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The following is taken from Football in Berkshire’s Monday(ish) newsletter – The Briefing – sign up here to receive it direct to your inbox as soon as we hit ‘send’.
At first glance, Step 3 Hungerford Town should have been a shoe-in for an FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round spot when they drew a trip to Whitstable Town of Step 5 in the Third Qualifying Round draw two weeks ago.
The casual observer may have assumed a straightforward win – and certainly this writer did, when pulling the details of that last draw together (that I also assumed a relatively straightforward win for Slough Town at Bedfont Sports perhaps tells you all you need to know, though I have learned to my cost never to underestimate Flackwell Heath – who Bracknell Town drew 1-1 with).
Whitstable Town though are the current FA Vase holders after beating AFC Whyteleafe 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in May. They’d also quite likely be a Step 4 side were it not for the Vase distraction. They ended up beaten semi-finalists in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division play-offs (don’t @ me Fisher fans).
10-man Slough’s blushes were spared at Isthmian League South Central Division One Bedfont by Josh Adepodju who scored either side of half-time after Ollie Davidson had given the home side a ninth minute lead.
Wilks Park – as most of you know – is never an easy place to go and it was Connor Young who levelled late for Flackwell after Alfie Pavey (quickly becoming a familiar name) had given the Robins a 1-0 lead. That game will now be replayed on Tuesday night at Bottom Meadow.
FA Cup: 2025/26 FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round draw for Berkshire
Windsor & Eton vs Reading City made the national press over the weekend after printing details of the planes flying overhead in and out of Heathrow Airport (we’re not linking out because, well, bugger the sun).
What the report failed to mention was the new doggy bandanas now available at the club shop on match days (they don’t appear to be in the online club shop just yet).
Jacqui Hanson ensured Windsor & Eton’s flying start to the Thames Valley Counties Women’s Football League Division 2 South continued with a 2-0 win at Beaconsfield Town.
A summer signing, Hanson is now joint top goalscorer for the Royalists as Windsor made it three wins in a row and increased their goal difference to +20 after just three games.
Caversham United meanwhile have put the pain of relegation from the Southern Region Women’s Football League behind them with two wins from two in Division One.
The Round-up: All the women’s football across Berkshire this weekend
Newbury Town didn’t let the hangover linger – a 1-0 defeat that made it a year unbeaten for Westwood Wanderers last weekend, was quickly forgotten thanks to a 3-1 win over promotion hopefuls Maidenhead Town.
Newbury are six points off leaders Westwood now after seven games – and Westwood opened up the goal difference between the sides with a 10-0 win over Finchampstead.
Wargrave, AFC Winkfield and Reading City Reserves are the other sides jostling for early positions at the top of the the table and all three won their fixtures.
In the aftermath of the tragic death of Billy Vigar, Slough Town captain Henry Ochieng wrote a heartfelt open letter: “I call on the National League and The FA to introduce and enforce immediate regulations to ensure that all stadiums provide safe perimeters around the pitch.”
I watched Bath City’s Alex Fletcher discuss his own recovery from a horrific head injury after colliding with a concrete barrier in 2022 on BBC Breakfast on Monday morning.
“This was an entirely preventable situation,” he told the show.
“Our 1st Team return to the Rec Soc will be soon,” was enough to stop this correspondent scrolling. This means one of Berkshire’s great and unique matchdays may shortly return to the non-league calendar.
If ‘watching a football match inside a nuclear weapons facility’ isn’t on your groundhopping checklist, then you need to hand over your notebook.
There’s no date on the return, but a club returning home can only be a good thing and if Wessex League AFC Aldermaston can achieve this after four years away, then we’ll be there (plus the food at the Rec Soc was always fantastic).
Paul Watson stands and looks across Double-Barrelled Brewery, he is handed an envelope. He looks confused. He speaks: “The next award, is very niche,” he says nervously, unsure if he is being set up.
He reads it out: “Best handwriting on a vertical team sheet screwed on to the side of a club house.”
Stopping himself to look at the crowd, the crowd look back. Perplexed, unsure.
He continues, “Just one nomination, the winner is Kintbury Rangers.”
In quick succession, the crowd gasps, starts to grumble “I thought the handwriting at Ascot was very neat,” mumbles one audience member, the winning photo hits the screen, the crowd rises as one, applauds, cheers of KINT-BER-Y KINT-BER-Y echo across Reading. The curtain falls, fade to black.
Well, we thought it was good..
The following is taken from Football in Berkshire’s Monday(ish) newsletter – The Briefing – sign up here to receive it direct to your inbox as soon as we hit ‘send’.
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