All The Way to Wembley - Part Two

Last time we saw how North End cruised through the first three rounds. However, tougher tests awaited...

Part Two – From Biddulph to Bitton.

Having disposed of Sporting Khalsa, Calverton Miners Welfare and, gloriously, local rivals New Mills in the 2008-09 FA Vase, Glossop North End had been rewarded with a home draw vs Biddulph Victoria.

There was some history between the clubs, Glossop having been Biddulph’s first victory of the season when they knocked them out of the Vase in 2006-07. Revenge was sweet though, as Hodges, Nick Allen and two Martin Parker goals saw The Hillmen cruise to a 4-0 win. The game was most notable for the record of Biddulph midfielder Chris Boast who, having been sent off in the previous two rounds, managed to get himself dismissed again! An unwanted Vase record I’d wager.

It had been nine years since North End had got through to the 3rd round of the competition, so Glossop were heading into almost uncharted waters, but the importance of a football match was put into sharp perspective before the game when news of the death of Steve Young’s father came through. Steve, and his son, Glossop’s captain Dave, were devastated, and quite rightly rushed away to be with their family.

It was a testing game for the Hillmen and their character, especially after brushing aside every team they had played thus far, and Winterton took the lead in the 9th minute, but Darren Hamilton equalised on 22 minutes to give the side impetus. Rick Bailey in particular was on a mission to find the net with numerous shots on goal, and it was he who got the winner on 63 minutes when linking up with David Morris and driving home from the edge of the area.

It was an emotional day for the Glossop team and whilst it might be trite to say that the team had done it for their manager, Steve Young’s father was certainly in people’s thoughts on the day and for the rest of the run.

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It was another home draw in round 4, the furthest North End had ever been in the Vase previously, and the visitors were Corby’s Stewarts and Lloyds. Word was getting around as nearly 400 turned up to the match, many having brought inflatable friends and an intention to sing their team to victory – this game saw the debut of the ‘car of fun’ and the introduction of ‘The Trenches’. Dave Hodges was the hero as he scored in the first and last minutes of the game to seal a 2-1 win.

The victory should have been much more comfortable as Glossop wasted chance after chance after the glorious start they had been given. Stewarts and Lloyds equalised with their only real shot of the game in the 64th minute before the onslaught continued and more chances were wasted.

When the goal finally came, in the second minute of injury time, given his scoring record it perhaps wasn’t a surprise that Hodges notched it...but from a corner with his head? No-one would have predicted that! Not that they cared, they were too busy jumping up and down before a party in the clubhouse with the S&L fans ensued. The visitors left a great impression, and GNE would love to meet them again someday.

The furthest GNE had travelled on the run so far had been Nottingham, but the last 16 draw threw up a difficult trip to Bitton, a small village outside Bristol. Plans were made, coaches were booked and Matt Murray even delayed from moving to Australia so that he could play in the tie...only for heavy snowfall to see it called off on the Friday. On my way home from work I decided to call into The Friendship to pass on the news, only to find the chairman, the manager, his assistant, the captain and the centre forward all enjoying a beer. I was just a touch late with the headline.

Steve Young always cites the moment that the team bus arrived at Bitton a week later as his favourite point of the run. By co-incidence the squad arrived about two minutes after two coach-loads of Glossop fans outside the ground. The crowd parted like the red sea to allow the bus through, cheering and singing at the team all the way to the dressing room.

North End took a magnificent support to Gloucestershire that day, probably half of the 443 crowd, and they, along with the promise of a home draw in the next round, spurred the Hillmen on. However, it was an attritional game.

The weather had made the pitch incredibly difficult to play on, probably unplayable for a league game, and had so much sand on it players said they felt they were running downwards rather than forward and this didn’t suit the Hillmen’s energetic style of play. In addition, they had early adversity to counter when an iffy penalty was awarded for the home side.

Marc Cherry took it but Ash Gotham got down to his right to save. Cherry had another bite, but Gotham saved again and a follow up header looped millimetres over the bar. Glossop took the lead just before half time when Hodges ran onto a cross-field Dave Young pass and blasted it past the keeper.

In the second half, further scares followed, including a header that hit the bar with a follow-up cleared off the line by Yates, before Morris sealed it in the 71st minute, bursting from midfield to latch onto Parker’s pass.

It meant a home game with Marske United was on the cards, but that was for a month’s time. At that moment the celebrations were in full swing in the Bitton clubhouse, to be continued four hours later when they arrived back in Derbyshire.

Next time – Cup fever grips the town as the biggest crowds anyone can remember at Surrey Street cheer The Hillmen onto the final.