Match Information
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Okehampton Argyle 2-2 Brixham
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When: Saturday 5th August 2023
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Kick-off: 3pm
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Where: Simmons Park, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1EP
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Competition: The Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
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Attendance: 483
The Emirates FA Cup Final graced Wembley Stadium on Saturday 3rd June 2023. Manchester City beat Manchester United 2-1 of course. Now just two months later, the competition was recommencing with the Extra-Preliminary Round.
Consequently, 208 ties were scheduled across the country. I carefully scrutinised the fixtures looking for a new ground to visit. In the end, I decided to embark on a 500 mile round trip to watch the Devon derby between Okehampton Argyle and Brixham.
It was the first time Okehampton have ever played in the FA Cup and they undertook a big local publicity push to promote this match in advance.
An extensive preview appeared in the Okehampton Times newspaper whilst Okehampton Rugby Club assisted on social media plugging. Okehampton itself is a traditional market town hugging the northern edge of Dartmoor housing 5,900 inhabitants.
En route, I encountered terrible traffic delays on the M4 and M5 motorways. A 60 minute hold up due to an accident near Bristol prompted Google Maps to advise diverting via assorted back roads which I did.
Therefore it took me five and a half hours to reach Okehampton!
Ground Description
The car park was literally overflowing when I arrived at 2.30pm so I had to park five minutes away in a residential street.
From there, a long winding path past a college and other leisure facilities led to the main football entrance.
Okehampton Argyle fans enjoy an inviting clubhouse behind one goal integrating some overhang shelter for spectators.
Meanwhile, a stand adjoining the halfway line offers seating and covered standing.
Programme Details
On sale at the entry gate for £1. A good blend of colour photography and statistics.
An evocative editorial column expressed the home team’s delight in making their historic FA Cup debut.
The Match
Okehampton Argyle attracted what I believe was a club record crowd of 483. It equated to approximately five times their usual average gate and – incredibly - one twelfth of the town’s population.
I thought they coped extremely well, laying on extra barbecue and beer tent provision. As for the match, Argyle are Step 6 members of the National Non-League Pyramid achieving runners-up spot in the South West Peninsula League Premier East Division last season.
Old foes Brixham won that division and thereby gained promotion to Step 5 in the Western League Premier Division. And to my great delight, it turned out to be a real old fashioned FA Cup battle.
Amidst driving rain and 60 mile an hour winds, Brixham raced into a 2-0 half-time lead – two close range headers supplied by Ewan Howarth on 19 and 44 minutes.
It seemed game over to me. But with nine minutes to go, Okehampton pulled one back courtesy of a Luke Reynolds 25 yard scorcher.
They subsequently threw everyone forward including goalkeeper Jimmy Weeks pushing up for corners. Then three minutes into added time at the very end, Argyle’s Luke Mortimore slithered his low free-kick through a forest of legs and into the net sparking tumultuous celebrations.
Overall, a totally wholesome advert for Non-League football!
The People
Having personally manned the matchday barbecue, Okehampton Argyle secretary Chris Wills told me: “We qualified for the Emirates FA Cup by finishing amongst the top Step 6 sides around the country on ‘Points Per Game’ criteria in 2022/23. We attained 83 points from our 36 league fixtures.
“There were also ground grading considerations for the FA Cup. We needed to expand the main stand to incorporate seating for 50 spectators and standing for 100.
“In addition, we fully enclosed the venue with perimeter fencing and installed new dug-outs containing eight seats. Floodlights were erected last January too. All of these improvements cost in the region of £110,000.”
Footnote: Following this drawn tie, Okehampton Argyle won the midweek replay 2-0 (after extra-time) away to Brixham. The ‘Okes’ will now travel to Buckland Athletic in the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round on Saturday 19th August.
Whatever happens, Okehampton are taking immense pride in being one of 732 teams participating in the world’s greatest knock-out competition during 2023/24.
*Credit for photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
