From Kent to Wembley: FA Cup 1st Round

(PIC: Stephen McCaskill)

The FA Cup starts this weekend and there are five Kent teams in the first round of this illustrious competition, the largest representation the county has had in the competition since the 1963/64 season. Once the most important competition in English football, the FA Cup has seen its stock decrease in recent years as Europe, promotion or survival has been the top priority for many clubs, but there is no danger of that happening this weekend.

The tie of the round from a Kent perspective is without a doubt the clash between League Two Gillingham and Blue Square South Dover Athletic. This Kent derby would be tasty enough but will be even more intriguing as Gills manager Andy Hessenthaler is facing the club he left in the summer along with coaching staff Ian Hendon and Nicky Southall. Dover will be bringing 2,000 fans to Priestfield who hope that their side can cause an upset and heap further pressure on the struggling Gills and their former manager.

Hythe Town are the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition and the first Kent League side to reach this stage of the competition since the 1950s. Gills boss Hessenthaler had offered Hythe as many DVDs as they wanted in order to prepare for their clash with Hereford as they seek to cause a massive upset.  With Hereford currently rock bottom of League Two, the Kent club feel that there is a genuine chance of an upset on Saturday.

Dartford also face League Two opposition in the form of Port Vale, but the team from Stoke are doing considerably better than Hythe’s opponents. Dartford haven’t been in the first round for twenty years and this will be the first time that they compete in the FA Cup at their new Princes Park.

Ebbsfleet Town won the FA Trophy in 2008 and will be hoping for similar success in the cup as they take on non-league darlings AFC Wimbledon away from home. Wimbledon pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the competitions illustrious history in 1988, defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the final but their main focus this season will be a return to the league. With Ebbsfleet relegated last season from the Blue Square Premier, they will be hoping that the cup will provide a welcome distraction.

Away from Kent, there are a number of First Round ties that capture the imagination, especially FC United v Rochdale. FC United was formed in 2005 by former Manchester United fans disillusioned with club following the Glazer’s takeover. Since then the club has been rising steadily up the non-league pyramid and qualifying for the First Round represents a real milestone in the fledgling club’s history. The contest will also be their first appearance on television as ESPN will be covering the game on Friday night. Other plum ties include Southport v Sheffield Wednesday, Corby v Luton Town and Cambridge United v Huddersfield Town.

To have this many clubs at this stage of the competition is great for Kent football and a real good news story following the problems that have affected many clubs in the last few years. For Gillingham, anything but a win would be a disaster but for the other four teams it would exceed all expectations. Hopefully the weekend will end with four teams in the Second Round and challenge the statisticians to find out the last time that happened.

The Joys of Local Radio

As a seasoned listener to Radio 5 Live, I am well acquanited with sports commentaries on the radio. However, except for a podcast or two, this particular radio statation has some what of a monopoly in what I listen to in terms of sports radio. Sport on five is a fantastic programme, as are the commentaries that are offered. 6-0-6 is probably past its sell by date in terms of its concept as the programme is lucky to attract perhaps one intelligent caller a programme, if that (The peak of such idiocy was achieved a few weeks back when one caller, a United fan, suggested that Wayne Rooney wasn't the standard expected of a Manchester United player). The World Football phone in on Saturday mornings as part of the "Up All Night" programme is far superior and the podcast is one of the best out there. All of this content is great, but it tends to focus on the more mainstream issues, and to be honest, there isn't enough sport on the station. I'm not a huge fan of Talksport, so what was I to do to satisfy my insatiable desire for sports radio? I put on local radio.

A lot of local radio programming is hit and miss. My home station is BBC Radio Kent, and up until recently I'd never listened to it unless to hear if the school was closed due to snow. This was changed when i clicked on a link that would give me live commentary of a Friends Provident Trophy match involving Kent. I've always been a fan of Test Match Special and the fact that they can often make certain cricket matches more entertaining than if it was on the television, but this cricket commentary was much different. It seemed to attract a much more hardcore following, and while I though such a programme would have limited appeal, I was wrong. There were people sending in questions from all over the country, and seemed very informed. Much like the World Football phone-in, this attracted a much more intelligent sports fan than 6-0-6.

As I support Manchester United, I had no reason to turn on the radio to listen to football news, and although I follow the fortunes of Gillingham, Ebbsfleet and Maidstone United, the lack of a major sports team in the county is represented by the relatively small amount of sports content on the station. As I write this, I am listening to live commentary of Ebbsfleet United v Torquay in the FA Trophy final at Wembley on BBC Radio Kent. Admittedly, there are only the Football League play-offs to offer an alternative for my sporting attention, but its entertaining and is a refreshing change from the good, but predictable, Five Live football offering on a Saturday.

The BBC website offers links to local radio commentaries when they are on, and next time you are looking for something to listen to, there are far worse alternatives than taking a punt and listening to one. The BBC, i feel does not promote local sport content enough and although it might take a while to find, it is generally interesting and worth that time. I shall be looking forward to the Kent cricket matches over the summer, although favourites such as Sport on Five and Test Match Special will still be essential listening.