'Port and Fizzers

The superfan saw three games on a summery weekend, taking him up to 5,563 all told, and two of those were in FA competitions.

I thought it would be fun to visit a new ground in The FA Vase on Saturday. I’d only vaguely heard of 'Holyport' and assumed it was on the coast somewhere. They actually play in the Hellenic League Division One East and their ground in Summerleaze (which I first read as 'Summersleaze') Village is on the outskirts of Maidenhead in Berkshire.

Maidenhead is easily accessible from Paddington by train – it only took 38 minutes – and then it was a two-mile walk along unfamiliar bits of motorway and then through fields with horses in them. The ground looks as though it’s been hacked out of the woods and, even when I was only ten yards away from it, I was crossing a little bridge over a stream and peering through the foliage.

Yes, a very rural setting for a tie in one of The FA’s flagship competitions. It was just three quid to get in, plus one for a programme, and there were 92 spectators present for Holyport’s Second Round Qualifying match with "The Fizzers" – Sandhurst Town from the Combined Counties League’s Premier Division.

Sandhurst should probably have been more than a goal up at the break, they scored direct from a free-kick in the last minute of the half, but ‘Port hit back strongly in the second period. There was a long stoppage after a clash of heads near the edge of the Sandhurst box. The home player came off worse, with what one official described as "a nasty cut" that would "need a few stitches", and an ambulance was called.

I wondered why play still hadn’t restarted a good two minutes after the stricken player had been carted off to the dressing room. Then I noticed a chap with a bucket and sponge who was mopping up the blood on the pitch. Sorry, I’m feeling a bit faint now.

Soon after that ‘Port were awarded a penalty for a clear trip on their No.9, but the ‘keeper palmed the kick onto his right-hand post and the chance of an equaliser was lost. Sandhurst went on to win 2-0 and earn themselves a home tie with Warminster Town in the next round.

This season’s FA Sunday Cup competition, the 45th in history, started at the weekend and one of the Preliminary Round ties was easy enough to get to by tube. Bedfont Sunday v Battersea Ironsides, at Bedfont Sports’ ground over the road from Hatton Cross, had a two o’clock kick-off so there was time to go to a game in the morning too.

It was the first Hayes & District Sunday League action of the season, following a five-month break, at Ealing Central Sports Ground and Perivale Residents Association lost 1-2 at home to Premier Sports before a crowd of seven. Sports netted two penalties inside six minutes and a Residents player was red-carded after the second one.