The Road to Wembley Part 2: Aveley FC v AFC Hornchurch FC: FA Cup Preliminary Round: Friday 19 August 2016

So, the second round of the FA  Cup competition takes place this weekend, or as the FA logically call it the preliminary round. Instead of calling the rounds of this cup competition rounds 1- 12, followed by the semi-final and final, the FA decide in their wisdom to call the rounds as follows

1. Extra Preliminary Round
2. Preliminary Round
3. 1st Qualifying Round
4. 2nd Qualifying Round
5. 3rd Qualifying Round
6. 4th Qualifying Round
7. 1st Round
8. 2nd Round
9. 3rd Round 
10. 4th Round
11. 5th Round
12. 6th Round
13. Semi-Final
14. Final

It would make far more sense to call the rounds exactly what they are with the League 1 and League 2 clubs entering at the 7th Round and Premiership and Championship Clubs entering at the 9th Round. This would show that football is one big family and show that the FA value clubs at all levels of the game. However as we football fans know the FA care not one jot for non league football. This was made very clear last year when the FA scheduled an England game to clash with the finals of the FA Vase and FA Trophies. 

If this was not bad enough, the FA then drew the 1st qualifying round draw last Monday, i.e. 5 days before the first of the Preliminary Round ties had taken place.Why? The only answer I can see is the FA seem to like devaluing its cup competition or they have no regard for non league clubs at all. They wouldn't draw the  11th round of the competition before the 10th round was scheduled to take place.

Anyway, tonight, Aveley were at home to AFC Hornchurch. Why? Well, Aveley ground share with Grays Athletic. Aveley are the landlords, but Grays are in the higher division. It is an FA rule that the club in the higher division must have priority when there are fixture clashes. This on the face of it makes sense. However, tomorrow Grays Athletic are at home in a Rymans League game. The FA rule that Grays should have priority in a league game over a game in their own competition. This again acts to devalue the competition in my opinion.

Almost exactly a year ago, Aveley hosted AFC Hornchurch FC in a Rymans League game on a Friday night. It was an experiment to see if they would get bigger crowds playing on a Friday night rather  than playing on a Saturday. The logic being there would be less competition and neutrals would be attracted to the game. That game drew a crowd of around 250 which was more than double Aveley's normal home gate. The experiment was not repeated, but I am not sure why not.

Tonight, being an FA Cup tie and there being no other local football on, I was expecting another big crowd, The attendance tonight was 171, a considerable drop on the league game last season. Why the drop? I am not sure whether it was a lack of publicity of the Friday night game or the fact there was a Premiership game live on TV tonight. I hope its not the latter as this would be another nail in the coffin of struggling non league clubs.

This is supposed to be the last season at Millfield for Aveley (and Grays) as they are moving to a new purpose built ground elsewhere in the village. You may recall last season that I had chronicled the decline in the ground, especially after the storm destroyed a lot of fence panels. The fact that the ground only had a short time left meant that repairs were limited. I therefore expected to find the ground even more rundown than before.

The first thing I noticed was the clubhouse sign. As it was at the end of last season, it is suggesting Aveley are in the Diadora League. The Rymans League sign having come down in the storm and never been replaced.

This ground has traditional turnstiles, and a wonderful main stand. It will be a shame to lose these when the ground goes. You can see photographs of the main stand in my previous reports on this ground. Three sides of the ground consist of a couple of steps of terracing and to be fair few people use them. Most people remain on the other side which consists of a big terrace and the large main stand with its blue and white wooden seats.

There was a large turnout of ground hoppers tonight. For some it was the first time  they had seen others this season and a chance to exchange recent experiences and a chance to discuss where to go in forthcoming weeks.

The pitch itself looked in better condition than last season, although it looked very dry. It did not appear to be as uneven as in the past, but that may just be my perception.

The one noticeable thing when the teams came out was the assistant referee on the near side of the ground was female! Its still relatively rare to have female officials. They are getting accepted by the crowd and I have to say that I never heard any sexist comments about her or her decision making

The game itself was lively, but still goalless at half time. Aveley had started the brighter, but Hornchurch probably had the better of the latter part of the first half.

The second half continued on where the first half ended, with Hornchurch having the better of the exchanges. Just when it was looking like the game would be goalless, a mistake from the Aveley goalkeeper in dealing with a back pass led to  a goal for Hornchurch. That mistake cost Avely £1925 in prize money and gives a welcome financial boost to Hornchurch.

Surprisingly, given it was a cup tie, Aveley did not seem to try to an equaliser. The remainder of the game was dominated by Hornchurch, I am told that Hornchurch had 9 corners to Aveley's 1 during the game.

I have to confess to liking visiting Millfield, whether to see Aveley or Grays. The main stand and the large terracing on that side are something rarely seen at non league grounds and will be sadly missed when it is eventually replaced.

Admission £10

Programme £2

Car Parking £0

Catering - No idea, I never visited the snack bar

Crowd 171

Result: Aveley FC 0 AFC Hornchurch 1

The reward for AFC Hornchurch is an away time on 3rd September at AFC Rushden & Diamonds or Northampton Sileby Rangers. For Aveley, its  the league or the FA Trophy to look forward to. Hornchurch can continue to  dream of drawing a premiership team in a later round.

Hornchurch overall deserved their win. At least there was no drummer there.

For me, its a trip to Waltham Abbey tomorrow for another FA Cup Tie and a chance to watch Bowers & Pitsea again