Last Saturday Long Melford joined hundreds of other similar clubs across the country on the trail to potential fame and glory in a Wembley Final in the FA Vase. This competition offers smaller clubs the chance to indulge in the dream of playing on the hallowed turf, even if sometimes the dream may not last very long.
Melford were drawn to kick-off their campaign against Hullbridge Sports FC who play in the Essex Senior League. The journey to Essex for the Villagers was doubtless full of talk of cup runs and glory, but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way. Although the final score appears pretty emphatic, the fact that three goals were scored in the last five minutes shows that Melford were in with a chance of at least a replay for a long period of the game.
Villagers manager Jules Mumford was however disappointed with the display, and described it as a ‘poor performance.’ Melford were second best for most of the game, and it’s credit to their spirit that despite this being the case, their spirit and tenacity kept them in the game until the closing stages. Nevertheless, the defeat means that dreams of Wembley’s lush turf can be packed away again – at least until next year.
This midweek, Melford return to league business with a home game against Stowmarket Town. Getting back to the bread-and-butter business of league football may be just the opportunity for the Villagers to return to form. Look out for reports to follow.
Source: DSX
