Young duo Finley Barbrook and Henry Gray have been at Chelmsford City, managed by ex-Norwich City youngster Robbie Simpson, in a side that is firmly showing off their promotion credentials.

Ipswich Town are unbeaten in six matches; Gray and Barbrook are becoming some of the first names on Simpson’s teamsheet in a squad that has lost just twice in the league since December 23.

It’s an even more impressive feat for Barbrook who is making his first venture away from Portman Road for regular adult football.

Barbrook says: “I have enjoyed every minute here. I have learned a lot from being at a great club like Chelmsford City and each game has been competitive. There’s quite a big gap between us and teams like Welling but it’s still a competitive game.

“A game like tonight was only going to further my learning and I feel like I have learned a lot whilst here.”

Simpson says: “Fin has been amazing for us right from the start. He probably had his worst game against Welling but we know that as a young lad, playing week in and week out he might get those games but we have to make sure we protect him.

“That allows him to more often than not put in performances like he has been where he’s been absolutely exceptional.”

“Fin will say himself that he learns every game and that’ll be the case again tonight [against Welling],” Simpson adds. “But more importantly, I think Ipswich will be really happy with the job we’re doing in helping him develop as they’re going to have a much better player when he goes back than when he left.”

Versatile midfielder Barbrook, who skippered Town’s Under-21s, has been ahead of ex-Town man Anthony Wordsworth. Although the former Blue, now 35, showed he has certainly still got an abundance of talent with a smart finish in a 3-0 win at Eastbourne Borough.

Not sure we need to say anything apart from, @a_words_4, take a bow!

What a way to cap off a great afternoon on the coast! #ClaretsTogether pic.twitter.com/gkIkaffq11

— Chelmsford City FC (@OfficialClarets) February 18, 2024

At the time of writing the Essex outfit, 41 miles from Portman Road, Gray and Barbrook are part of a side well and truly among the promotion contenders. There are eleven points between themselves and runaway league leaders Yeovil Town, but the Clarets are two ahead of third-placed Worthing and seven ahead of fourth-placed Braintree Town.

In England’s sixth-tier only one side can win automatic promotion and the next two are guaranteed a spot in the play-off semi-finals, whilst the four teams below them must fight for a spot in the final four with a one-off eliminator fixture.

Finley, who signed a professional deal with the Tractor Boys alongside his twin brother Harry in March 2023, joined the Clarets initially in October before having it extended in January until at least March.

His and Gray’s time away from Portman Road at the Melbourne Community Stadium has now been extended until the end of the season – a transfer agreement that has certainly been pleasing for City fans.

Barbrook is capable of playing as a midfielder or in defence (Credit: Roger Robinson)

In recent fixtures, Barbrook has filled in as a defender whilst Gray, who only joined the Clarets in December, is among the league’s top five best shot-stoppers with eight clean sheets from 14 matches (57%). They have conceded the fewest amount of goals in the National League South.

“It’s the perfect place for that [my loan] to happen and it’s the place to be to continue my development,” says Barbrook. Simpson added: “He’s very much part of us and part of what we do and what we want to achieve.”

The youngster has trained on several occasions with Kieran McKenna and the first-team squad. He was also involved in pre-season friendlies during Town’s tour to Austria in the summer.

With the Blues now pushing for Premier League status, however, Barbrook is fully aware that loan moves to Chelmsford City will be crucial for players like himself and shot-stopper Gray. Whilst the Clarets might be several leagues below Town, it also offers plenty of opportunities for fellow academy players to continue their development.

“[These sorts of club connections] are always good for lads who are 18 or 19 and need a loan then this is perfect if Chelmsford agrees to it,” he says. “Henry and I both thought why not and it’s now paying off for both of us.”

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The magic of the FA Cup was truly alive and well in Suffolk as Maidstone United made history in beating the competition’s former winners Ipswich Town 2-1 at Portman Road.

Armed with tin foil cut-outs of the FA Cup, cardboard signs pledging their support to the Stones and (more bizarrely) banana outfits, it was the huge non-league travelling contingency of more than 4,000 that were victors and booked their place in Monday’s draw for the last 16.

Despite mustering 38 shots against Maidstone’s two, it was the team 99 places below Ipswich in the football pyramid that advanced.

The difference in quality between Town and George Elokobu’s National League South promotion hopefuls was clear for all to see.

Jeremy Sarmiento, whose late goal at Leicester City rescued Town a point, and Omari Hutchinson both struck the upright whilst Sone Aluko and skipper Sam Morsy also had good chances to score.

The best chance was George Edmundson’s, however, with the former Rangers central defender glancing a header wide of the post from six yards when it seemed harder for him to miss the target. But despite Kieran McKenna’s side recording 18 shots during a dominant first-half, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock first.

Town, pushing for an opener, looked to attack from a corner but the non-league outfit dealt with it well. Liam Sole’s excellent diagonal pass across the pitch then picked out Lamar Reynolds who on 43 minutes calmly chipped over Christian Walton to score his first goal for the club.

The deft finish sparked bedlam scenes among the Stones’ players and coaching staff – many of whom ran onto the pitch to celebrate – as well as their boisterous 4,472 travelling supporters.

Town started the second half in a similar fashion to the first and kept testing Lucas Covolan in the Stones’ goal. And eventually they found the back of the net courtesy of another energetic move from Sarmiento.

The tricky wideman, on-loan from Brighton, was fed the ball by Jack Taylor and drifted inside from a wide space. He shot low and hard, beating Covolan at the near post.

From there it seemed like Town would kick-on and prove their Championship status over their non-league rivals. But that certainly wasn’t what Maidstone had planned.

For all of Sarmiento and Hutchinson’s spark out-wide, their teammates in central positions regularly seemed slow on the ball and short of ideas. And so when Morsy played a weak ball straight between Sarmiento’s feet, the pressing of ex-Town youngster George Fowler allowed Reynolds to dart down the flank before letting Sam Corne, for the second round in a row, score the match-wining goal.

Blues boss Kieran McKenna said: “Anger usually comes if there was a lack of effort from the players and I didn’t think there was any of that. I didn’t think there was a lack of respect to the opponent or effort on the pitch.

“We tried lots and created lots of opportunities. Nobody tried not to take them. Their goalkeeper had a fantastic game. The first goal is something we need to learn from but it’s of course disappointing mostly for the supporters but for everyone at the club that we’ve not been able to go through.

“We’ve not gone through for a long time and have been knocked out at home to a lower-league team so of course it’s a horrible game to lose. It’s been a bad day for us but I don’t have any complaints about the players.”

Town will have felt hard done-by when Premier League referee Anthony Taylor failed to spot Paul Appiah’s hanging foot causing Edmundson to tumble inside the penalty area. The top-flight official instead brandished a yellow card to the Town man and, without the benefit of VAR, it was a decision that could not be reviewed.

But for Maidstone United this is a journey that began back in September with a 4-1 win over Steyning Town in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. The Stones will soon have played eight rounds in this year’s tournament.

To put that into perspective, if a Premier League or Championship team wins the competition then they will have only played in six rounds. Maidstone United have now won more than £350,000 in prize money

“Today was about our supporters,” boss Elokobi said afterwards. “Maidstone United is nothing without its supporters and its community. To see them turn up on this day to make it historic for our players is just incredible.

“I wanted to speak to the fans beforehand to show our gratitude to them. It was their day and not ours. Obviously we are the ones playing but they mean so much to us. We wanted them to enjoy every bit of today and we didn’t want a single bit of today to go by without taking photos and videos.

“We wanted them to enjoy this occasion because they don’t come around very often. As a football club we had some very tough times last season and I kept telling and reminding the supporters to trust the process and to believe. I knew we would be smiling again and look at us today. We’re definitely smiling.”

Ipswich Town XI: Walton, Ball (Clarke 57), Tuanzebe, Edmundson, Humphreys (Davis 57), Morsy (C), Taylor, Hutchinson (Burns 69), Aluko (Chaplin 57), Sarmiento (Buabo 69), Broadhead.

Unused Subs: Slicker, Woolfenden, Travis, Harness.

Maidstone United XI: Covolan, Hoyte (C), Fowler, Appiah, Berkeley-Agyepong (Gurung 63), Corne, Duku, Reynolds (Court,74), Kyprianou, Bone (Iandolo. 74), Sole (Greenidge 58).

Unused Subs: Ezennolim, Earle, Smith.

Attendance: 27, 763 (4,472 away)

Two goals in each half, including a second-half double from Macauley Langstaff, gave Notts County a 4-0 deserved victory.

Langstaff’s pair of goals now means that he is on a spectacular 39 for the season, just one off the National League record.

Notts County started very quickly on Saturday afternoon when a cut back from Aaron Nemane from the by-line found John Bostock who’s on target mishit cannoned off Will Smith’s head, all in the first minute.

All that early pressure by the hosts paid dividends in the eighth minute as Nemane slipped through Ruben Rodrigues down the right whose cross-cum-shot found left-wing back Adam Chicksen at the back post who fired into an empty net.

Soon after taking the lead, Notts County doubled it through a Ben Richards-Everton own goal after a corner was taken quickly with Langstaff finding space in the area and firing a shot that deflected off the defender and looped over the helpless goalkeeper.

The rest of the first period played out rather quietly except when the hosts could get Nemane on the ball down the right flank where the loanee could seemingly create chances out of nothing. After a cagey opening in the second 45, Langstaff got his customary goal in the 73^rd minute with Matt Palmer starting the move with a brilliant drive before he slipped in substitute Sam Austin down the right, who crossed to Langstaff in the centre who emphatically headed home.

Three minutes later Langstaff had his 39^th goal of the season after an impressive team move, culminating in Palmer crossing the ball across the six-yard box for Langstaff to tap home, sending the home crowd into delirium.

Although Langstaff added another two goals to his tally this season he will no doubt be disappointed to have not matched the 40-goal National League record. The striker had more than enough opportunities in a dominant second half to bring home the match ball.

With his double today, Langstaff has now scored in both games against the Irons as he notched a single strike in the reverse fixture at Glanford Park. He scored the third goal in an overwhelming 4-1 victory for the Magpies.

To say Notts County dominated the proceedings would be an understatement. The visitors did not even have a shot at goal and struggled to put at least three passes together throughout. The only thing the club had going for them today was a strong away fan following.

The 40-goal record is currently held by former Dover Athletic striker Ricky Miller who hit the milestone in the 2016/17 season. With six games to go however it doesn’t look like it will be his record for much longer.

Although in his debut season for the Magpies, it just felt as if it was a matter of time before Langstaff made it onto the scoresheet on Saturday afternoon.

In his first proper season of National League football after a successful period with National League North side Gateshead, he has more than proven that he is at home at this level.

It is easy to see why he has had such success at this level. He has old-school striking instincts and always manages to find space in the box such as his goals against Scunthorpe. This trait cannot go underestimated.

If the Magpies fail to earn promotion to League Two, then it will be a matter of time before he is snapped up by a team in the EFL who are looking to add more goals to their side.

With Jamie Vardy proving that there are chances for players to get to the top through the National League, the 26-year-old striker must harbour hopes of making it to those heights one day.

The Englishmen was originally believed to be injured for this tie after leaving England C Team duties early, but he managed to play the whole 90 minutes vs Scunthorpe.

Langstaff was called up the England C squad this month due to his on-pitch success for his club side. The England C squad aims to give recognition to English internationals playing in the lower divisions at a semi-pro level.

Langstaff’s focus however will be on getting promotion for the Magpies this season as they grapple with Hollywood-backed side Wrexham.

With a huge 94 points this season, it will be tough to digest for manager Luke Williams if his side does not gain automatic promotion as that tally of points usually guarantees first place.

With a further six ‘finals’ to go for the Magpies they will need all the help from the passionate home crowd. Today that no doubt helped the team as a 22/23 National League record attendance of 16,086 spurred them on.

If Langstaff continues his rise, then it will only be a matter of time before he starts climbing up the footballing ladder along with this impressive Notts County side.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Hednesford Town manager Danny Glover believes he can ‘100%’ save his side from relegation in the Southern League Premier Division Central as they sit bottom with 12 points from 24 games.

Glover, 33, was announced as the new boss at Keys Park on the 20th December alongside Guy Hadland as the club’s assistant manager and Garry Walker as the fitness and nutrition coach.

The bottom of the table Pitmen are winless in three league games with one win from their last six as the Staffordshire side travel to Bedford Town this weekend hunting their first league away win of the season.

Glover who took over just before Christmas has enjoyed the role so far saying: “The welcome has been really good, obviously I’m no stranger to Keys Park.

“I’ve had a lot of nice messages and conversations with people who are all happy to see me in the role.

“The first few weeks of the job have been absolutely crazy, there’s a lot of effort you have to put in.

“I’m really enjoying it though, it’s a difficult situation that I’ve been brought into. There’s a lot of things that you don’t really see until you’re in it in terms of the situation and things that are going on.

“My staff and the staff at the club are one big unit and we are working well together.”

The Pitmen have won just two league games so far this season with 16 losses. Glover, no stranger to the side, boasts many appearances for them from his spells at the club as a player as well as taking charge of the club as caretaker manager during his third spell at the club a few years ago.

Despite the mess that the club find themselves in Glover remains positive with belief he can keep the side up.

Asked if he can he said: “100%.”

Adding: “I’ve got to believe that or else I wouldn’t have taken the job. I’m here past next season anyway in my contract but I’m not really thinking about it.

“I spoke with the chairman, we aren’t going to speak about it until it’s inevitable.

“If we have a chance staying up, that’s all we are thinking about.

It’s the aim, there’s games for us to do it. We’ve just got to try and gel quickly and get an idea of what we want.

Glover was left disappointed with the sides performance against Rushall Olympic yet is encouraged by the positives signs shown since then and the progress made.

“I wasn’t happy with our performance at Rushall, I really wasn’t happy.

“Within the space of a week, we improved. It was like chalk and cheese.

“I can take the Nuneaton loss, even though we can’t have many, because there was only a couple of errors, and we were well on top of the game.

“Everyone gave me everything and, on another day, we would win that game and people would start having a bit of belief.

“We’ve just got to dig in and keep going and let’s hope we can do it.

“We’ve got to take it a game at a time, and we are all in it together, the staff and everyone around the club has got the same mentality as myself. They want to get us out of this mess that we’re in.”

This is Danny’s first official managerial appointment in his footballing career, bar the time spent as caretaker manager at the club.

The former striker and Port Vale player looks forward to hopefully success off the field too.

“I don’t want to come in as a manager and not have a successful career.

“I’ve looked at doing for a number of years, I’ve always been excited by it, and I’ve put it off for the last couple of years.

“I’ve had a couple of opportunities and kept putting it off thinking I wasn’t ready. It got to the point where I felt if I didn’t take the risk I was never going to know if I was any good, and if I could do the job.

“It came at a time when I felt I was prepared.

“There were a lot of more experienced candidates that came in for the job, but I managed to get myself to the top of the pile and get the role.

“I’ll give it my all, I can’t guarantee anything but what I will guarantee is I will give everything to keep the club in step three football.

“It’s a tough ask but I feel I’ve got the right people around me and the right advice to give it my best and a really good go.

The Pitmen announced on Tuesday the signing of Stanley Asomunga along with the departures of Adam Livingstone and Tom Hewlett.

Asomunga joins Pitmen: https://t.co/m2jdp8bpJ9

— Hednesford Town FC (@Hednesford_Town) January 3, 2023

It appears some players aren’t up to the fight at Hednesford to try and survive, and Glover insists he only wants players who are up to the task and willing to take it on, giving everything.

“The new signing has been training for a bit now, he’s impressed me since I’ve come in and I feel that he deserves an opportunity.

“I said to the lads when I first met them ‘it’s a clean slate and anybody can state a claim for the shirt. I’ll give you all an opportunity.’

“Some lads have started to take it and some haven’t so much and I’ve got to make tough decisions.

“I’m not a man that wants to keep chopping and changing but I do need players that are my players, and I am willing to work with players that are already there because there are some quality ones.

“It’s about gelling and getting the right mix that I think can win games at this level. I’ve been at this level a long time now, so I know what it takes to win a game in this league.

“It’s a difficult scenario because it’s the middle of the season and hard to attract players that you need or get players that are on a bad run of form or lost confidence motivated and confident for winning.

“With Adam, it was announced it was on his own according and that he didn’t want to be here. There was nothing I could do about that.

“I know fans will be disappointed, I was very disappointed, but I can’t have players that are not up for the fight and don’t want to fight to get us out of this situation and wear the heart on their sleeve.

“There’s no point me trying to get them to stay because I haven’t got that time at the current moment.

“He came and had a chat with me and I was really disappointed that he didn’t want to fight and try and get us out of this mess.

“We just have to keep rolling with it and giving it our best and seeing whether we can get enough points to keep us up.”

Glover’s side travel to Bedford Town this weekend who they lost 2-1 to back in August looking for a much needed three points, sitting 11 points from safety as it stands.

Bedford of 15th in the league have lost six home games so far this season which may be encouragement for Glover’s side.

The Pitmen boss who is determined to lead the side to safety hopes for maximum points saying that’s all his team will go to play for.

Asked if this is a chance to claim points he said: “Definitely.”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s at home or away, for us we haven’t won enough games, that’s a simple fact.

“We will be going there to try and win the game. I’m not going to say we are going to go and look for a point, I’ll never go somewhere with my team wanting to play that way.

“Bedford are a decent team and they’ve had some good results with big wins and tricky defeats.

“The league this year is open, anyone can beat anyone on their day. We need to start winning and get a bit of confidence and when we do, we more than match teams.

“We’ve just got to try and do that this weekend.”

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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You may well not have heard of Bamber Bridge Football Club, but let us enlighten you. A non-league football club, situated south of the River Ribble in Preston in the village of Bamber Bridge.

A small but loyal fanbase, a clubhouse which brings familiar faces together, and a stadium named after an English-footballing great, Sir Tom Finney. The Sir Tom Finney Stadium holds a maximum of 3000 people (554 seated) and Bamber Bridge play at step seven of the English football pyramid in what is the Northern Premier League Premier Division. So, what makes ‘Brig’ special? They average an estimate of around 500 people a game, they don’t have too many ‘stellar’ players who at the end of their careers venture down the football pyramid, so what makes them an interest to anyone outside of Bamber Bridge.

First off, the gaffer. A former Everton and Blackpool midfielder who also featured for England at youth level and isn’t short of achievements given what he’s done in West-Lancashire, Jamie Milligan is surely destined for a job higher up the pyramid in the future. He has multiple contacts across the EFL and given his affiliation with the likes of Blackpool and Fleetwood on the coast along with Brig’s local association with Preston North End who they play in an annual friendly each pre-season, Brig have a pick of the bunch in terms of loaning youth players with high potential.

In turn, Milligan and his contacts are a huge asset to the non-league side and whilst loanees continue to succeed at the STF Stadium, then clubs will continue to trust them with their players’ development. Then of course, the history behind the club. Being formed back in 1952, the club has moved up through the North-West counties league following a merge with other local amateur side Walton-Le-Dale, and after winning multiple honours along the way, they saw themselves maintain their place in the football pyramid. Following on from this, just short of 50 years on from their founding year, Brig made the first round of the F.A. Cup, the most famous trophy within English football heritage back in the 1999/2000 season. They even advanced through the first round after getting past St Albans but fell to a defeat in the second round at the hands of Cambridge United.

Brig in recent years have consistently pushed for a promotion to the Premier division where they have fallen short on two occasions, losing in the final stages on both occasions. Firstly in 2014, they were defeated by Ramsbottom United 3-2 which was followed up in the next season as they again lost in the final, this time to Darlington. But in 2018, success finally struck South Ribble as the Briggers’ got their desired promotion after they beat Tadcaster Albion in the semi-finals which lead to them winning 1-0 against Prescot Cables in the final. With the club now sitting at step seven of the pyramid with a remarkably low budget even for the level they’re at, are punching well above their weight. Last season, Jamie Milligan got his side challenging for the play offs in a league they only just began to settle in and they weren’t far off, achieving an impressive sixth finish and missing out on the play-offs by two points. With successful loan spells involving Blackpool duo Rob Apter (now on loan at Scunthorpe United) and Ewan Bange (now on loan at Queen of the South), Brig had enjoyed another year upsetting bigger opponents and achieving an admirable finish in the final standings.

As for this campaign, Brig have endured another fairly successful start to the campaign, sitting ninth after 18 games and just two points off the play-offs. They’ve not got some of the names on loan as they did last year, but they have recently announced the re-signing of Jamie Thomas following his release from Preston North End. Thomas joined Brig back in the summer of 2021 and took part in their annual friendly against Preston. But, after scoring two screamers against the Lilywhites, he was signed by Frankie McAvoy – Preston boss at the time, in a deal which was heavily supported by Brig gaffer Milligan. But after the move to the championship side didn’t quite become the fairy tale dream that it could’ve been, Thomas has returned to the Sir Tom Finney Stadium and will look to kickstart his season back at Brig followed an operation at the beginning of the campaign. With names like Nathan Pond also within the ranks who brings a wealth of footballing experience after a long stint with Fleetwood Town and midfielder Paul Dawson who is well-known figure around the North West non-league sides, Brig have the right mix of experience and youth to be on the verge of something special.

Should Brig manage to get to the National League North, it would be a miracle-like achievement for the club and something Jamie Milligan would surely be classing as his proudest achievement in his early days of management, and should January see more of his contacts used, there’s no reason why Brig should be written off for promotion this season. But in terms of the Lancashire side as a whole, they’re the classic non-league side that still have the traditions that are heartbreakingly disappearing more and more as modern-day football takes control. The ‘chippy’ vans, the ‘non-league Bovril’s’, hearing every word on the pitch (most of which can’t be written here). Non-league football should be celebrated more and more and a tradition which never dies, and whilst modern football is moving further and further away, there are still these types of clubs that live and die by the unwritten rules. With a well-run clubhouse, a great stand for the level and even a very respectable playing surface, Bamber Bridge are still flying the non-league flag high and are a club very much looking up. Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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The game kicked off at the slightly later than usual time of half past three to allow supporters to watch another big game taking place on Merseyside on the same afternoon.

It was a smart move from the club as the 1894 bar was packed to the rafters as fans got a double helping of football on a warm September afternoon.

Supporters soon began milling into the Marine Travel Arena and there was a large crowd in attendance as both sides looked to embark on a potentially lucrative cup run.

A close encounter between the sides was anticipated as just one point separated the pair in the league table and so it proved to be.

Djavan Pedro set his stall out early, looking to get in behind the Radcliffe defence and clattering Richard Smith to leave his mark.

It was Pedro who would have the first effort of the game as Marine started stronger. Luke Clark sent in a wonderful cross from the right only for the winger’s header to be easily saved by Thomas Stewart in the Radcliffe goal.

Stewart had started confidently, easily saving a shot from Joshua Wardle and claiming a cross from Jordan Lussey. The visitors defence will have had great confidence in their ‘keeper.

Former Liverpool youngster Jack Dunn is playing regularly at this level these days, and came the closest to opening the scoring when his brilliant free-kick sailed just over the crossbar.

Radcliffe were not quite in the realms of ‘hanging on’, but Marine were gently knocking on the door and they found the breakthrough in the 31st minute.

A free-kick was sent into the box and the ball was not dealt with by the Radcliffe defence, allowing Adams to pounce on the loose ball and knock in his first goal for Marine. It was a deserved lead for the home side.

Radcliffe improved at the beginning of the second half and finally tested Bayleigh Passant with Ben Rydel bringing out a flying save from the goalkeeper.

The game began to open up with both sides trading blows, Oliver Thornley heading over at one end while Dunn almost doubled the lead at the other.

Dunn was looking very lively and came close again in the 63rd minute, wriggling free in the box before shooting narrowly wide.

Marine began going to the corner with about ten minutes to go in order to run the clock down which was frustrating Radcliffe but substitute Hayden Campbell had other ideas.

Campbell showed wonderful vision to spread the play and find Clark in space on the right. Rather than standing and admiring his pass, the replacement charged into the box for a return ball and shifted onto his left foot to finish beyond Stewart.

There was a celebratory mood among the home fans now as they were eying up the next round.

Luca Navarro ensured a nervy ending however when he finished at the back post but Radcliffe failed to create anything else clear cut as the home defence stood strong.

Two seasons ago Marine made it to the third round proper of the cup where they hosted Premier League giants, Tottenham Hotspur. Those were, undoubtedly, unprecedented times and whilst they have a long way to go to match that, this was an important test passed after a difficult draw.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Henry Brooks and Daniel Neild scored their first competitive goals for Winchester City as the Citizens cruised into the second qualifying round of the FA Cup following a 5-1 victory at Baffins Milton Rovers.

The two substitutes combined elegantly to illustrate the two-league gulf in quality between the Citizens and the Rovers putting an end to the hosts’ best-ever FA Cup run.

First-half goals from Max Smith and Silvano Obeng gave the visitors a platform for the two youngsters to express themselves in the second half.

A goal each from the two summer signings Brooks and Neild as well as an own goal created by Brooks secured a five-goal and five-star performance for Winchester City on Friday evening.

The Citizens manager Craig Davis was understandably impressed with both players’ contributions off the bench.

Davis said:

“The subs that came on did really well, it shows the strength in-depth of the squad with lots of key players missing, I thought Brooksy and Neildy did really well when they came on.

“It was a good win especially as I can guarantee other teams in our division will slip up this weekend, the fixture had all the materials for an upset especially on a Friday night which makes it difficult, but we played some good football especially as the game wore on.”

Summer signings become substitute stars

We are delighted to announce that @Henry_Brooks7 has signed a contract with @wincityfc. ?? pic.twitter.com/ekqTneYw11

— Winchester City FC (@wincityfc) May 18, 2022

Henry Brooks was introduced in the 53rd minute and within five minutes added a third goal pouncing onto a loose pass back to the goalkeeper Roux Hardcastle and tap into the empty.

Swiftly after the goal, former Weymouth midfielder Neild was also introduced onto the pitch as the visitors turned on the style.

The 20-year-old won the U23’s Young Player of the Year and Manager’s Player of the Year last season while the Terras were in the National League, however left in search of regular first-team football to showcase his ability in the men’s game.

Congratulations to Dan Neild who was awarded both Manager’s and Player’s Player of the Year for the U23’s side. ??

These awards were sponsored by John Lee and Refrigeration Specialists Ltd. ?

Well done Dan! ?#UpTheTerras pic.twitter.com/VoUWcCtHy2

— Weymouth FC (@theterras) May 7, 2022

In his first action, the central midfielder went on a darting run down the left flank, turning three defenders inside and out,  giving the Rovers a warning of what was to follow in the final half an hour.

Neild added the crucial thrust in the middle of the park to accompany the neat passing play of the Southern League Premier South side.

Baffins Milton Rovers were bereft of ideas on how to counter the driving runs through the midfield from Neild, opting to drop deeper and deeper to protect the space left in behind.

Although, that did little to stop the 20-year-old from bursting through the Rovers’ defence for his first clear sight of goal, a deft clipped effort beyond the onrushing keeper looked destined for the bottom corner until a bobble off the surface diverted the ball onto the post.

The hosts’  low defensive line was further exposed by Brooks who stuck to the sideline making the pitch as wide as possible and stretching the defence.

It was that exact combination that led to the fourth goal.

Smith drove through the midfield as the Rovers’ defence backed off, the ball eventually found its way to the right-flank with Brooks. He had time to lift his head and pick out Neild making a late run into the box and the midfielder swept the ball home with a lovely first-time curling effort into the bottom corner from 18-yards out.

A Charlie Oakwell penalty gave Baffins Milton Rovers a consolation goal in front of the 332 fans in attendance at the PMC Stadium.

However, the goalscoring action was rounded off by his teammate Francis albeit in the wrong net.

Brooks was again left all alone on the right touchline 35-yards out from goal, before beating two players at pace to reach the byline and whip in a dangerous low cross which cannoned off the defender and into the back of the net.

Victory means Winchester City will be ball No.93 in the second qualifying round draw on Monday and the performances of Brooks and Neild will certainly give their manager Davis some dilemmas ahead of a trip to Yate Town next weekend.

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Chris Blunden netted a penalty after a goalless first half to get the visiting support dreaming, but it was just moments later the hosts levelled things up thanks to a free kick from Alfie Cerulli.

The 21-year-old has spent time at Hemel Hempstead Town and Braintree Town, as well as short spells in the Sunderland and Colchester United academy setup.

With all of this experience at a higher level, it is perhaps unsurprising it was Cerulli again as he tapped home a rebound from John Ufuah’s effort.

Oftentimes the difference between levels can be a mixture of fitness, ability and calmness in possession. In this instance, it was the latter which cost Leverstock, as a defensive miscalculation led to former Charlton Athletic striker Chris Dickson tapping home to double the cushion.

The 37-year-old rounded off an excellent second half performance with a fourth goal to seal the Blues’ spot in the hat for the next round of qualifying for the FA Cup.

Danny Brown’s side will await confirmation of their opponents as they look to reach the First Round for the first time since 2019.

Before they continue their quest for cup glory though, they will look to settle a local affair in the Isthmian League with AFC Hornchurch.

As for Leverstock, the tough tests keep coming as they travel to Bishop’s Stortford in the first round of the Hertfordshire Senior Cup.

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To many, the FA Cup fully gets going in early January when Premier League and Championship sides enter the competition but for lots of fans across the country, the road to Wembley begins many months earlier.

416 clubs got the competition underway at the beginning of August in the extra preliminary round before another 136 games took place in the preliminary round proper.

This weekend will see over 100 matches played as some of the more established sides in the lower reaches make their debut in this season’s competition.

Marine and Radcliffe will face off in the seaside town of Crosby on Saturday afternoon looking to gain bragging rights over their Northern Premier League rivals and progress to the second qualifying round.

Just a point separates the sides in the league with Radcliffe having made a marginally better start to the campaign whilst Marine are unbeaten at home so far which could bode well as their away form has not been as consistent.

Radcliffe conversely come into this game unbeaten on their travels and have taken 11 points so far since the beginning of the season.

The cup is a different beast however and Marine have some famous recent pedigree. The club reached the third round of the competition for only the second time in their history just two seasons ago where they hosted Tottenham Hotspur in front of the BBC cameras.

It was a welcome feel-good moment amidst the Covid 19 lockdowns but with the game having taken place behind closed doors, supporters will be dreaming of some more big days that they can attend in person.

Radcliffe only reached the first round proper once before and that was over 20 years ago so The Boro will be hoping to take a step closer to repeating that feat when they travel to Merseyside.

Marine will have to do without Jake Burton who has been recalled by parent club Tranmere Rovers but will look to the likes of Jack Dunn for inspiration.

Radcliffe player/manager Bobby Grant will be familiar to Football League followers for scoring 22 goals across a four year spell at Fleetwood.

It’s an unbeaten home record against a team undefeated on the road and while a replay is possible, something may have to give in what has the appearance of a close encounter on Saturday.

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Kabongo Tshimanga was on the scoresheet as Chesterfield leap-frogged opponents Barnet to go top of the National League with a 3-1 victory at the Technique Stadium.

An entertaining night of football was kickstarted just one minute into the game as Chesterfield opened the scoring courtesy of Ollie Banks.

Barnet failed to clear their lines after a Jeff King corner and the ball fell kindly to the former Barrow man who slotted home.

On 17 minutes, the away side found an equalizer, a great strike from Sean Shields.

Ben Wynter’s cross illuded the entire Spireites defence and found Shields at the back post, who took one touch inside before firing an effort past Lucas Covolan into the top-left corner.

Akwasi Asante regained the lead for the home side on 33 minutes for his third goal of the season.

Armando Dobra fizzed a cross across the face of goal, the ball was parried out by Laurie Walker but the Dutchman was there to fire in the rebound.

Barnet always looked a threat going forward and came close to equalizing once again on the stroke of half-time when Nicke Kabamba was sent through one-on-one but Lucas Covolan was out quickly to make the save.

The away side thought they’d equalized a minute later as they had the ball in the back of the net, which sent the 129 Barnet fans into pandemonium but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Barnet had their chances in the second half too as skipper Dale Gorman struck the post on 72 minutes with an effort from outside the box and when called upon, Covolan made numerous big saves in the Spireites goal.

In an end-to-end game, the Derbyshire side came close to finding a third with multiple efforts from Joe Quigley, one of which, a header which rattled the crossbar but it was the fans’ favourite who doubled their lead from the bench.

Kabongo Tshimanga was introduced into the game on 66 minutes and found the back of the net just seven minutes later, latching on the end of a Dobra through-ball and calmly sliding the ball into the bottom corner for his first goal since breaking his leg in February.

Jes Uchegbulam came off the bench to make his Chesterfield debut in the closing stages, receiving applause from the 7,094 fans in attendance as Paul Cook’s men saw out the game to pick up all three points.

Barnet certainly played their part in a cracking game of football, coming close on multiple occasions but it was the Spireites’ cutting edge that got them over the line.

Chesterfield travel to Altrincham on Monday while Barnet’s next fixture is at home to Eastleigh.

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