the FA Trophy.

Finally, Whyteleafe’s FA Cup victory over their Premier Division neighbours Merstham shouldn’t be forgotten.

Headline Image: David Bauckham.