FA COMPETITION DRAWS
Season 2005-06

Which Kent non-league 
club will go furthest in 
this seasons FA Cup 
competition?



Stephen McCartney, the Editor of www.kentishfootball.co.uk goes through the tie of the rounds for the early stages of this season's FA Cup, Trophy, Vase and Youth Cup.



Kent League side Sevenoaks Town make their debut in the FA Cup and Chertsey Town are the visitors to Greatness Park.  Erith & Belvedere, who were relegated from the Southern League find themselves competing in the Extra Preliminary Round - which gets underway at the same time as the Ryman League.

FA CUP EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND		SATURDAY 20 AUGUST 2005
Erith Town	v	Hassocks
Thamesmead Town	v	Abingdon United
Hythe Town	v	Raynes Park Vale
East Grinstead Town	v	VCD Athletic
Erith & Belvedere	v	Hamble ASSC
Sevenoaks Town	v	Chertsey Town

The tie that stands out for me is between Ryman League Division One rivals, Tonbridge Angels and Horsham at Longmead Stadium.    And with Gravesend & Northfleet in Nationwide Conference action (home to Cambridge United), Dartford host Dorking on the Sunday, looking to avenge for last season's cup exit.

FA CUP PRELIMINARY ROUND		SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2005
Lymington & New Milton	v	Dover Athletic
Lordswood	v	Saltdean United or Wantage T
Tonbridge Angels	v	Horsham
Ashford Town	v	Slade Green
Bashley	v	Hythe T or Raynes Park Vale
Herne Bay	v	Sevenoaks T or Chertsey T
Sittingbourne	v	Chessington & Hook United
Erith & Belv or Hamble ASSC	v	Tooting & Mitcham United
Chatham Town	v	Hungerford Town or North Leigh
East Grinstead T or VCD Athletic	v	Hastings United
Winchester City	v	Maidstone United
Whitstable Town	v	Fleet Town
Merstham	v	Ramsgate
Steyning Town	v	Cray Wanderers
BAT Sports	v	Thamesmead T or Abingdon Utd
Dartford	v	Dorking (Sunday)
Hillingdon Borough	v	Erith Town or Hassocks
Littlehampton Town	v	Tunbridge Wells
Sidley United or Pagham	v	Deal Town

Well, football is all about "Ifs and only's" so well talk about this round closer to the date, shall we?

FA CUP FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND		SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
Steyning T or Cray Wanderers	v	Kingstonian or Ringmer
Whitstable T or Fleet T	v	Thatcham T or Cove
Lordswood or Saltdean United or Wantage T	v	Lancing or Whitehawk or  AFC Totton or Milton United
Carterton or Andover or Ditcot T	v	Herne Bay or Sevenoaks T or Chertsey T
Bashley or Hythe T or Raynes Park Vale	v	Lymington & New Milton or Dover Athletic
BAT Sports or Thamesmead T or Abingdon Utd	v	Westfield or Godalming & Guildford or Dulwich Hamlet
Croydon Athletic or Redhill	v	Merstham or Ramsgate
Sidlesham or Bedfont	v	Bromley
Ashford T or Slade Green	v	Windsor & Eton
Winchester C or Maidstone Utd	v	Burnam or Farleigh Rovers or Selsey
Folkestone Invicta	v	Cobham or Egham T
Sittingbourne or Chessington & Hook Utd	v	Hillingdon Boro or Erith Town or Hassocks
Margate	v	Chichester City Utd or East Preston or Cowes Sports
Dartford or Dorking	v	Sidley United or Pagham or Deal Town
Fisher Athletic	v	Erith & Belvedere or Hamble ASSC or Tooting & Mitcham Utd
Chatham T or Hungerford Utd or North Leigh	v	Eastbourne Utd or Ash Utd or  Leatherhead
Metropolitan Police or  Bracknell T	v	Littlehampton T or  Tunbridge Wells
East Grinstead T or VCD Ath or Hastings United	v	Tonbridge Angels or Horsham

Well, the FA have given us THREE Kent derbies to choose from in the first qualifying round of this season's FA Trophy.  Which game to do I choose to attend?  We've got Dover Athletic playing Dartford at Crabble, Southern League rivals, Sittingbourne clash with Chatham Town at Bourne Park and Ryman Leaguers Ashford Town (division one) clash with Bromley (premier division), who are now managed by their former boss, George Wakeling.

FA TROPHY (Carlsberg) FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND		SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER 2005
Bashley	v	Margate
Dover Athletic	v	Dartford
Folkestone Invicta	v	Whyteleafe
Northwood	v	Ramsgate
Sittingbourne	v	Chatham Town
Tonbridge Angels	v	Cheshunt
Fisher Athletic	v	Hendon
Ashford Town	v	Bromley

Chris Kinnear will be desparate that his Margate side win at Bashley because they will be rewarded with Kent rivals Dover Athletic or Dartford coming to Hartsdown Park in October.  Jim Ward will want to win at Northwood because if the Thanet side do, they could host AFC Wimbledon (if they get past Kings' Lynn) at Southwood Stadium.  But if they do, wouldn't it be a good idea to switch the game to a Sunday so Thanet football fans can attend both matches....?

FA TROPHY (Carlsberg) SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND		SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER
Boreham Wood or Ilford	v	Ashford T or Bromley
Cray Wanderers	v	Staines T or Wivenhoe T
Folkestone Inv or Whyteleafe	v	Tooting & Mitcham Utd or Wealdstone
Sittingbourne or Chatham T	v	Hastings Utd or Corby T
Bashley or Margate	v	Dover Ath or Dartford
Tonbridge Angels or Cheshunt	v	Hampton & Richmond Boro or Newport IOW
Fisher Ath or Hendon	v	Windsor & Eton or Uxbridge
Northwood or Ramsgate	v	AFC Wimbledon or King's Lynn

No Kent derbies as the FA Vase kicks off in September...

FA VASE (Carlsberg) FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND		SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Tunbridge Wells	v	Moneyfields
Pagham	v	Hythe Town
Oakwood	v	VCD Athletic
Greenwich Borough	v	Chertsey Town
Cobham	v	Sevenoaks Town
Maidstone United	v	Cowes Sports

Kent sides have still been kept apart in the second qualifying round.....

FA VASE (Carlsberg) SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND		SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER
Cobham or Sevenoaks T	v	VT or Wick
Selsey	v	Lordswood
Slade Green	v	East Preston or Redhill
Lymington T or Sidlesham	v	Thamesmead T
Eastbourne T	v	Maidstone Utd or Cowes Sports
Gosport Borough	v	Greenwich Boro or Chertsey T
Pagham or Hythe T	v	Tunbridge Wells or Moneyfields
Saltdean United	v	Oakwood or VCD Ath
Erith T	v	Andover New Street

At last a Kent derby - but it comes in the preliminary round of the FA Youth Cup.  Herne Bay host Ashford Town.  I just wish clubs advertise these games to maximise the support.

FA YOUTH CUP (Pepsi) Preliminary Round		To be played w/c 12 September
Herne Bay	v	Ashford Town
Thamesmead Town	v	Bedfont
Carshalton Athletic	v	Erith Town

Bingo!  Ramsgate host Tonbridge Angels - who were knocked out by Leyton Orient in the first round proper last season.  Dover Athletic clash with Chatham Town and you can't get any closer than Dartford and Gravesend & Northfleet, who will clash at Stonebridge Road, and should generate a good vocal crowd.

FA YOUTH CUP (Pepsi) FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND		w/c 26 September
Aldershot Town	v	Bromley
Folkestone Invicta	v	Croydon Ath
Sevenoaks Town	v	Three Bridges
Ramsgate	v	Tonbridge Angels
Dover Athletic	v	Chatham Town
Camberley Town or  AFC Wimbledon	v	Erith & Belvedere
Whyteleafe	v	Carshalton Ath or Erith T
Dartford	v	Gravesend & Northfleet
Chipstead	v	Lewisham Borough
Herne Bay or Ashford Town	v	Peacehaven & Telscombe
Fisher Athletic	v	Maidenhead United
South Park	v	Thamesmead T or Bedfont
East Grinstead Town	v	Maidstone United

Well, we shall cross that bridge when we get there.....

FA YOUTH CUP (Pepsi) SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND		w/c 10th October
Sutton United or Chertsey T	v	Herne Bay or Ashford T or Peacehaven & Telscombe
Mile Oak or Alton T	v	Dover Ath or Chatham T
Sevenoaks T or Three Bridges	v	Worthing or Lewes
South Park or Thamesmead T or Bedfont	v	Dulwich Hamlet or  Epsom & Ewell
Chipstead or Lewisham Boro	v	Moneyfields or Godalming & Guildford or Fleet T
Saltdean Utd or Horsham	v	Dartford or Gravesend & N
AFC Newbury or Westfield or Andover	v	Aldershot T or Bromley
Basingstoke T or Molesey	v	East Grinstead T or  Maidstone Utd
Fisher Ath or Maidenhead Utd	v	Ramsgate or Tonbridge Angels
Sandhurst T or Thatcham T	v	Camberley T or AFC Wimbledon or Erith & Belvedere
Folkestone Inv or Croydon	v	Whyteleafe or Carshalton Ath or Erith T

Clubs are just one win away from the first round proper.....