Isuzu FA Trophy Fourth Round Preview

Saturday sees the Isuzu FA Trophy reach the Fourth Round stage, and the Pitching In Southern Football League are proud that five of their clubs are still flying the flag.

Indeed, only Marske United of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, who travel to Vanarama National League North side Farsley Celtic, represent the other two Trident Leagues.

Four former winners are still in this season’s competition, and one of them, National league side FC Halifax Town, travel south to take on Premier Division South club Harrow Borough at Earlsmead.

It’s fair to say that Steve Baker’s side have reserved their best form in the Trophy as they sit just two points above the drop zone in the league.

Harrow reached the semi-finals of the Trophy back in 1982/83 but haven’t had a particularly good record since.

They were beaten 3-0 in last season’s First Round by Leiston, but you have to go back to 2004/05 for Harrow’s previous appearance at that stage, having been knocked out in qualifying rounds in between.

This season’s run began on October 8th when they edged out Isthmian League Premier Division side Corinthian-Casuals on penalties on the Third Qualifying Round after a 2-2 draw, with Billy Leonard and Kai Omoko Brosnan scoring for Boro.

Next up for Baker’s boys was a First Round home tie against league rivals Hayes & Yeading United, which they won 2-0, courtesy of goals in either half from George Moore and Montel Brown.

The Second Round produced an upset as Harrow beat National League South outfit Concord Rangers 4-2 on their own Aspect Arena patch.

George Moore was on target again with a brace, along with goals from Leonard and Brosnan.

Billy Leonard and Kai Omoko Brosnan were the heroes again in the Third Round as they came back from a goal down at half-time to win 2-1 at the Webbswood Stadium against league rivals Swindon Supermarine.

FC Halifax are currently sitting in 15th place in the National League, and their 1-0 win in the Third Round at Nethemoor against NPL Premier Division neighbours Guiseley AFC was their last success, having lost two and drawn one of their following three games heading into Saturday’s tie.

Since forming in 2008, the Shaymen boast a decent record in the Trophy and beat Grimsby Town 1-0 at Wembley in the 2015/16 final.

They were also quarter-finalists in 2012/13 and 2014/15 and were knocked out at the Fifth Round stage by Notts County last season.

Considering National League South side Bath City have competed since its inception in 1969/70, they have a pretty poor record, which will no doubt give Premier Division South club Bracknell Town a boost heading into their tie at The SB Stadium.

Bath were semi-finalists in 2014/15 when they were beaten by eventual winners North Ferriby United and reached the quarter-final in 1989/90, but apart from that, it has been a disappointment for the Twerton Park faithful.

Jerry Gill’s side are currently tenth in the table but did pull off a surprise win at home against National League side Bromley in the Third Round, 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Bracknell have overcome the disappointment of losing highly-rated manager Bobby Wilkinson, who led them to promotion from the Isthmian League South Central in style in 2021/22 before being switched by the FA to the Southern Premier Division South in the summer.

Jamie McClurg has come in to replace Wilkinson in September and has kept them up amongst the play-off pack, although they are currently just outside it in sixth but only a point behind fifth-placed Dorchester Town and with games in hand.

Bracknell reached the Second Round in 2020/21 before losing 3-2 to National League South side Havant & Waterlooville and that was their previous best in the competition until this term.

Their run to the Fourth Round has seen the Robins win 4-1 at former finalists and now Isthmian North Division outfit Canvey Island, scoring two in either half from Mickel Platt, Magnus Abisogun, Joe Grant and a Jordan Esprit penalty.

A hard-fought 3-2 win at home to struggling league rivals North Leigh followed in the First Round – that coming a week after they had hammered the Millers 6-0 in the league!

Bracknell produced an upset in the Second Round when they achieved a fine 4-2 success at Longmead against National League South side Tonbridge Angels – again with two goals in either half from Darryl Sanders, an own goal, Esprit and Grant.

And just to show it was no fluke, the Robins went on to beat Tonbridge’s league rivals Eastbourne Borough 2-1, also on their own Priory Lane patch.

It’s true to say that few pundits would have predicted that Premier Division Central club Leiston would be sitting third in the table at the turn of the year and still be in the FA Trophy!

However, under former Norwich City star Darren Eadie and Chris Wigger, the Suffolk outfit have surprised many and whilst many have waited for the bubble to burst, Leiston have ploughed on, achieving some outstanding results, such as a 7-1 hammering of Bromsgrove Rovers – away from home – a 5-1 win at Victory Road against AFC Rushden & Diamonds and they head into their Fourth Round tie at EBB Stadium against National League side Aldershot Town buoyed by last weekend’s 6-2 win at home to Basford United.

Leiston’s previous best run in the Trophy was last season when they bowed out at the Second Round stage at Isthmian Premier outfit Bishop’s Stortford, so it’s very much unchartered territory.

The run began quietly enough with a 1-0 home win over Southern Division One South side Evesham United.

The First Round gave Leiston a home derby with Isthmian North neighbours Wroxham, and only a last-gasp Joe Marsden goal saw them through 2-1.

League rivals Alvechurch were edged out by the odd goal in seven in the Second Round and the Third Round saw them handed a very tricky away tie at Isthmian Premier outfit Folkestone Invicta.

And after Finley Barnes had pulled the visitors level in the 64th minute, Leiston went on to win the penalty shoot-out 4-1.

Aldershot are currently 19th in the National League, 4 points above the drop zone, and saw off National League South side Welling United 3-0 in the Third Round.

But the Shots won’t exactly be going into the tie with a huge amount of confidence as they have lost their last four matches – indeed, their last win was that Trophy success.

Aldershot have twice reached the semi-final, firstly in 2003/04 when Hednesford Town beat them 3-1 on aggregate, and again in 2007/08 when Ebbsfleet United secured a 4-2 aggregate triumph.

The best they have done since then was a quarter-final in 2020/21 when Hereford beat them on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Another Premier Division Central club, Coalville Town, face familiar opposition in their Fourth Round tie as they head to the Plant Hire Community Stadium to take on National League North side Banbury United.

The Puritans are the reigning Premier Division Central champions and Andy Whing’s men have kept the momentum going and currently sit in eighth place, just two points off a top-seven place.

Banbury’s previous best in the competition was way back in 1973/74 when they reached the Third Round before bowing out to Dartford after a second replay.

This season, they hammered Isthmian North side Stowmarket Town 6-0 at home, with Slavi Spasov bagging a brace, and then 4-3, also at home, against Isthmian Premier visitors Bognor Regis Town in which Giorgio Rasulo found the target twice.

Adam Stevens` Coalville side’s previous best run in the Trophy came in 2013/14 when they were knocked out at the First Round stage by then-National League side Grimsby Town after a replay.

The Ravens are sitting in fifth place in the table at present but possess games in hand on all above them.

Last weekend saw them enjoy a 1-0 home win over leaders Tamworth in front of a crowd of 1,050 and they head to Hampshire with four successive wins, including a Trophy Third Round shock when they despatched National League outfit Chesterfield from the competition 3-1 on their own patch.

They started their run at the Third Qualifying Round where they eased past league rivals Ilkeston Town 4-1.

The First Round draw sent them on a long journey north to take on Northern Premier Division One East side Dunston, and thanks to a double from Ashley Chambers, won 3-1 to enter unchartered territory.

It was league rivals Hednesford Town who stood between Coalville and a place in the Third Round, and they achieved that after a 2-0 home win.

Few, though, would have predicted that 3-1 win at Chesterfield in the next round, so Banbury certainly won’t be taking it easy.

Also looking for an away win against a Step 2 side in the Fourth Round are Premier Division Central leaders Tamworth.

The Lambs head south to take on National League South side Hungerford Town.

Andy Peaks` men played in the very first season of the Trophy (1969/70) and were quarter-finalists the second year before losing to eventual winners Telford United.

However, after several years of bowing out at the early stages, Tamworth reached the 2002/03 final which was played at Aston Villa due to Wembley being re-built.

At that time, the Lambs were members of the Conference National and beat the likes of Accrington Stanley, Nuneaton Borough, Stevenage Borough, Margate, Farnborough Town and Havant & Waterlooville before becoming victims of a shock final defeat by Burscough, then in the Northern Premier League.

To reach this far, Tamworth began with a 4-0 Third Qualifying Round win at Peaks’ former club, AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

The First Round saw a 2-0 success at NPL Premier Division newcomers Liversedge, courtesy of a Dan Creaney penalty and Ty Deacon.

There was an upset in the Second Round as National League North side Boston United were beaten 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.

And the Lambs followed that up with another victory against a National League North outfit, Leamington, when Ben Milnes` 83rd-minute goal sealed a 2-1 win and a place in the last 16.

Although the tie is away from home, Tamworth will almost head to Bulpit Lane as favourites against a Hungerford Town side who are bottom of the National League South table, some seven points adrift of the safety-mark.

This is the furthest the Crusaders have progressed in the Trophy, having twice lost in the Third Round in 2013/14 and again last season.

And it hasn’t been an easy run to progress to the Fourth Round as Hungerford struggled to win 2-1 at Southern Division One South side Tavistock AFC in the Second Round and were taken to penalties by Isthmian North outfit Heybridge Swifts before going through 5-3 after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.

Good luck to all five of the Southern League clubs and let’s hope we see all of them in Monday’s draw!