Hullbridge Sports v Hadley: FA Cup Match Preview

As the old proverb goes, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”.

It has been almost five months since Hadley FC took to the field in a competitive football match, in a 3-3 thriller away at St Margaretsbury. At the time, COVID-19 was an emerging threat, and few had grasped the enormity of the impact it would have on all aspects of our lives, with non-league football being no exception. Fixtures were cancelled, leagues were voided, and grounds remained locked. During the bleakest periods of lockdown, some wondered whether this enforced absence could last for years, rendering the future of many clubs unviable and non-league football in doubt.

Thankfully, as we hurtle towards the chill of Autumn, the FA Cup and the return of non-league football provide a source of light at the end of a very long and, as yet, unconquered tunnel. For my fellow Bricks and I, Hadley’s tough looking FA Cup fixture at Hullbridge Sports represents a most welcome return to watching competitive football, which is elevated by the sense of optimism that always accompanies the start of an FA Cup run.

Make no mistake, us Bricks are realistic. Hullbridge Sports, our esteemed FA Cup opponents, are the reigning Essex Senior League champions, following the voiding of last season, and they play a level above. During their title winning season, they amassed an impressive 87 league points, five ahead of Stansted who led the chasing pack, and were, by common consensus, a very good side.

Managed by Darren Manning, who guided them to that promotion, the Isthmian League North Division side would represent a stern test for any Step 5 club. Whilst the club endured a tricky last season which concluded with them lying 16th in the league before the pandemic struck, their pre-season form has been impressive, with notable victories over Bishop’s Stortford, 4-0, and Hadley’s ESL colleagues and the aforementioned, Stansted, 4-1.

The Bridge will be hoping to progress further in the FA Cup than last season, as Stanway Rovers visited Lower Road and left victorious in the Extra-Preliminary Round tie. The proceeding three seasons had seen them progress to and then knocked out at the Preliminary Round, with the club’s most successful season coming in the competition in 2015-16 when they progressed to the Second Qualifying Round.

For followers of Hadley, the FA Cup has been a score of joy in recent years. Last year, the Bricks reached the Third Qualifying Round of the competition, with Anthony Clark’s side succumbing 3-0 to Havant and Waterlooville, a club playing three divisions higher up the pyramid. This matched the club’s best performance which came in 2016/17 when, under the management of FA Cup Winner Micky Hazard, Eastbourne Borough were taken to a replay in the Third Qualifying Round. Having gone 1-0 up in the replay against the Conference South side, Hadley lost 4-1 to end a historic cup run.

Both sides will believe they can win the tie. On paper, Hullbridge Sports are firm favourites as they play a league up, and come into the game with some impressive pre-season wins under their belts. However, Hadley’s recent form in the FA Cup, which has included victories over sides higher up in the footballing pyramid, will breed a belief among the players that they can win in south Essex and progress further into the qualifying rounds of the competition.

Irrespective of what happens on the pitch, for the assembled spectators and those following from afar, this will be a welcome return to competitive football after too long an absence. And whilst it is true absence does make the heart grow fonder, so does a victory in the Extra-Preliminary Round of the FA Cup! All that is left to say is

COME ON YOU BRICKKKKSSS!

Written by Oliver Deed

View all news