It’s another all-Wessex tie for USP in FA Vase
US Portsmouth will have to beat Wessex League Premier Division opposition for the third round running if they want to create club history in the FA Vase.
US have already knocked out Premier pair AFC Portchester and Bournemouth to reach the second round for only the second time.
Now they will host Brockenhurst next Saturday after the Badgers defeated Western Leaguers Street 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Dorset yesterday.
That will ensure the
Wessex has at least one club in the third round, with Fareham and Christchurch also battling to progress to that stage as well.
In the Portsmouth area, none of our clubs have so far been forced to withdraw from FA competitions for Covid-19 related reasons.
The story is not such a healthy one elsewhere.
Six clubs didn’t fulfil ties that were scheduled to take place at the weekend.
Among them were Burton Park Wanderers, who had also withdrawn from the FA Cup after some players tested positive back in August.
That takes the number of clubs who have withdrawn from the Vase this season to 12.
Cobham and Norwich United have benefited more than anyone else - both clubs having been given byes through TWO rounds due to opponents pulling out.
Eleven clubs have also withdrawn from the FA Trophy this season for Covid19 related reasons.
They include Droylsden, who folded before the
2020/21 season began, and Merthyr Town who are taking a 12-month break from Southern League fixtures.
Among the other nine clubs, Cleethorpes refused to travel to Merseyside to play City of Liverpool in October, and Margate withdrew last week after Kent was placed under tier 3 restrictions.
As a result of Margate withdrawing, Burgess Hill Town received a bye into the second round.
Burgess Hill also received a bye through one FA Cup round after scheduled opponents Hollands & Blair withdrew - one of 15 clubs to have pulled out of that competition in 2020/21 due to the pandemic.
The other 14 are Redhill, Walsham-le-Willows, Burton Park Wanderers, Dunston UTS, Coventry United, Lincoln United, Broadbridge Heath, Oadby Town, Bamber Bridge, Merthyr Town, Alfreton Town, Kettering Town, Boston United and Notts County.