I went shopping in the town on the morning of the match, mainly to get a new pair of trainers, and it was clear that the whole of Eastbourne had gone Vase crazy. Or was it just me? No, there was a definite buzz. I even saw the Eastbourne Town team in their blue tracksuits sauntering along Meads Road, cracking jokes and looking very relaxed.
More than 400 fans at the Saffrons saw their favourites almost take a fifth-minute lead. A huge throw into the near-post area was missed by a clutch of players and the ball struck the unsighted ‘keeper on the shin before dribbling behind for a corner. Unfortunately, that was about as good as it got for the home side.
Curzon Ashton, from the Manchester area, had travelled down by coach on the Friday and stayed in a hotel in Brighton. They had plenty of supporters with them, mostly wearing club jackets and ties, and they were in good humour after their No.9 had scored with a bullet header from a corner at the "Kop" end on ten minutes.
Poor old Eastbourne conceded two more goals and even missed a penalty, though the ‘keeper’s one-handed save at full stretch was almost of Gordon Banks proportions. One of only 20 clubs to have played in every Vase competition back to 1974-75, they saw their dreams dashed for another season – but they were cheered to the echo as they left the field.
I’ve often said, perhaps perversely, that the perfect temperature for watching football is minus six. If a last-minute equaliser takes the match into extra-time, it’s the icing on the cake. And probably the icicle on the nose too. Last night I was at the Edgware Town v Whitehawk replay at a freezing White Lion Ground but despite nine minutes of stoppages, the tie was settled in normal time.
The Hawks from Brighton earned a home Fifth Round clash with Quorn with a goal on 28 minutes, a header from a corner. Two Edgware defenders hacked the ball away between them but it had clearly crossed the line. It developed into a typically hard-fought Vase match, featuring two in-form sides who are currently top of their respective leagues.
Edgware are eleven points clear in the Spartan South Midlands League and have racked up 66 goals. Whitehawk have a slimmer lead in the Sussex County League but have only let in seven.
The second half last night, watched by 116 noisy fans, seemed to reflect those stats. The home side launched waves of attacks but a multi-layered Hawks defence kept them at bay. It could’ve gone either way.
It was no surprise to see snow on the ground this morning, with Norfolk Square looking particularly picturesque. I hope to see some FA Cup – and AFA Senior Cup – action at the weekend to take me up to 5,233 matches.