Words & Pictures to Follow: Horley Town vs Hassocks

Another new ground, this time almost in sight of Gatwick Airport. What treasures can possibly await on a return trip to the Weald?

A couple of weeks ago, the thought popped into my head that perhaps I should write an exhaustive history of the FA Amateur Cup. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the FA doing away with the distinction between professionals and amateurs—and yes, yes, yes, I do understand the very clear implication of this, that this exhaustive history is an idea that I should have had at least two or three years ago—and precious little can be found about it even on the internet, these days.

Following a number of financial scandals about under the table payments to supposedly ‘amateur’ players in the 1960s, the FA became increasingly concerned of the potential for the Inland Revenue to become involved, and what the implications of that might be. How widespread was, as it had come to be known, “shamateurism”? The somewhat embarrassing answer to this question was that no-one really knew. Worse still, it was almost certainly considerably worse than even the lurid headlines that had been splashed across the back pages of the newspapers.

So in 1974, the temptation to pay players under the counter was significantly reduced by the abolition of the distinction between these two groups. Leagues could, of course, continue to insist that member clubs remained amateur if they wanted to, but that would be their decision, based on voting by those very clubs. The FA Amateur Cup, which had run since 1893 but which had also clearly fallen into decline since its heyday in the 1950s, would come to an end.

The ‘biggest’ professional and semi-professional clubs had enjoyed the benefits of the FA Trophy since 1969, and it wasn’t difficult to include the most senior amateur (or former amateur) clubs into that competition. But the FA still wanted a second tournament with a Wembley final, and so was born the FA Vase, the trophy for which is sadly not an actual vase, which certainly would have added an exciting element of jeopardy to post-final celebrations. “Careful, Steve! Don’t drop it!” The first winners, in 1975, were Hoddesdon Town. For a long time now, the top four divisions of the non-league game have played in the Trophy, while the rest have played in the Vase.

The two competitions now play their final on the same day, now, with the FA Vase acting as a peculiar curtain raiser for the FA Trophy final. And here we are, at the Second Qualifying Round stage of the 50th iteration of the competition. And even though that may feel a long way from Wembley next May, last year’s winners Romford come from the same level of the game as both of the teams taking part in this game, with Horley Town being members of the Combined Counties League Premier Division North (add the sponsors name to that and you’ve got yourself a paragraph), while Hassocks are currently top of the Southern Combination Football League Premier Division.

The first record of Horley as a settlement can be traced back to the end of the 12th century, and the football club was founded in 1896. There’s no especially mind-bending history to be found here. The club skipped between senior football and the intermediate game for many years. They’ve never got past the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and they haven’t lifted a trophy since winning the Surrey Senior League and Cup in 1977. But there is a little bit of pedigree in the FA Vase. In 2017/18 they made it all the way to the Fourth Round of the competition—the last 32—before losing at home to Chichester City. Last season was more true to form, though, when they were beaten in the First Qualifying Round by Abbey Rangers.

We did Hassocks last season, of course, on a day of clowns, zombie clowns, crinkle-cut chips and mellow fruitfulness. They didn’t end that season triumphantly, finishing fifth in the table and ten points behind champions Steyning Town, before losing 2-0 to Eastbourne Town in the semi-finals of the play-offs. This season, however, they seem to mean business. After ten games of their league season, they’ve won six and drawn two, while in the previous round of this competition they beat Storrington 6-0.

Tucked in behind them are Haywards Heath Town, who’ve played seven, won six, and drawn one. Ominously for Hassocks, when the two clubs met in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round at the start of August, Haywards Heath won 3-2. They will start favourites in tomorrow’s match against a Horley Town, though, a team currently in 17th place in the league, having lost seven of their first ten league matches of the season. But for all that, well. COULD THEY? We’ll see. Words and pictures will follow on Sunday.