FA Trophy milestone

Sunday will be the start (and hopefully not the end) of our FIFTHIETH campaign in the FA Trophy.

This must be celebrated. I've already emailed Bob demanding he organises a reunion dinner. Auction off shirts from the 6-1 at Sutton, try and track down those animals that threw eggs at our coach at Staines, relive those penalties at Ferriby again.

Went too far with the last one. Only seen Pratt and Stearn's efforts once since then and still get flashbacks of Ben Adelsbury dragging that shot wide in the dying seconds, felt like everything went in slo-motion.

It is staggering how much misfortune we've had in this competition. I've calculated nineteen eliminations from clubs at a lower level. I doubt many have competed in all fifty seasons of the trophy, and I doubt many have endured as much mediocrity as we have. Barring the 2015 run I have barely any positive memories from it. Probably helped that we didn't face a single lower division side along the way. I think we'll win on Sunday, I'd quite like to see us face a side from the league above at some point, just see how we compare nowadays.

I don't know why but you've made me nervous about Sunday when I wasn't before.

stillmanjunior wrote: Barring the 2015 run I have barely any positive memories from it.

Same here! My positives...

93/94 - Round 1 - 2 great games v Yeovil. 3-3 down there with Coles giving a legendary impersonation of a keeper, 4-0 in replay with Adcock dinking the ball over Coles to really rub it in.

95/96 - Round 1 replay - the great comeback down at Yeovil with Deion making it 3-2. I think this was the match when Ricketts said to the team at ht 'don't you come back in here if you lose to this lot!'

14/15 - Round 1 - the great win at Rovers - a truly wonderful afternoon.
14/15 - QF replay - one of the best atmospheres for an evening match at TP - beat Dover 2-1 in incredibly tense match - really made up for them grabbing 2 late goals in the first game.

So of the 139 Trophy matches played in those 50 years, just 5 really stand out for me. Most of the rest has been a real anti climax with the most disappointing being the few times we've made progress in the competition...

69/70 - Round 1 - lost 4-3 at home to Barnet having led 3-0 at ht.
77/78 - 3Q - lost 7-1 at Cheltenham - this was the title winning season and we took dreadful revenge on them later in the season winning the away league fixture 6-0.
79/80 - Round 3 - lost 2-1 to Dulwich at home - fans really thought we'd get to Wembley that year.
80/81 - Round 1 - lost 4-0 at Dagenham - a really depressing day at a place we always seemed to play poorly at.
86/87 - Round 2 replay - lost 1-0 to Blyth Spartans at a bitterly cold TP
88/89 - Round 1 - lost 4-0 at Wycombe - see Dagenham comment
89/90 - QF - lost 2-0 at home to Stafford with their fans invading the pitch at the Bath end
93/94 - Round 2 - lost 6-1 at Sutton - the theatre of nightmares
04/05 - Round 3 - lost 3-0 to Canvey at TP - dispatched by a very streetwise team.
10/11 - Round 2 - lost 4-1 at Darlington in a morgue - 550 miles round trip in a mini bus.
14/15 - SF2 - North Ferriby - if ever a match summed up our history in this tournament...

Never mind, this is our year! I'm dreaming of us thrashing Torquay at a sunny Wembley in May...

North Ferriby!!

Probably the greatest sense of disappointment that I have ever experienced either playing or watching any sporting event. Indeed, it is one of the few times since reaching adulthood (and that was a long time ago) that I have felt like crying. It is certainly the closest that a team could ever come to reaching Wembley and was heartbreaking at the time (and still is).

I have to agree with Comrade though that the Dover replay was one of the best atmospheres that I have ever witnessed at Twerton Park.

Our full record over those 139 games (I thought I would get in before Stillmanjunior!) is:
W 62  D 29  L 48  F 228  A 190

Have to agree about North Ferriby - can't recall ever being so disappointed at the end of a game. We were discussing it at the weekend and apart from that agonising shot from Ben Adelsbury that seemed to take forever to roll past the post there was definitely a handball on the line right at the end, but it would have taken a very brave referee to have given it at that stage of the game. On the other hand, the win at Rovers in the 1st Round is probably the highlight of the whole competition (with the exception of the wins over Yeovil of course!).

Martin has omitted the 3rd Qualifying Round game in 1974/5 at Twerton Park against Cheltenham from his list of 'disasters'. We were 3-1 up with less than 10 minutes to go but managed to lose 4-3! I also recall losing 4-2 at Slough in the early 80s having lead 2-1 at half time and scoring two own goals late on when we looked to have forced a replay. I also hate to prove him wrong, but Dulwich beat us 3-1 not 2-1.

Hopefully we can keep the 'Wembley dream' alive for a bit longer this season by beating Horsham on Sunday.

For me Ferriby seemed inevitable as soon it went to pens. They were so strong that a draw seemed a good result. And didnt Watto fire narrowly over in extra time. Think I felt more disappointed at WSM result recently even though wasn't there.

LB wrote: I also hate to prove him wrong, but Dulwich beat us 3-1 not 2-1.

Memo to Yuffie - didn't you check that spreadsheet?!!

Kelston Koppite wrote:North Ferriby!!

Probably the greatest sense of disappointment that I have ever experienced either playing or watching any sporting event. Indeed, it is one of the few times since reaching adulthood (and that was a long time ago) that I have felt like crying.  It is certainly the closest that a team could ever come to reaching Wembley and was heartbreaking at the time (and still is).

I have to agree with Comrade though that the Dover replay was one of the best atmospheres that I have ever witnessed at Twerton Park.

Fabulous night and it was great in the Royal Oak afterwards.

Three worst exits for me:
2009 - Maidenhead United. Only because I really wasn't well, hadn't worked all week. I shouldn't have gone but was in this ridiculous consecutive run of games, which ended soon after anyway. Lost 1-0 to a late goal and think we missed a penalty beforehand. And I left my camera on the coach so actually had to watch the game with nothing to do, which was odd.

2015x2 - North Ferriby, obviously, don't need to go into that, and Bognor later in the year. Again because I was ill and stupidly dragged myself along to watch us bow out to a late penalty, which I had the 'joy' of commentating on. Still, it marked Jack Batten's debut.

Three highlights:
2017 - Margate replay. After the dud of a first game this had everything and made it worth getting back after England's cricketing collapse in Adelaide.

2014 - Bristol Rovers. I saw them the other week and they played just as poorly! We were brilliant and I managed to get one of my all-time favourite photos for our first goal.

2014 - Dover replay. At the end of the first game I don't think I've ever felt so deflated at full-time, plus I had to endure some of their primate fans really rubbing it in our faces, but it was worth it in the end. Expected a completely flat defeat, instead we were outstanding in the first half and clung on in the second. The relief at the end was something else.

I don't think I've been as nervous as I have been for those two Ferriby games. It almost felt like a relief when it was over, even though we'd lost. As soon as it went to penalties I knew that was that. Think the following game was at Basingstoke, which we also lost, but I didn't remotely care. Just felt nice being more relaxed at a match.