Wimborne Town will get their FA Cup run underway on Saturday, travelling to Kayte Lane in ‘the UK’s biggest village’ to face Southern League Division One South side Bishops Cleeve in the First Round Qualifying.
The Mitres have started the season off in style, brushing aside last season’s play-off heartbreak, and are currently sitting top of the league with a perfect five wins from five, the last four of which were with a clean sheet. However, it’s not just at the back that the Mitres are looking impressive, with Ross Langworthy starting the season with five goals and two assists and Jack Watts notching three goals and four assists.
Bishops Cleeve embarked on a notable FA Cup run last season, beating National League South outfit Torquay United 3-0 in the Second Round Qualifying – the same round the Magpies lost 3-0 to the Gulls the previous year in front of a then-record New Cuthbury crowd of 1,852. A crowd of 1,188 packed out Kayte Lane to see goals from Langworthy (two) and Dunbar, formerly of Slimbridge, to send Cleeve through to another home tie against National South opposition, Chesham United. After a goalless in front of a crowd of 726, Chesham won the replay 4-0.
Wimborne have also started the season strong and are unbeaten in four after beating Havant and Waterlooville and Weymouth in convincing fashion, and drawing with Uxbridge and Farnham Town, to sit on eight points; just three points behind early league-leaders Sholing.
The Magpies have been pleasing on the eye in the early weeks of the season, with a notable goal threat all over the pitch; strikers Will Fletcher and Joe Smith both have two each, forwards Joe Ryan and Max Bustamante are off the mark, as well as our midfield Josh’s Carmichael and McQuoid and centre back/fox-in-the-box Billy Walker.
What of previous meetings between the sides? Before facing each other in our last pre-season fixture, a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Will Fletcher and Joe Smith, The Magpies have won seven times in our last 10 visits to Kayte Lane, with four or more goals in each of our last eight visits, and 18 (yes, 18) scored by the Magpies in our last three visits. Our last visit to the 3G of Kayte Lane was the opening fixture of our title-winning 2023/24 campaign, a 5-2 win with debuts for Sam Roberts, Billy Walker and Sam Jackson. They, along with unused substitute Ben Scorey, are the only survivors in Tim’s squad two seasons later.
This game, no doubt, will be a tough task against an in-form team, but with both teams making a good start to the season, this has all the ingredients to be a cup cracker! For Bishops Cleeve it will be a chance to repeat the feats of last season, for the Magpies it is a different First Round Qualifying tie, having travelled to the same opposition, Tiverton Town, in each of the previous two seasons (0-1 and 0-3 Magpie wins, respectively).
The Magpies will be hoping for a spot in the next round of the FA Cup, and facing tough opposition in Bishops Cleeve away from home should make this a great watch – so come along and support the black and white army on their FA Cup run this season!
Stadium Address: Kayte Lane, Southam, Gloucs GL52 3PD c.125m
Weather Forecast: 21▫C, 70% chance of precipitation.
Admission: £10 adults, £5 concessions, 14–17-year old’s £3, Under 14’s free.
Prize Money: winners £2,250, losers £750.
Preview by Bournemouth University sports journalism student Tom Whittick.
