Cleethorpes Town vs Atherton Collieries
This Fifth Round tie sees two very dominant teams in their respective division meet. The hosts sit 10 points clear at the top of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, and find themselves at this stage for the second successive year. Their visitors currently sit joint top in the North West Counties League Premier Division with a game in hand, and are on their best run in this competition, their previous best being a Third Round appearance last year. Both sides are on course to record remarkable seasons this year, and, will be aiming to make it that little bit sweeter by getting to Wembley. Both sides are an attacking force, with incredible the season, Cleethorpes Town scoring a ridiculous 92 goals in their 27 league games this year, whereas, Atherton have scored an impressive 73 goals in their 26 league games. Both are not only a prolific attacking outfit, but are also solid defensively as both sides average only 1.07 goals conceded per game. It's not the longest travel time for Atherton, with a 2 hours 12 minute trip ahead of them tomorrow. It's going to be a battle between these two sides for sure, players on each team will no doubt give everything to make history for their respective clubs. Both sides will be well supported on the day, with a projected crowd of 500-600 expected, including an exceptional 200 expected to travel from Atherton, a fantastic number for a club at their level. No doubt these fans will witness a close game between two very good teams where a single goal is likely to make all the difference. I think the hosts' relentless attacking will end up being too much for the visitors to handle and the decisive factor in them reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.
Score Prediction - Cleethorpes Town 3:1 Atherton Collieries
Bromsgrove Sporting vs Bristol Manor Farm
This Fifth Round Tie sees two teams at the top of their respective division meet. The hosts are the only unbeaten side from Step 1-6 and currently are top of the Midland Football League Division One by just a point, but do have three games in hand on the team behind them. Their season has got even better, as they find themselves in the Fifth Round for the first time in their 8 year history. Their visitors sit top of the Western League Premier Division by 11 points and find themselves in familiar territory, as they made the quarter-finals of this competition last year, where they were beaten by eventual winners Morpeth Town. Just like the fixture above, this a meeting between two sides, who are set to record incredible seasons this year, and, a first trip to Wembley will be on the minds of all their fans. Both sides are solid in both departments, Bromsgrove Sporting have scored 65 in 21 league games, whereas Bristol Manor Farm have scored 77 in 25 league games, with both sides averaging less than a goal conceded per game. The hosts are one of four teams still flying the flag for Step 6 of non-league and will be hoping to dispatch of their higher opposition as easily as they did in the last round, where they won 4-0. Their visitors will be hoping to avoid another replay, as they were eventually won in the last round 5-3, despite being pushed all the way by Melksham Town. It's not a long trip for the visitors, who only have an hour and a half to travel, and will no doubt bring a fair few supporters with them. This will no doubt be a record attendance for the hosts who average the highest crowd in Step 6, with an an incredible average attendance of 554. I think this tie will see an attendance of over 1000, which will be incredible for the FA Vase and for these clubs. It's going to be a close game but, with the confidence that the hosts have and are playing with at this point, I can't see them not winning this.
Score Prediction - Bromsgrove Sporting 3:2 Bristol Manor Farm
Crowborough Athletic vs Coleshill Town
This Fifth Round tie continues the trend of two teams challenging for the title in their respective divisions, meeting each other in this competition. The hosts sit top of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division by just two points, and, are have matched their best run in this competition by making it this far, their last appearance at this stage was back in the 2007/08 season. Coleshill are currently in third place in the Midland Football League Premier Division, 12 points off leaders Alvechurch, however if they win their trio of games in hand, they would be right back in the title race. This is the first time the visitors have appeared in the Fifth Round, their previous best run, was their appearance in the Third Round, back in 2007/08. Again, both these sides are prolific attacking outfits, Crowborough scoring 65 in 22 league games, whereas, Coleshill have managed to find the net 70 times in 27 league games. However, the advantage for Crowborough, is their defensive record is much better than their visitors this season, having only conceded 21 in 22 league games, in comparison to Coleshill Town, who have conceded 39 in 27 league games. The visitors are one of the two sides left in the competition that are representing the Midland Football League Premier, and, it would be great exposure for this league if they had a side in the final in consecutive years, following Hereford FC's run last year which saw them finish as eventual runner-ups (A defeat that still hurts to this day). What Coleshill proved when they visited Edgar Street last year is that they can step up in big games, as they beat us 5-4. They're a very physical side, who are extremely dangerous from dead-ball situations, and have a player who can take a throw-in as good as a corner. The hosts can't afford to give away any silly fouls in dangerous areas, because they will be punished. Their best chance of beating their physical opponents is to use pace on the counterattack, and work the ball through the middle at a high tempo as their big centre-backs will fail to cope with the quick play. Crowborough recorded the biggest win in the Fourth Round, as they easily dispatched Eastbourne Town, winning 6-0. It's a long trip for the visitors, who face a 6 hour all-round trip, a long way to travel to lose. I can see this being a high scoring games, with how efficient these sides are in front of goal, however the visitors defensive vulnerabilities will end up proving to be their downfall, as them and their fans will make the 3 hour trip back to the Midlands empty handed.
Score Prediction - Crowborough Athletic 5:3 Coleshill Town
Hinckley AFC vs Buckland Athletic
The final tie of Part One does actually see two teams with a small chance of winning their respective title meet, ironically the sides leading their leagues are actually playing each other in this round (Bromsgrove Sporting vs Bristol Manor Farm). This is only the hosts third season as a club, following the dissolving of Hinckley United, and, they're currently enjoying a decent season, as they sit in 6th place in the Midland Football League Division One, although winning their four games in hand would see them climb to the top of the table (if Bromsgrove Sporting were to lose all of theirs). Their visitors are currently sat in 3rd place in the Western League Premier Division, 12 points behind the league leaders, but, they don't have the luxury of as many games in hand as Hinckley do, so their best chance of silverware, is arguably in this competition. Both these sides have massively surpassed their best performance in this competition, as, before this year, the furthest they have both managed to get is the First Round, in the 2015/16 season and 2011/12 season respectively, making the fact that one of them will be in the Quarter-Final even more impressive. Again, it's a meeting between sides who seem to score for fun, Hinckley managing an absurd 71 goals in 20 league games, compared to their guests who have managed an impressive 66 goals in 23 league outings. It's the visitors who bolster the better defensive record though, only conceding 1.08 goals per game in comparison to their hosts, who have conceded 1.4 goals per game. This game, alongside the Bromsgrove Sporting vs Bristol Manor Farm game is not only a battle of Step 6 vs Step 5, but also, a battle between the Midland Football League Division One and the Western League Premier Division, as more league exposure can mean just as much as more exposure for a team, when it comes to attracting sponsors, for example. Hinckley easily dispatched of Step 5 opposition last time out, recording a 5-0 victory against Berkhamsted, so the underdogs, will feel confident in their ability to cause the upset yet again. Buckland Athletic faced a harder task, but showed they could grind out a result away from home, as they beat Chichester City 3-1. These ties are so hard to call, because at this stage of the competition, everyone starts to sense how close they are to Wembley and it gives them that extra boost, to take their performance to the next level. I think it'll take a replay and maybe even penalties in that, to decide the winner of this one, as they're both so evenly matched. The only downside to this going to a replay will mean that both sides will have to complete the lengthy 7 hour round-trip.
Score Prediction - Hinckley AFC 2:2 Buckland Athletic
Replay Prediction - Hinckley AFC 2:2 Buckland Athletic (Either team to win 5-4 on Penalties)
Part Two of my FA Vase Fifth Round Preview will be out tomorrow at Midday and it features:
- The favourite to win the FA Vase
- The side who have to complete the longest journey of the Fifth Round (5+ Hours)
- And a meeting between two sides who are representing Step 6
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