ALFOLD ON CLOUD NINE AS CUP DEBUT GRIPS VILLAGE
IN 2015, Alfold club secretary Wayne Mouring was erecting a fence around the pitch to stop cars parking on it. Little did he realise in just five years the small, sleepy, Surrey village would have a team in the FA Cup.
Founded in 1923, the club did little special in the first 90 years of their history. A West Sussex League win here, a Chichester Charity Cup there.
But that all started changing eight years ago when the club gained promotion from Step 7 to Step 6 and began gaining momentum.
doomed 2019/20 season was their first in the Southern Combination Premier (Step 5) and dreams of appearing in football’s oldest competition for the first time began.
On Tuesday, Mouring, who’s been at the club for 42 years, realised that ambition. His beloved club thrashed Shoreham 9-1 in the extra preliminary round.
“We put the fence up in 2015 so people wouldn’t drive on the pitch,” he told The NLP.
“In five years, we’ve put up floodlights, dugouts, a 50-seater stand, renovated the clubhouse and made sure we meet all the
Step 5 regulations. We applied for a grant from the Football Foundation and they funded 70 per cent of the project. Waverly Borough Council helped us out, we received some local investments and the rest was just hard work by a dedicated committee.
Dedicated
“There wasn’t much in the way of opposition to the plans, the club has felt really supported by the village. They’ve got a team in the FA Cup so we’re doing something right!”
The game itself was as surreal as it was magnificent. Shoreham, a division below, found themselves 3-0 down within ten minThe
utes. By the time Alfold found a sixth just before half-time, the club could start planning for their second ever FA Cup fixture.
A relaxed night on the pitch stands in total opposite to the planning for the big night.
“We’ve been working on everything for weeks,” Mouring added.
“The clubhouse has been shut and under renovation this summer, but we still had to provide a meal for all the players and officials. In the end we felt a burger van was the perfect solution for everyone.
“We then had all the Covid regulations to deal with as well. But we managed. To have 200-plus at The Recreation Ground is beyond my wildest dreams. As a small committee, we wanted to try and enjoy it.
“It’s the biggest occasion in our 97-year history. I had a tear in my eye, it was amazing.”
Amazing
With the smell of burger grease and anti-bac heavy in the air, Alfold resumed the demolition job after the break.
A superb, dipping, left-footed volley from right-back Conor Wilford made it eight before manof-the-match midfielder Jordan Mase finished the rout with a beautiful individual goal.
It could not have been a more perfect FA Cup debut for the club.
And Mouring admits ’Fold take inspiration from another Surrey side’s remarkable story.
“The prize money for the win was about £1,100,” he said. “Even if we lose the next round, we’re still going to get a bit of money for it.
“We want to get into the Isthmian League. It’ll be more hard work of course, but we’re used to that here.
“We do take inspiration from Dorking Wanderers. I’ve asked Marc (White – owner) for some advice on what to do and how to go about certain things.
“Who knows, one day we may even compete in the same league!”