On Saturday 30th August the ‘road to Wembley’ starts again for Hednesford Town when they entertain Basford United in the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round. The Pitmen will want to emulate their exploits from last season while the visitors will be looking to build on their 5-0 Preliminary Round win over Hucknall Town.
After relegation from the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season when they finished in 21st place, some 14 points from safety, Basford now find themselves in the Midland Division of the Northern Premier League and have made a decent start at step 4 with two wins and two draws giving them eight points and seventh place in the fledgling league table, four points behind leaders Corby Town who have played a game more. They started the season with a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Sutton Coldfield and four different players finding the net- Callum Cocks, Tyler Dacres, Jack Goodman and Lyndon Joyce. They followed this up with another win, 2-1 against Ansty Nomads, Jordan Hallam and Kieron Cummings scoring and a 0-0 draw with Belper Town. Their only away game to date saw a 1-0 win at Shepshed Dynamo where a goal from captain Henri Wilder was enough for The Ambers to return back to Nottinghamshire with all three points. In readiness for the 2025/26 season the Club announced that former manager Martin Carruthers would be continuing as Head of Football with Willis Francis as Manager and the arrival of Mark Clarke as Assistant Manager. They also confirmed that the majority of last season’s squad had been retained and joined by five new players.
After getting another point on the board with the 1-1 Bank Holiday Monday draw with Rushall Olympic, watched by a crowd of 3,162, Hednesford will hope that their injury woes will have improved by Saturday with clubs allowed to name seven substitutes at this stage of the competition, five of which can be used at any time. The winners of the tie will receive £2,250 with the losers picking up £750 and Manager Gavin Hurren is looking forward to the game, he said: “The FA Cup is always a welcome break from league football. The club has enjoyed good runs in the past and now that I’m here, I want us to do the same again. Basford will come here with belief, and we’re expecting a good game of football with both sides pushing to reach the next round.”
Kick off on Saturday will be at 3pm and normal admission prices apply, £13 adults, £10 concessions, 17-18, and disabled (non-wheelchair access), £5 U16 and free for U10s but all U16s must be accompanied by a paying adult and have a valid ticket. Remember that season tickets are not valid for cup games. Supporters are advised to use the FanBase app to purchase tickets although cash or card payments can be made at the ticket office up to 30 minutes before kick-off and the new self-scan turnstiles at the Scoreboard corner of the ground will be in operation. Gates open at 12pm and there will be 20% off all drinks in the bar until 3pm with the Chelsea v Fulham game being shown on the TVs.
If a replay is required, it will be at Basford’s ground in Greenwich Avenue NG6 0LD on Tuesday 2nd September at 7.45pm.
On Monday 1st September Hednesford Town Ladies play their final pre-season friendly when they welcome Stoke City U21s to Keys Park. Gates open at 6pm for a 7.30pm kick off and admission is free. Tickets are available on FanBase and season ticket holders can use their season tickets for entry.
