MATCH PREVIEW: Nailsea & Tickenham vs Chippenham Town | Emirates FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying | Saturday 14th September 2024

We begin our 2024/25 Emirates FA Cup journey.

This weekend we see cup action for the first time this term, traversing country lines to Somerset to take on Nailsea & Tickenham in the Emirates FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying.

The ‘Swags’ currently ply their league trade in the Western Premier Division (Step 5), alongside sides like Paulton Rovers, Shepton Mallet and A.F.C. St Austell. The modern image of the club was formed in 2015 as a merge between Nailsea Town and Tickenham United. Nailsea United joined the Somerset leagues following unpresented success in the WSM and District Leagues and reached as high as ninth in the Somerset Premier in 2012. Meanwhile, a community club in neighbouring Tickenham needed a permanent playing pitch, thus a merger was ‘an easy decision’ as per the current club’s website.

Since the 2015 merge, the Swags have seen title fights practically every season. In their Somerset league season (2015-2022), of those that were not halted by Coronavirus, they would finish within the top three every season. They eventually won the 21/22 Somerset League, going invincible and taking the title by 10 points. 22/23 would see Nailsea promoted to the Western Premier Division in second place due to Brislington being ineligible for promotion that season.

In their first season at Step 5, Nailsea & Tickenham would finish 9th, 20 points shy of Barnstaple Town in the final playoff position. In the opening weeks of 24/25, they sit eight, with 5 wins and two defeats in the league.

Alongside this start in the league, the have broken personal records in the Emirates FA Cup. In what is only the Swags’ 2nd season in the historic competition, they have so far defeated Cinderford Town, Reading City and Hartpury University. The Cinderford result in Extra Preliminary Round was a particular scalp, by beating Step four opposition.

Chippenham’s last match was a 0-0 draw with Tonbridge in the National League South, in a game that Gary Horgan feels we should have taken three points from. Chippenham missed chances, with the most sensational coming through Luke Haines’ halfway line lob that smashed the crossbar, just before halftime. It would provide Chippenham with their third clean sheet of the season but leaves us with just two wins this term.

Nailsea & Tickenham’s last outing was a trip to Oldland Abbotonians on Tuesday night, in which the Swags would lose 4-0. A hat-rick from former Bristol City Academy forward Brandon Oputeri would sink Nailsea & Tickenham to defeat.

Chippenham play their first cup match of the season with this tie and will be keen to avenge last season’s shock Second Round Qualifying defeat to Hungerford Town. The season before was our mystical run to the Second Round Proper, and with Horgan’s record of our best position in every competition in which we compete being since the start of his tenure, anything could be possible.

Nailsea & Tickenham only have one previous season in the competition prior to this year, and that was last season. The Swags would defeat Tring Athletic (step 5) before losing to Wiltshire’s Highworth Town in The Preliminary Round.

Lucas Vowles has broken ground in this competition for Nailsea & Tickenham, having scored the winner against Hartpury University in the previous round, and has led the league line for the Swags with eight goals in ten appearances, sitting joint second in the league’s scoring charts. Vowles signed from Tiverton in the summer of 2023, where he had spent the 22/23 season, scoring five goals. The 24-year-old also has spent time with Bristol Manor Farm and Weston-super-Mare and started his career with Clevedon Town in the Western Premier League.

Tickets for this match are pay on the gate only the with prices listed below:

Adults – £8
OAP – £6
U18s – Free

Cash and card accepted at the gate.

Should the match in Somerset end level after 90 minutes a replay would take place at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium on Tuesday evening.

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