FA Cup progress for AFC Wulfrunians

The Emirates FA Cup 15-16 Preliminary Round

AFC Wulfrunians v Romulus

This wasn't exactly David and Goliath but Wulfrunians were entertaining  Northern Premier League opposition which usually ensures a tasty scrap and this didn't disappoint.Far from being a one-sided game,the resilient hosts gave as good and sometimes better than they got.The visitors had they're share of scoring chances but were guilty of some alarming misses whereas Wulfrunians took full advantage of the openings that came their way with Jevons opening the scoring from a corner in the 43rd minute(which was a bit of a twat really as my mate had a Golden Goal ticket of 45 minutes).The second half continued in the same vein with Romulus keen to show their  pedigree but Wulfrunians refusing to be overawed and it has to be said,growing in confidence.So, it was no surprise really when the hosts added a superbly-taken second through man-of-the-match Anslow(who had a terrific game).The expected onslaught from the visitors never materialised and it's Wulfrunians who pocket the best part of two grand and move on to the next round.

Entrance ; £3 concession
Programme ; £1
Drink ; £1
Crowd ; 93
Referee ; Ok

The FA Cup starts here

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Tipton Town v Cadbury Athletic

Next May will see the culmination of the 2016 FA Cup Final played at Wembley with probably any two from City,Chelsea,Arsenal,United and A.N Other involved.Today 15th August  2015 is the start of that process and I will hazard a guess that not one player from any of those teams will have heard of Tipton Town or Cadbury Athletic but they should know this game is just as important. Without this match and all todays' other Cup games,that final in May would be meaningless.
Todays' match pitted a young Tipton side against Midland League opponents Cadbury Athletic.Towns' problems have been well documented and the highs of previous seasons seem a distant memory but Manager Paul Totney and his team have gathered together,from scratch,an eager,energetic group of youngsters who,it has to be said,have an extremely steep learning curve ahead of them.

From the kick-off you feared for Town as the  visitors went ahead in the third minute and looked like they could score at will.You could sense things beginning to change around about the half-hour mark.From almost being overwhelmed,Town were seeing more possession which unfortunately wasn't being turned into goal attempts but the signs were promising.
Come the second half, the visitors continued to look dangerous but their attacks seemed to follow the same pattern as the first half where there was a nice build-up with little end-result whereas Tipton looked a completely different outfit and took the game to their opponents but lacked a killer punch where it mattered.The inevitable happened when,with Town pressing for an equalizer,Athletic caught them on the back foot and got a second goal.Game over really but fair play to Town,they never gave up and heads didn't drop.
Credit to the visitors who know all the tricks and the 'professional' side of the game,they deserved their win and banked a nice little sum but Paul Totney seems to have a good bunch of young lads who will not give in and that attitude should stand them in good stead as the season progresses.

Result ; Tipton Town 0 Cadbury Athletic 2 

  

 Entrance ; £3(concession)

Programme ; Sold out

Drink ; £1

Crowd ; 80est

Referee ; Ok                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Here we go !

West Midlands (Regional) League

Premier Division

Willenhall Town v Black Country Rangers

At last,on a warm,sunny August Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock we're up and running for the new season.The pre-season friendlies are ok to whet the appetite but this is what really counts.This is the first League game for hosts Willenhall Town at Queen Street,their new 'home'.
What a brilliant game to start the season off where neither of these two sides were content with anything other than a win,so us spectators were treated to an end-to-end game.You couldn't fault the commitment,nobody was giving anything away if they could help it and the new tenants of Queen Street gave their fans the dream start they wanted when Clark scored after 30 minutes.You could say this was rough justice on the visitors who, up to this point had been the more threatening side,but as stated many times previously on this blog,it's the ball in the net what counts ! It didn't take long for Rangers to level,10 minutes in fact.You sensed this wasn't the end of the scoring and the visitors pressure paid off with a second.Back came Town with a second equalizer and so it went back and forth with both sides not content with a draw.
 This is the sort of stuff that drew me away from paying good money to watch crap Football League games and long may it continue.Credit to both sides for going at it hammer and tongs with some great passing,cracking goals and some really committed tackling.

Result : Willenhall Town 2 Black Country Rangers 2

Entrance : £3 concession
Programme : £1
Drinks :£1 coffee,50p Bottled water
Crowd : 50 est
Referee : Ok