FA Vase Semi-Final (1st leg): Whitstable Town vs. Hartpury University
In a two-legged FA Vase semi-final with games just eight days apart, Steve Sharman first heads down to the Kent coast to watch The Oystermen of Whitstable Town attempt to ‘conker’ The Acorns Hartpury University.
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It’s that time of year again, the six-to-eight-week window from March to May where almost every game feels like the proverbial (or literal) cup final, or a season-defining six-pointer. Games at this stage of the season matter; that’s not to say the games on a cold Tuesday night in November don’t matter but it’s here – as spring has sprung, as the clocks go forward and it once again becomes completely unacceptable to turn the heating on for the next six months – that the fruit of a season’s labour are borne.
And so here we are, back by the seaside at the semi-final stage, with Wembley looming large on the now not-so-distant horizon. The semi-final draw has paired our team, Whitstable Town of the Southern Counties East League, against Hartpury University of the Hellenic League, whilst in the other semi, AFC Whyteleafe of the Combined Counties League face Andover New Street of the Wessex League.
The remaining teams represent more than just their fans, their communities, and their towns. The sides are from four different leagues, and geographically, are from four different counties – Kent, Gloucestershire, Surrey, and Hampshire. It’s now or never; the battle lines are drawn, the stages are set for four sets of fans who are dreaming of Wembley, and for four groups of players who will fight it out for a place in the final of the FA Vase 2025.
Cockles, Mussels, Oysters, and Wembley?
Whitstable come into this semi-final on a red-hot run of form. The Oystermen are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions and have won 13 of these matches. The men in red have only tasted defeat once in all competitions in 2025, a 2-3 reverse at home to Hollands & Blair on the 14th January in the league.
The Southern Counties East Football League, in a remarkable display of common-sense and league-member support, have rearranged some fixtures to give Whitstable a week off in the week leading up to the first leg, to allow The Oystermen to optimise preparation. Perhaps in the ever-more crowded domestic calendar, the Premier League should take note.
In a pre-match interview for the club’s social media feeds, player-manager Jamie Coyle seems calm and composed. He feels he has prepared his side as best he can and has a plan in place for the visitors. The manager is not so naive as to share his tactical masterplan with the world wide web, instead deflecting somewhat to talk about the opposition. He expects The Acorns to be fit, tactically astute, and high on confidence – something that could be said about his own side. But he – and his team – are ready.
Students of the Game
In contrast to their historied hosts, Hartpury University FC are well and truly the new kids on the block. The Acorns were formed a mere five years ago in 2020, as the football team for Hartpury College and University and play at the Hartpury Stadium. In the 21/22 season, they won an impressive Herefordshire FA County League Premier Division and Herefordshire County Cup double, beating Hereford FC – who went into the game a whopping 91 places above them in the football pyramid – 2-1 in the final at Edgar Street.
Hartpury then moved over to the Hellenic League, securing promotion from Division One in 23/24 as champions, where they remained undefeated at home in the league all season, amassed 92 points, and scored an impressive 116 goals in just 36 league games.
The Acorns’ first season in the Hellenic Premier League has given no indication that the students are slowing down anytime soon; the university side sits top of the league coming into this two-legged tie, and indeed had a chance to win the title on the eve of the first leg without even playing! However, Roman Glass St George’s 1-0 win at Fairford Town kept the title race alive for another week at least. Hartpury come into the semi-final in a rich vein of form, having won six of the last seven and only tasting defeat once in the last 14 games.
Although they have only competed in three years of FA Vase competition, Hartpury have never failed to make it to at least the fourth round. A debut in the competition in 22/23 saw The Acorns get past Malmesbury Victoria, Clanfield, Tuffley Rovers, Mousehole, and Bovey Tracey before falling to Atherstone Town in the fourth round. In 23/24, Hartpury beat Nailsea & Twickenham and Clevedon Town before being beaten by Falmouth Town – again in the fourth round.
A run to the semi-finals, therefore, represents the best run in Hartpury’s fledgling history with the FA Vase. This season’s effort – somewhat unusually for the free-scoring Acorns – has been built on defensive solidity; the first four games were all won by the same 1-0 scoreline. Hartpury entered in the second round and beat East Cowes Victoria Athletic at home with Luke Salter getting the winner. Next to fall were Wells City, then Fareham Town, with Ben Baxter and Louis Manning scoring the respective winners.
The fifth round produced another close-fought affair at VCD Athletic, with Renato Prifti’s injury-time winner securing a fourth consecutive 1-0 win. The quarter-final saw a home tie against SCEL side Erith & Belvedere, where substitute Billy James Osborn’s second-half goal was enough to seal a 2-1 victory and fire The Acorns into the semi-finals.
This tie pits two sides against each other who are in good form and high on confidence, and are still battling for success on multiple fronts – so I expect a closely fought 180 minutes.
Mother’s Day, Traffic Jams, and One Team in Charge
Whitstable’s excellent range of cute little independent shops and my complete failure to get myself organised beforehand gives me the convenient opportunity to combine watching football with a little bit of last-minute Mother’s Day shopping, so when Saturday morning comes around, I leave home at 11:30, which should get me to Whitstable around 1 pm.
Traffic, however, has other ideas!
The M25 / A12 junction is closed, and it seems the entire automotive universe is using the A13 as a diversion, meaning a 1.5-hour journey takes almost 3.5 hours. I’m getting more stressed as the minutes tick by and my estimated arrival time creeps ever closer to kick off, but at least my crappy car stereo can pick up Radio X. Eventually I get free, cross the Dartford Bridge, dash down the M2, and get to the ground just in time for kick-off. Mother’s Day shopping will have to wait.
Luckily and a little surprisingly, there is no queue to get into the ground, and even more conveniently, there is a toilet right by the entrance. I’m relieved in more ways than one! With my stress levels back to normal, I finally take in the scene, and the Belmont Ground is absolutely rammed. I find an empty spot with an only slightly restricted view on the small grass bank on the touchline opposite the dugouts, with the main stand to my left.
The lad next to me is greeted by a guy who enthusiastically says ‘many happy returns’, but when the well-wisher moves on, the lad (who had just turned 18) and his mate confess to each other between smothered giggles that they have no idea what ‘many happy returns’ means, thinking the dude was talking about an amazon purchase or something. Amid the inter-generational confusion, whereas last time there was a party, today there is a more nervous energy around the ground. It’s almost as if the enormity of what might, what could happen has fully sunk in, and the huge crowd is holding its collective breath in nervous anticipation.
The home side line up in their customary all red strip, and it occurs to me I’ve never seen Whitstable as an away team, so I’ve never seen them in anything but red. Hartpury are in a change kit of white shirts with black and red detail, black shorts, and white socks with a black trim. It’s a mild 13 degrees with a bright blue sky – warm in the sun, but cold if you find yourself in the shade and unsheltered from the sea breeze.
Hartpury kick us off, but it’s Whitstable who force visiting keeper Stephen Sarkodie into the first save of many within 60 seconds, although the ref fails to spot the fingertip push around the post and gives a goal kick. The young-looking visitors earn a corner within two minutes amongst half-hearted Wembley-themed songs from the Oyster Boys, and there are hints this might be a tight affair.
Such suggestions are soon swept away as Whitstable take control. It’s a strong start from the hosts, and they are duly rewarded on 11 minutes when, after a bouncing ball is hooked into the box, striker Nathan Jeche holds off the defender and slots past the keeper. After a controlled opening, it’s hard to argue that the home side doesn’t deserve the lead. Whitstable are going very direct and almost double their advantage moments later when a deflected shot hits the post, and then again when another long ball causes chaos and the home side should score, but somehow the ball stays out of the net and the score remains 1-0.
Whitstable have clearly identified a quick ball through the middle to get the Hartpury centre-backs turning as a game plan, and almost reap more rewards when another through ball releases striker Ronald Sithole. Alert to the danger, the Hartpury keeper races off his line, but the home striker is first to the ball and tries an audacious lob which Sarkodie blocks with his hands a clear five yards outside the penalty area. The ref gives nothing, and the linesman – who had an almost identical view to me, so could not possibly have not seen it – bottles it, keeping his flag down, and the Whitstable faithful can’t believe it.
The home side is dominant and could do with making this count and getting a second. Hartpury don’t have a shot on target until the 24th minute and, having weathered, or perhaps merely survived, the initial storm, are slowly coming into the game. Whitstable defend in a no-nonsense, agricultural way at times, with several match balls disappearing out of the ground, and there’s a strangely flat atmosphere despite the large crowd, all waiting for something to happen. Several stoppages break up the flow of the game, so we drift into half-time with the score at 1-0; Whitstable will be disappointed not to be further ahead, and although Hartpury will be disappointed with their performance, The Acorns will be relieved to be just a single goal behind.
More of the Same
The second half continues in the same vein; Whitstable carve a good opening early on and there’s a danger of this becoming the Stephen Sarkodie show as the Hartpury keeper makes a string of fine saves. The atmosphere is still somewhat subdued, a lot of chitter-chatter with a game of football going on in the background.
Around the hour mark, the home side have some half-hearted shouts for a penalty waved away, but minutes later centre-back Finn O’Mara connects with an inswinging corner and plants his header firmly past Sarkodie to give Whitstable a 2-0 lead. The Oystermen are entirely dominant now, and this last 15 feels massive in the wider context of the tie. Whitstable can sense blood and know they can get halfway through the door to Wembley, and Hartpury need to find something, some way, to limit the damage.
There’s time for one more big chance to make it three, but substitute Robbie Rees can’t find the target with his header, and in front of a record-breaking crowd of 2,905, it ends 2-0.
Matchday Gallery
Final Whistle, but Only Half-Time
So at half-time in the tie, it’s advantage Whitstable. After the final whistle, there is excitement around the ground, but it’s tempered excitement.
It seems a little unusual to say after a 2-0 win, but I can’t help but feel Whitstable might be a little disappointed. The Oystermen were a class above their opponents today; the home side was very strong, very organised, and just very competent. They clearly had a defined game plan, stuck to it, and came out worthy winners. The dominant nature of the performance had Hartpury frozen like rabbits in headlights, so the home side may be disappointed to be only two goals to the good. This tie could be as good as over – and if it wasn’t for an excellent display from Hartpury keeper Stephen Sarkodie, Whitstable would be out of sight.
As it stands, at 2-0 – as the cliche goes, the most dangerous of leads – Hartpury are still in this. An early goal in the second leg could set Whitstable’s nerves jangling, and then there will be all to play for. That said, apart from one early effort, I don’t remember the visitors having a shot on target today, so it will take a significant turnaround from Hartpury to stage a rousing comeback to deny Whitstable a place in the final.
But this is football, and anything can happen.
Bring on the second leg!!
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