FA Vase Final
Wembley Stadium, London
Admission: £25.00 (including later FA Trophy Final)
Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 20,00 (rough estimate)
I decided to pay my first visit to Non League Finals Day today, for the first time since 2016, motivated mainly by the presence of a club from Sussex.
I was tempted to go into the Littlehampton section, but ultimately I decided to go into the neutral section, possible offering the best views in the house, in the Club Wembley section. As usual for Non League Finals day, a double issue programme was issued today, also covering the later FA Trophy Final.
Littlehampton Town have had a fabulous season, and will hope to leave Step 5 football behind with their last chance (hopefully, for their sake) to lift the FA Base today. They won the Southern Combination League Premier Division by four points, following 29 wins and four draws from their 38 league games, scoring a whopping 130 goals in the process. They have also the Peter Bentley (Southern Combination League) Cup and on Tuesday will be contesting the final of the Sussex RUR Cup Final. One of the more remarkable facts, considering their highly successful season and reaching the final of this competition, is that Littlehampton actually suffered a 5-0 defeat in the fourth round to Athletic Newham, but the Essex Senior League outfit were thrown out of the competition due to fielding an ineligible player - the scorer of four goals that day. Elsewhere on their run to Wembley, Littlehampton won 3-2 at home to Moneyfields (Wessex League Premier Division), 1-2 at Southern Counties East Premier outfit Deal Town, and 1-0 against Southern Counties East Premier side Sheppey United. After their reinstatement into the competition, they triumphed at home against Wessex Premier side Brockenhurst on penalties after a 3-3 draw, Northern League North Shields 1-0, before a comprehensive 4-0 win against Loughborough Students in the semi-final. So, the draws were certainly kind to Littlehampton, drawn at home five times out of seven, including all of the last three. Newport Pagnell Town had a more modest league campaign, finishing in fifth place in the United Counties League Premier Division South, following 24 wins and three draws from their 38 league games. To book their day out today, Newport Pagnell have beaten Harpenden Town (Spartan South Midlands Premier) 1-0 at home, London Colney (Spartan South Midlands Premier) 0-1 away, Leighton Town (Spartan South Midlands Premier) on penalties, Whittlesea Athletic (Eastern Counties Division One North) 0-6 away. Fakenham Town (Eastern Counties Premier) 3-1 at home, Buckland Athletic (Western League Premier Division) at home on penalties, Whitchurch Alport (Midland Premier) 1-2 away and Hamworthy United (Wessex Premier) on penalties.
On a warm and sunny afternoon, Littlehampton started quite strongly, and with three minutes on the clock Lucas Pattenden cut in from the right before firing in a powerful cross shot which went just over the bar. But slowly Newport Pagnell came back into the game and they took the lead on 18 minutes with a goal truly worthy of the greatest stage in England. A corner was half cleared to Kieran Barnes just outside the area, and he volleyed the ball, sending it flying into the top right corner beyond the keeper’s dive. That really seemed to knock Littlehampton off their stride, as their play became littered with stray passes. And their cause was not helped further in the 38th minute when their prolific striker and joint manager George Gaskin was involved in a nasty clash of heads, and after a long period of treatment, was eventually stretchered off, substituted and taken for an overnight stay in hospital. The remainder of the half, including nine minutes of added on time, passed rather uneventfully, and so the United Counties side held on to a narrow lead at the break.
Newport Pagnell would double their lead eight minutes into the second half, after Littlehampton spurned a couple of opportunities to clear in their own box, Ben Shepherd struck the ball home from a central position. And on 61 minutes, Newport Pagnell were awarded a penalty to put the outcome beyond all reasonable doubt when, following a quick break, Lewis Jenkins brought down Watkinson in the box, and Shepherd stepped up to slot home for his second of the match. That did indeed pretty much kill the game as a contest, and if anything Newport Pagnell looked the likelier to add to their tally, but three was enough to see them lift the Vase shortly after the final whistle.
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