REPORTING on two entertaining cup ties I attended in the national FA competitions over the weekend…
Halesworth Town 3-1 Haverhill Rovers
- When: Saturday 8th November 2025
- Kick-off: 3pm
- Where: Dairy Hill, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8JS
- Competition: The Isuzu FA Vase – Second Round Proper
- Attendance: 258
Isuzu FA Vase action in my video filming role as the roaming reporter for competition sponsors Isuzu.
Newcomers at Step 6 of the National League System this year, Halesworth Town have been promoted to the Thurlow Nunn (Eastern Counties) League First Division North after finishing 2024/25 runners-up in the Suffolk & Ipswich League Senior Division.
Accordingly, I set off on my 110 mile road trip with the final half hour consisting entirely of tricky country lanes. Halesworth itself is a market town housing 4,700 people.
Ground description: Very close to Halesworth railway station, it is within the Dairy Hill Sports Complex (“Home of Halesworth Community Sports & Leisure”) alongside tennis, bowls and martial arts amenities. For football spectators, there is a sturdy covered standing enclosure behind one goal.
Elsewhere, concrete foundations are visible for the imminent arrival of a 100-seater prefab grandstand that will enable Halesworth Town to work towards Step 5 ground grading requirements in the event of a further promotion.
They have already laid hard standing paths on two sides of the pitch whilst floodlights were unveiled for the home midweek fixture versus Framlingham Town last month.
Programme details: An excellent 32 page production containing plenty of interesting reading. Back copies and pin badges were available at the entry hut.
The match: Two teams in the Thurlow Nunn League opposed each other although Haverhill Rovers are one step higher holding Premier Division status. Therefore anyone present possessing expert football betting knowledge would have fancied an away win.
Rovers certainly had more chances to score overall, but Halesworth Town secured a stirring victory courtesy of strikes by Lewis Chenery (33 minutes|), Toby Payne (70 minutes) and Alex Husband (90 + 6 mins).
This prompted excited supporters’ chants of: “HTFC – Black and White army…” and “We’re the famous Halesworth Town and we’re going to Wem-ber-lee…” accompanied by an enthusiastic young drummer. Jarid Robson supplied the Haverhill Rovers goal on 84 minutes.
The people: A group of Haverhill Rovers club officials arrived early and told me they had already sampled and reviewed the local fish and chip shop on their Twitter X feed allocating marks of “6.2 out of 10”. Meanwhile, home chairman Carl Chenery afforded a warm welcome to Isuzu cameraman Joe and myself making all the necessary arrangements for our filming work.
In keeping with the family atmosphere prevailing at Dairy Hill, Carl’s son Lewis netted the game’s opening goal.
Also, a shout out to Craig Messenger at the main gate who said he had moved up to Suffolk from Harlow and decided to become involved at Halesworth Town. Needless to say, volunteers like Craig are the essential lifeblood of Non-League football.
Hazelwell 2-1 North Solihull Athletic
- When: Sunday 9th November 2025
- Kick-off: 1pm
- Where: AFC Birmingham, Illey Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 0HF
- Competition: The FA Sunday Cup – Second Round
- Attendance: 45 (my headcount)
A venue suddenly hovering firmly on to my radar this season due to the new groundshare for home fixtures by Step 6 team Birmingham OJM FC in the Capelli Sport Midland League Division One. It is actually owned by AFC Birmingham - competing two steps lower in the Midland League Division Three.
I had been to the area a couple of times before to watch Halesowen Town FC and the now-defunct Halesowen Harriers FC. I recall how Harriers played in spectacular grassed bank amphitheatre surroundings cut into the side of a steep hill.
Market town Halesowen embraces 60,000 residents situated seven miles out of Birmingham city centre as the crow flies. This was a 120 mile Sunday morning drive for me.
Ground description: The pitch sits on an elevated plateau reached via steps up from the car park. I really liked the set-up here because dug-out seats, advertising hoardings and a very professional-looking players’ tunnel canopy were all donated by Championship neighbours Birmingham City FC.
Furthermore, the retro-style main stand has a double pitched roof reminding me of some former Football League grounds I visited when I was at school. Two old dug-outs have been converted into smaller stands too complementing a decent covered standing block.
Programme details: A four page duplicated effort which was appreciated by everyone picking up a copy.
The match: Both clubs are members of the Oakbourne & Coronation Sunday Football League Premier Division currently occupying first and third positions respectively. So a tight game would’ve been predicted by any betting aficionados in attendance.
North Solihull Athletic forged ahead on 17 minutes through Talib Copeland. However, Hazelwell battled back to edge matters by virtue of George Dimmock (29 mins) and Justice Campbell (88 mins). I always enjoy the FA Sunday Cup since it mainly features players regularly appearing in a good standard of Saturday football.
Indeed, I had previously seen match-winner Campbell score for Southern League Premier Central outfit Stourbridge FC in a pre-season friendly during early July this year.
The people: AFC Birmingham owner John Baker filled me in on his club’s ambitious plans to climb the national Pyramid. They definitely have adequate facilities in place for an elevated standard of football. In addition, it was nice to meet social media influencer ‘Sunday League Settings’ who takes a keen interest in grassroots football across the country.
Football grounds visited: 2,675.
*Credit for the photos belongs to Tony Incenzo*
