The FA Trophy
The FA Trophy is a Competition for teams at levels 5-8 of the English National League structure. Now in its 51st season having commenced in 1972, replacing the FA Amateur Cup (as many sides had turned professional). The Club have qualified by status to enter the competition 48 times ( between 1995-6 and 1997-8 they entered the lower ranked FA Vase).
Wealdstone FC first entered the competition in 1972, their second season as a ‘Professional’ club and their first tie resulted in a 1-0 home win in the Preliminary Round versus Waterlooville (now part of the merged Havant & Waterlooville) on 09.09.1972. Three ties later the club were eliminated in a 1-3 defeat at Banbury United on 11.11.1972.
Wealdstone have played a total of 156 FA Trophy ties, with an impressive record of 73 victories, 37 draws and 45 defeats. There has also been one abandoned tie, v Dagenham & Redbridge away on 24.10.1998. The tie was abandoned with Wealdstone losing 0-1, however the replayed match resulted in a draw before Wealdstone were defeated 0-5 at home in the replay. The club won the trophy at Wembley Stadium in 1985, beating Boston United FC 2-1 in front of a crowd of 20,775.
Of Wealdstone’s victories, two were after extra-time and the club also lost three times after extra-time in the competition. Only once has the score remained tied after extra-time (home v Cambridge City 17.10.1978, 0-0 AET).
In comparison to other FA competitions, the Trophy tends to see lower scoring games as the higher teams enter at later rounds generally lessening the gap between competing sides. Wealdstone’s record shows only ten occasions when they have scored five or six goals and only four occasions where a five-goal winning margin has been achieved. Also, Wealdstone have conceded less goals in defeat, only three times conceding five and only twice with reply.
In the 156 ties played;
| Most goals scored: |
6 – 05.12.1973 home v Boston, won 6-1 + 6 – 27.10.2012 away v Merstham, won 6-2 |
| Most goals conceded: |
5 – 09.11.1998 home v Dagenham & Redbridge, lost 0-5 + 15.01.2000 home v Kingstonian, lost 0-5 03.02.2004 away v Maidenhead United, lost 1-5 12.11.2005 away v Folkestone Invicta, lost 3-5 |
| Highest scoring draw: | 3 -3 – 05.11.2000 home v Weston-Super-Mare |
| Lowest scoring: | Seven away ties and three home ties have finished 0-0, one (home) being AET. |
| Wealdstone have failed to score in 33 + 1 abandoned FA trophy ties | |
| Wealdstone’s opponents failed to score in 43 FA Trophy ties | |
| Hat-trick(s): |
Wealdstone players have scored FA Trophy hat-tricks on nine occasions, George Duck and Richard Jolly each achieving this three times, though Duck scored 4 on two of those occasions, the second time in a 5-2 victory over Hastings United when his four goals included a hat-trick of penalties.
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| Most played opponent: | 9 matches – Harrow Borough FC |
Full Match Results can be viewed HERE
Author R Slater
[Last update: June 2020]