Outstanding 1st round results

Britannia United 6 v Highfield Social Club 0
Upshire 6 v Torrun United 1
Windmill (Yarmouth) 5 v Enfield Rangers 0
Sungate 0 v El Sol 1
Worthing Park Vale 0 v Barnes Albion 2
Sporting Bristol 5 v Kings Tamerton CA 1

Thornton United 4 Hessle Rangers 0

Debutants Thornton United from the Bradford Sunday Alliance made a great start to their Sunday Cup campaign with a 4-0 home win against Hessle Rangers from Hull.

However, despite the convincing score line, this was a very close game and going in to the last ten minutes, there was only one goal between the two sides.

Hessle nearly opened the scoring in the tenth minute, when Thornton keeper Ryan Blythe stopped a certain goal, when he outfoxed a Hessle forward in a one-on-one situation. The home side then went close when they hit the bar six minutes later.


It's kick off time! Thornton United are playing in the white shirts and black shorts.

The opening goal was scored just before half time. Thornton forward Chris Lever showed the opposition how to finish a one-on-one, as he rounded the Hessle keeper to slot home from close range.

Blythe produced another superb save (high and to his right) five minutes after the restart to deny Hessle another certain goal. Five minutes later, it was the turn of the Hessle keeper to come to his team’s rescue, when he pushed a Deroy White effort around the post (the referee and his assistant failed to spot the save and awarded a goal kick instead of a corner!).

Both sides continued to create chances but it was Thornton who scored the crucial goal in the 81st minute, when a cross from the left was expertly side-footed home on the volley to double their advantage.

The Hessle player’s heads began to drop at 2-0 down and the home side saw an opportunity to kill the game off, which they did with ruthless efficiency, as two quick goals secured a 4-0 win.

Three goals in a six minute spell late in the game did not reflect what had been an even contest for the vast majority of the 90 minutes. In fact, you could even make a case for Thornton’s goal keeper to be their man of the match, as he played a significant part in their victory.

This was the 100th time I have watched a game in the FA Sunday Cup and it was fitting that I achieved this milestone at Manningham Mills in Bradford, which was the ground where I watched my first football game, way back in March 1984.


Above is what is left of Manningham Mills stand which was built 80 years ago in preparation for an FA Amateur Cup tie against Northern Nomads. The ground is now home to Campion of the West Riding County Amateur League.

2nd Round Draw

Ties to be played on 25th November with a 1.00pm kick off:

Oyster Martyrs v St John Fisher OB

Home & Bargain v Dawdon Colliery Welfare

Thirly v Burradon & New Fordley

Hetton Lyons Cricket Club v JOB

South Bank (2006) AFC v Bolton Woods

RCA Grangetown Florists v St Sebastians

Suttonfields v Alder

Coxhoe WMC v HT Sports

Poulton Royal v Northallerton Police

Canada v Kelloe WMC

Humbledon Plains Farm Nissan v Newton Aycliffe WMC

Salisbury Athletic v Nicosia

Allerton v Paddock

Loughborough Saints v Wymeswold

Clumber v Hundred Acre

Sporting Khalsa (Sunday) v Bilsthorpe Celtic

Thornton United v Punchbowl

RHP Sports & Social v Whitwick Compass

Advance Couriers v T8's

Stanbridge & Tilsworth v Britannia United or Highfield Social Club

Club Lewsey v AC Sportsman

AC Cadoza v Seven Allstars

Comets Sports Club v Windmill (Yarmouth) or Enfield Rangers

Bedfont Sunday v Manor House

Sungate or El Sol v Upshire or Torrun United

FC Camberley v AFC Kumazi Strikers

Worthing Park Vale or Barnes Albion v Knighton Arms

CB Hounslow United (Sunday) v Dee Road Rangers or Hammer

Marquis Rangers v Lambeth All Stars

Rayners Lane (Sunday) v Belstone (Sunday)

Lebeqs Tavern Courage v The Railway Inn

Sporting Bristol or Kings Tamerton CA v All Saints

1st Round Results

RCA Grangetown Florists 2 v Sportsmans 1
Club Victoria Athletic 0 v Northallerton Police 9
Newton Aycliffe WMC 3 v Winlaton Commercial 1
Dawdon 4 v Hartlepool Athletic Rovers 1
Coxhoe WMC FC 2 v Cleator Moor FC 1
Kelloe WMC 3 Rosegale N&SA 1
Herrington CW 2 v South Bank 4
St John Fisher OB 3 v Oak Tree Pub 0
West Bowling 1 v Thirly 1 (Thirly won on penalties)
Chapeltown Fforde Grene 0 v JOB 2
Thornton United 4 v Hessle Rangers 0
Bolton Woods 2 v Drum 1
Duke of Rutland 2 v Hundred Acre 3
Wymeswold 3 v Pattesons 2
Clumber 3 v Sparta Moshdock 2
Magnet Tavern 2 v T8’s 5
New Salamis 1 Manor House 2
Bedfont Sunday 5 v Broadfields United 2
NLO 1 v CB Hounslow United 3
Worthing Park Vale v Barnes Albion – postponed, due to a waterlogged pitch
AFC Donsville 3 v Belstone 5
Comet Sports 5 v North Wembley Eagles 1
Gadeside Rangers 3 v Rayners Lane 5
Lambeth All Stars 5 v Artois United 0

Preliminary Round Review

FC Labour 0 Sportmans 6

Sportmans of the Hambleton Combination enjoyed their Sunday Cup debut, which involved a 220 mile round trip to Whitehaven, where they notched an impressive 6-0 win at Egremont & District side, FC Labour.

Sportsmans were gifted an early lead, thanks to an own goal, before Col Anderson doubled their advantage at the break. Second half goals from the  Ramsbottom’s Aaron and Andy together with a brace from Scott McNichol, clinched another away tie, against RCA Grangetown Florists.

JOB 4 v Queens Park 3

JOB from the Liverpool Business Houses league came through a thriller against Birkenhead league Sunday Cup veterans Queens Park, courtesy of goals from Mark Styles, Paul Thorpe, Ross McDowell and Jimmy Weincke.

JOB’s reward is a visit to West Yorkshire, where they will face Chapeltown Fforde Grene at Garforth Town’s ground.

Enfield Rangers 2 v London Macabbi Lions 1

Last season, a patched up Lions side were well and truly put to the sword by Falcons, where their 12-1 loss was the heaviest defeat in the first round.

This season they have ended up with the dubious honour of being the first team to exit the competition, as their defeat by Enfield was the only morning kick off in the preliminary round.

Blog Update

Regular followers of the blog will have noticed that recent updates have not been as frequent as in previous seasons. This is due to a combination of factors, the main one being that the hard-drive on my PC died in July.

A replacement was installed but a few weeks later, the computer was then infected with a virus (despite being protected with anti virus software!). Thankfully, years of research were not lost, as most of it was backed up to a disc in July 2011. Unfortunately, all work since then will have to be recreated.

Hopefully things can now return to normal and I will be updating the blog with a match report from the first round game I’ll be watching tomorrow along with the scores from the other games (please email any results you know to me at fasundaycupblog@hotmail.co.uk)