FA Vase Qualifying Round 2: Tunbridge Wells vs Glebe
After Glebe secured a hard-fought victory in the Brighton suburbs to see off Mile Oak, Steve Sharman is now following the men from Chislehurst in the FA Vase. The next qualifying round takes him deeper into Kent, where Glebe attempt to take another step towards Wembley, this time against Tunbridge Wells.
All photographs in this article are the property and copyright of Sasha Hartman.
Some might say they all lead to Rome, others may claim they lead to nowhere, to hell, or to ruin or glory. Some may be long and winding, however, the only road that we are interested in – the only road that ultimately matters in the FA Vase – is the road to Wembley.
Our first step in this year’s Vase took us to Sussex, where we began this journey with Mile Oak. The team from Brighton fought valiantly but were eventually overcome by their opposition from a step higher – and thus, we continue this journey following Glebe FC, and cross the border from Sussex into Kent.
Punching Upwards: Glebe
Based in Chislehurst and playing their football in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division, Glebe – established as the Glebe Globetrotters in 1995 – was initially founded as a youth football club, by the current club chairperson, Rocky McMillan and partner Grace McMillan, as an under 8’s team with just fourteen players.
The club spent their first eighteen years developing the youth set-up before establishing a senior men’s side in 2013 and joining the Kent Invicta League. Glebe then merged into the Southern Counties East League, winning the Division One title in the 2016/17 season to secure promotion to the SCEL Premier League.
The club faces competition for resources at all club levels – players, sponsors and, most of all, supporters. They usually expect between 70 and 100 fans at each home game, generating gate receipts that would struggle to create the revenue to compete at the next step up. This is, in part, due to the closeness of teams in this area of Kent. Recent football league debutants Bromley, National League South side Welling United, Cray Wanderers of the Isthmian Premier League, and fellow SCEL Premier side Holmesdale are all a stone’s throw from Foxbury Avenue.
Glebe had a somewhat tumultuous season last time out. The men in red spent much of the campaign either near or at the top of the table – something of an overachievement for a club of their size. However, with just a handful of games in the season remaining, and following a disagreement with those in power at the club, manager Craig Nelson and his team left their positions, leaving Glebe to stumble, rather than sprint towards the finish line. Glebe did hold on to make the play-offs but eventually succumbed to Erith Town in the semi-finals.
The departure of the management team and the subsequent turnover in players mean that this season may be one of consolidation for Glebe, with sights set on laying a solid foundation (and a new 3G pitch) to allow the club to push on next season – something a run in the Vase would benefit enormously.
Glebe have had a mixed bag of results since their FA Vase first qualifying round victory. Perhaps buoyed by victory in Sussex, Glebe won successive away league games – 3-2 at Holmesdale and 2-1 at Stansfeld. However, as the leaves change colour on the trees and floodlights are needed at the latter end of 3 pm kick-offs, Glebe have experienced a somewhat alarming dip in form. With a home defeat against VCD Athletic (2-3) followed by a narrow 1-0 away defeat at Punjab United. Another defeat, this time a 1-3 home reverse versus Larkfield & New Hythe, means the Foxes arrive at this tie on the back of three successive defeats and are perched narrowly above the relegation zone.
Interestingly, Glebe have reached the 1st Round of the Vase in four different seasons, and in those years, has never failed to progress to Round Two. The club’s best performance in the Vase is the 4th Round, which they have reached on two separate occasions. In the 2019-20 season, Glebe beat Guildford City, K Sports, Peacehaven and Telscombe, Fisher, and Newhaven before falling to a 3-0 defeat at Stowmarket Town. In the 2021-22 season, they won successive away ties at Coggeshall United, May & Baker, and Holmer Green, before beating Hanworth Villa and Beckenham Town – both at home, both on penalties. Glebe were eventually beaten 3-2 at Hamworthy United to end the Wembley dream.
Should Glebe be successful today, they will have the opportunity to extend the unbeaten 1st Round run and take further steps towards Wembley.
In the Other Corner: Tunbridge Wells
For this season’s FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round – and for the second time this season – Glebe make the short trip down the A21 to take on fellow Southern Counties East League Premier Division side Tunbridge Wells. The clubs met in the league earlier this season, sharing four goals in a 2-2 draw, where the home side rescued a point with a late, late equaliser. The draw that day was Glebe’s first league point of the season, so perhaps a good omen for the Vase game.
Tunbridge Wells is an affluent town; from the elegant Mount Ephraim allowing panoramic views across the town, to London Road sweeping busily across the common down past the old High Street and the picturesque Pantiles, it is also a town full of history.
From the moment Lord Dudley North – the 3rd Baron North – discovered the mineral-rich spring waters in 1606, the resulting town was destined for regal recognition. The esteemed gentry soon travelled from across the country to sample the waters, thought to cure a host of ills including infertility, hangovers, and even obesity. The springs – named Chalybeate Springs, meaning ‘iron-rich’ – were visited by a succession of Royals, including Queen Mary, King Charles II, King James, Queen Anne, and Queen Victoria. An ever-growing settlement around the spring became a town, and this town – Tunbridge Wells – was granted the prestigious royal title by King Edward VII, in 1909.
Away from the town’s rich history, Tunbridge Wells is also a great place for an away day. It is easily accessible by road from the A21 or A26 and is only around forty-five minutes on the train from London Bridge, with a town-centre train station. Starting at the top of the town and heading in an almost perfectly straight downhill run, Tunbridge Wells is also a brilliant town for a pub crawl!
In contrast to Glebe’s relatively short and recent past, Tunbridge Wells FC has a long and somewhat complicated history. Originally formed in 1886 as an amateur side, the original Tunbridge Wells FC folded around the time of World War I. Also born in the early 1900s were Tunbridge Wells Rangers, who continued until the onset of World War II. Post-war, the original club reformed as Tunbridge Wells FC, before adopting United into the name for a brief time in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, the club took on the name of the now-defunct Tunbridge Wells Rangers, before folding in the mid-60s and reforming as the Tunbridge Wells FC we know today.
The Wells have enjoyed some significant success in the FA Vase, reaching the final in the 2012-13 season. Entering in the second round, the Wells beat Wantage Town, Binfield, Dunston UTS, Larkhall Athletic, and Hadleigh United before Shildon were beaten 4-3 on aggregate in the two-legged semi-final. Alas, the final was a step too far, as Wells were beaten 2-1 by Spennymoor Town.
Despite the long history of the club and the recent trip to Wembley, there is a feeling that the football club takes something of a backseat in sporting priority. Tunbridge Wells is an affluent commuter town – a place full of doctors, lawyers, and architects, as the song from the South Stand Choir goes. Accordingly, the town appears to favour the more middle-class sports.
The renowned grammar school, Skinners, is well connected with the town’s rugby club and has educated international rugby and cricket players. The Nevill Cricket Ground, for a few weeks in the year – when the rhododendrons that circle the boundary are in full bloom – is one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world.
Time for a Knockout
As if to emphasise the second-rate standing of a traditionally working-class sport, the football ground hides almost apologetically behind the expensive, large old Georgian houses. The entrance to the leafy driveway that leads down to the modest, unsurfaced car park is easy to miss.
Once we spot the entrance, it’s easy to find somewhere to park in the car park. There is also plenty of street parking available around the ground. Despite it being mid-September the sun burns bright in the clear blue sky, in stark contrast to the red and white of the Culverden Stadium. The ground has seen better days – in part due to circumstances beyond the club’s control – and the pitch slopes noticeably from one end to the other.
Tunbridge Wells line up all in red, whilst Glebe take to the field in sky blue shirts and shorts and white socks. The opening exchanges are fairly dull, and the first good chance falls to the Wells around fifteen minutes in. The home side starts to take over and hit the bar in the 37th minute before another chance is acrobatically fired just over the top. There’s a flurry of handbags just before half-time and the break seems to come at a good time for Glebe.
The second half continues in the same vein, with Wells on top. The pressure eventually tells in the 65th minute when forward Regan Corke breaks clear of the Glebe defence and slots the home side ahead. It starts to become clear that this game means a lot to the players, as goalkeeper George Bentley celebrates with the fans behind the goal, getting soaked in beer in the process.
The goal wakes up both the South Stand Choir – who run through a rendition of ‘We Are Royal’, to the tune of Rod Stewart’s ‘We Are Sailing’ – and the Glebe players and leads to a much feistier last twenty minutes.
For the first time in the game, the visitors put the home side under pressure and it’s a welcome relief to the Wells faithful when an injury-time mix-up between the Glebe keeper and defender allows Corke to seal the victory with his second of the afternoon. The home ‘keeper is in the crowd again, delighting those clad in red and white with exaggerated fist-pumping and an impassioned cry of ‘up the f*cking Wells’.
Tunbridge Wells v Glebe – Gallery
The Next Round
And so, in the September sunshine, Glebe’s Wembley dreams are ended for another year, and our focus moves to Tunbridge Wells. It’s clear from the home supporters around us that even though football may not be the number one sporting priority in the town, the club and supporters have a special relationship with the FA Vase.
Following the victory against Glebe, Wells have been drawn at home again in the next round, the First Round Proper – this time against Southern Combination Premier Division side Pagham. The side from West Sussex sits in the bottom half of the league but will no doubt provide Tunbridge Wells with another stiff test, as the Road to Wembley continues.
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