Match Information
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Axminster Town 0-4 Street
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When: Saturday 26th August 2023
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Kick-off: 3pm
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Where: Tiger Way, Chard Road, Axminster, Devon. EX13 5HN
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Competition: The Isuzu FA Vase First Round Qualifying
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Attendance: 104
The exciting road to Wembley was starting in The Isuzu FA Vase with First Round Qualifying ties embracing clubs around the country at Step 5 and Step 6 of our wonderful national Non-League Pyramid.
It is undoubtedly my favourite competition on football’s varied spectrum since any team entering the Vase has a realistic chance of winning it.
Consequently, every manager fields their strongest X1 and the carrot of appearing at Wembley Stadium on Non-League Finals Day is immense. Successful sides at this level get promoted to Step 4 and accordingly ascend to The Isuzu FA Trophy. Hence the Vase is freshened up each year.
Fair to say you might need a slice of luck regarding the cup draws, pitches and weather conditions along the way, but that elusive dream of running out at the iconic national stadium in May is entirely possible for all Vase participants.
Therefore I studied the fixtures intently to pick out my match of choice. I personally believe the best Vase clashes are when two opponents within different leagues face each other. So I opted for Axminster Town versus Street.
The hosts were unbeaten so far in the South West Peninsula League Premier East Division at Step 6. They were formed in 1903 and are nicknamed ‘The Tigers’ playing in amber and black colours.
Meanwhile, Street were also without defeat a tier higher as members of the Western Football League Premier Division. I always enjoy visiting SWPL clubs amidst a picturesque part of the world spanning Devon and Cornwall.
In addition, the SWPL secretary Phil Hiscox is one of Non-League football’s top administrators who gets out and about to watch an abundance of games in his beloved parish and beyond.
Phil expertly organises regular Easter groundhopper weekends thereby enhancing the SWPL’s profile in allowing hundreds of interested devotees to flock to the South West from across Britain and even abroad.
Having taken stock of these appetising Isuzu FA Vase ingredients, I set off early on my 370 mile round trip to Axminster - a pretty market town housing 5,600 residents on the eastern border of Devon.
Most people will know the name because of a famous type of carpet indelibly linked to Axminster. I was worried about traffic conditions due to it being a Bank Holiday weekend and rail strikes taking place.
In the end, the M25 and M3 were pretty clear although I encountered a lengthy delay on the A303 at Stonehenge. Nevertheless, I arrived at my Tiger Way destination two hours before kick-off.
Ground Description
Axminster Town’s previous ground at Sector Lane was sold for housing redevelopment in a £1.2 million deal.
This enabled the club to move to their brand new 10 acre Tiger Way venue in 2015. The truly impressive set-up features a spacious clubhouse and modern dressing room complex.
For football spectators, there is covered standing overhang in front of the main building plus an attractive and unique-looking stand containing nearly 100 seats under triangular-shaped roofing.
Programme Details
A lavish 28 page production entitled ‘The Tigers’. Plenty of fascinating reading material alongside exceptionally good colour photography.
I liked the extensive coverage allocated to Axminster Town’s numerous youth teams which provide great community involvement for local boys and girls.
The People
Everyone I met at Axminster Town was extremely friendly.
In particular, Rachel Burrough helpfully answered my advance queries via Twitter and tweeted herself: “I am working in the kitchen, so I won’t see the match but will listen for the cheers. Fingers crossed for the win to progress through to the next round of the FA Vase.”
Furthermore, enthusiastic assistant manager Ernie Stobbs gave me a guided tour of the excellent dressing room block prior to presenting me with a really nice Axminster Town top for my comprehensive collection of football souvenirs.
The Match
The crystal clear public address system appropriately pumped out ‘Eye of the Tiger’ ahead of kick-off. Opening exchanges were tight whereby Axminster Town carved out a couple of half chances.
However as the afternoon wore on, Street took control and mustered well-worked goals from Kyle Sampson (41 minutes), Phil Ormrod (54 mins), Eli Collins (73 mins) and the pick of the bunch courtesy of Freddie Frazer’s cushioned volley (75 mins).
The Somerset visitors were streets ahead by the end while Axminster’s Isuzu FA Vase hopes had reached a cul-de-sac.
*Credit for photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
