2013 FA Vase Final
| Event | 2012–13 FA Vase | ||||||
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| Date | 4 May 2013 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
The 2013 FA Vase Final was the 44th final of the Football Association's cup competition for teams below level 8 of the English football league system. It was the 30th FA Vase Final. It was contested by Northern Football League team Spennymoor Town and Kent League team Tunbridge Wells. The match was played at Wembley Stadium in London[1] on 4 May 2013.[2]
Route to the Final
Spennymoor Town started in the first round against Bridlington Town, winning 5–1.[3] In the second round, they were drawn at home to Newcastle Benfield and winning 5–1.[4] In the third round Spennymoor played fellow Northern Football League team, Billingham Synthonia winning 2–0.[5] They were then drawn against Lordswood in the fourth round, winning 3–1.[6] In the fifth round, they played Bemerton Heath Harlequins winning 4–2. In the quarter finals, Spennymoor drew Gornal Athletic where they won 3–1.[7] In the semi-finals, Spennymoor were drawn against Guernsey. They won 3–1 in the first leg at Footes Lane in Guernsey[8] and won 1–0 in the second leg for a 4–1 win on aggregate.[9]
Tunbridge Wells started in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round, due to having reached the fifth round the previous year,[10] by defeating Hellenic League Premier Division team Wantage Town 2-0 at their Culverden Stadium.[11][12] In the third round, they were drawn away to Binfield, where they won 2–1 after extra time (aet).[13] In the fourth round, Tunbridge Wells were drawn against the FA Vase holders, Dunston UTS. After the match was postponed four times,[14] Tunbridge Wells won 1–0 at the Culverden Stadium.[15] In the fifth round, they were drawn away to Larkhall Athletic, where they won 4–3 aet[16] In the quarter finals, they played Hadleigh United. In front of a record home crowd, Tunbridge Wells won 2–0.[17] In the semi-finals, Tunbridge Wells defeated Shildon 4–3 on aggregate after a 2–0 win at the Culverden Stadium in the first leg and a 3–2 aet loss in the second leg.[18] This made Tunbridge Wells the second Kent League team to reach the FA Vase final in its history.[19]
Build up
After a meeting at Wembley Stadium the week after the semi-finals, where both teams met with The Football Association to decide the choice of dressing rooms and the kit selections,[20] tickets for the final were released on sale on 2 April 2013, with Tunbridge Wells selling over 2,600 tickets within the first 24 hours[21] comparing with an average home crowd of 138.[22]
Both teams set up shops in their respective towns. On 12 April 2013, Spennymoor Town opened a shop under Spennymoor Town Hall after the space was loaned to them by the Mayor of Spennymoor.[23] On 16 April, Tunbridge Wells opened a temporary shop in the offices of the Kent and Sussex Courier newspaper in Royal Tunbridge Wells.[24] On 27 April 2013, Tunbridge Wells opened a second temporary shop in the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre.[25]
Match Details
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Match officials
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Match rules
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References
- ↑ "Spennymoor at Wembley". ITV. 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ Outen, Sarah (2013-04-04). "Cardiff show £10m gamble can pay off while Ipswich Town stall". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Cook’s Corner - Football". Bridlington Free Press. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "SPENNYMOOR TOWN 5, NEWCASTLE BENFIELD 1. - Sky Tyne and Wear". Sky. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Spennymoor Town 2 Billingham Synthonia 0". Chronicle Live. 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "'Sparky' and 'Titch' are leading lights". Sunday Sun (archived at Highbeam). Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Spennymoor Town 3 Gornal Athletic 1". Dudley News. 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Spennymoor - here we come!". ITV Channel Television. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "BBC Sport - Guernsey FC 'pride' after FA Vase exit". BBC Sport. 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "St Ives game is as big as they come". Hunts Post. 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
- ↑ "Tunbridge Wells through in the FA Vase". This is Kent. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "'Get behind Wells'". This is Kent. 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Extra-time heartbreak for Binfield but FA Vase joy for Ascot, while Bracknell Town hit seven". Get Hampshire. 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Downer for Dunston UTS as FA Vase clash off". Chronicle Live. 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Irvine helps Tunbridge Wells knock out FA Vase holders". This is Kent. 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Toolstation League Premier Division side Larkhall Athletic lose 4–3 in extra-time to Kent Premier League outfit Tunbridge Wells in FA Vase fifth round". This is Bath. 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Hadleigh’s luck runs out in FA Vase quarter-finals". Suffolk Free Press. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Wells set for Wembley". This is Kent. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "FA Vase: Tunbridge Wells boss Martin Larkin delighted to make final". BBC Sport. 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ Young, Matthew (2013-04-04). "The day Tunbridge Wells fans will never forget as prayers are answered". This is Kent. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Vase tickets are on sale". This is Kent. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "We don't want to be in the Kent League forever, says Tunbridge Wells chairman Joe Croker". Kentish Football. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ↑ "Spennymoor footballers and fans prepare for final". The Northern Echo. 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ↑ "Tunbridge Wells open new club shop for Wembley FA Vase final". This is Kent. 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ↑ "FA Vase finalists Tunbridge Wells open shop for fans". BBC News. 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-04-30.