First round proper? It certainly was. This ticked all the boxes for a proper FA Cup tie except the biggest — there was no shock. But Wealdstone were not far off at all.
The conditions had been perfect. Bobbly, sloping pitch; basic but charming ground with fans crammed tightly in. Huts for changing rooms; away end and home ends separated by lines of plastic tape. Face-painting and flags in a festive atmosphere. Ideal.
The form guide, too, was auspicious. Wealdstone, aiming for the play-offs in the Ryman League premier division, had not lost since mid-August. Rotherham United are fifth in Coca-Cola League Two, but this competition has not been kind to them: yesterday’s was their first win in the Cup since January 2002.
“Is that all you take away?” the home fans chanted, baiting the travelling support — which, being about 400, was larger than Wealdstone’s average attendance this season. A sense of humour is probably essential if you support a club who, 25 years ago, were the best outside the Football League before financial mismanagement and homelessness sent them tumbling down the pyramid and wandering northwest London in search of a home. They found one last year: the 2,000-capacity Grosvenor Vale.
It was nearly full to witness Wealdstone’s first appearance at this stage of the Cup since 1987, an excellent match with some stunning goals. Not the first one, as the part-timers’ solid start was spoilt when an attempted clearance by Sean Thomas, the goalkeeper, was charged down by Adam Le Fondre and bounced into the net.
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Definitely, the second: Kevin Ellison thumped the ball into the top corner from 25 yards. The second half was all Wealdstone. The introduction of Danny Spendlove from the substitutes’ bench transformed the match.
His direct, tricky running terrified Rotherham’s defence, but his first crucial contribution was a throw-in to Ryan Ashe, who lashed the bouncing ball low beyond Andy Warrington from a difficult angle on the edge of the box after 64 minutes.
Wealdstone’s technique, invention and spirit were impressive. After 73 minutes, Spendlove sped past two defenders only to drag his shot wide when clean through, but Drewe Broughton’s glancing header in the final ten minutes returned Rotherham’s two-goal advantage. Another superb goal from Ashe set up an eventful four minutes of stoppage time, with a block on the line denying the midfield player an equaliser.
Still, the stubborn ’Stones rolled out of the Cup. “It was a ‘nearly’,” Gordon Bartlett, Wealdstone’s manager for 15 years, said. “I’m very proud and very disappointed because of what might have been. We had them on the ropes and panicking. I couldn’t ask for any more. I hope they play as well when we play Boreham Wood on Tuesday in front of about 200 people.”
Ronnie Moore, the Rotherham manager, was relieved. “Too close for comfort,” he said. “That’s Cup football, isn’t it? Wealdstone came back and had a go. It was a real cup-tie.”
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Wealdstone (4-4-2): S Thomas — M McCoy, J Gray, A Massey, L Chappell — K Forbes, C O’Leary, R Ashe, M E’Beyer — C Mpi (sub: R Lafayette, 85min), C Ellerbeck (sub: D Spendlove, 61). Substitutes not used: R Fitzgerald, K During, J Osborne, S Beagle. Booked: Gray, O’Leary.
Rotherham United (4-4-2): A Warrington — D Tonge, I Sharps, N Fenton, A Nicholas (sub: S Brogan, 77) — N Law (sub: P Warne, 46), D Harrison, P Mills, K Ellison — A Le Fondre, D Broughton. Substitutes not used: J Taylor, T Pope, M Lynch, R Taylor, J Annerson. Booked: Nicholas, Brogan, Tonge.
Referee: A Penn. Attendance: 1,638.