Chelmsley Town V Kidlington (FA Vase, First Round)

​Chelmsley Town were looking to build on their encouraging 2-2 draw with Kirby Muxloe last weekend with a statement result against Combined Counties League side Kidlington in the FA Vase. The hosts were comfortably in mid table at step six and pushing for the top half of the table in division one under manager Steve Solomon.

They got an eye catching away win against step five side Pershore Town in the second qualifying round last month to reach the first round for the first time in nine years.      

Kidlington were a side in form under manager Brad Chalmers who were pushing for the play offs in the premier division north of the Combined Counties League. The visitors beat Oxhey Jets and Ashford Town in the qualifying rounds to reach this stage of the competition.

The Oxfordshire side had been tough to beat of late with just one loss from their last five league games going into the weekend and were just a point off the play offs in step five.     

​Starting line ups

The starting line up for Chelmsley Town included Connor Hill starting in goal and Barry Fitzharris captaining the side from holding midfield. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Luke Keen playing up front and being supported by Harry Jackson and Joseph McCreath on the wings.

There were three changes from their match against Kirby Muxloe last weekend with Adam Keeley coming back into the team and playing in holding midfield alongside Barry Fitzharris.

The starting line up for Kidlington included Charlie Barnett starting in goal and Latham Hawkins captaining the side at centre back. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Lewis Gabbidon playing up front and being supported by Ashley Marsh and Pat Osbourne on the wings.

There were three changes from their match against Broadfields United last weekend with Nicolson D’Abreu coming into the team and playing at right back.  

​First Half

The early stages of the first half were cagey with not many clear-cut chances in front of goal inside the opening twenty minutes.  

Chelmsley settled into the match well and were working hard off the ball to nullify the attacking threat of Kidlington. Cheirry Barry impressed at left-back and was constantly breaking up promising attacks to help Chelmsley grow into the match.

The MFL side held their own in the opening half an hour against opposition a league higher and were keeping it tight at the back to not allow any easy chances for the visitors.

Kidlington showed flashes of their attacking quality throughout the first half with Lewis Gabbidon making some promising runs into the final third and helping to hold up the play.

There was a bad looking injury to midfielder Adam Keeley on 15 minutes who had to be subbed off for Chelmsley which resulted in some tactical changes. He was replaced by Dylan Pahile who moved to the left wing with Harry Jennings moving deeper into holding midfield. Harry Jackson was moved to the number ten role.  

Pat Osbourne was making things happen for the visitors down the left-hand side throughout the first half and taking players on. He made some promising runs into the final third and had a shot blocked for a corner.

The visitors found the breakthrough on 28 minutes when a dangerous corner caused problems in the Chelmsley box. Joseph McCreath tried to clear the danger at the front post before heading into the bottom left corner for an unfortunate own goal. Harry Jennings almost cleared it at the back post but couldn’t quite get to it before it went in the net.

Kidlington enjoyed a good fifteen-minute spell of momentum in the closing stages of the first half and were looking to play long balls to Pat Osbourne down the left flank. He found some space before having a shot well saved by Connor Hill on 34 minutes.

The best chance for Chelmsley came in the final few minutes of the first half when Luke Keen made a promising run into the box before putting a header wide of the left-hand post on 45 minutes.

Chelmsley showed character to not let the match getaway from them throughout the first half. Sam Aldhouse and Dan Scott-Taggart were doing a good job of clearing the danger at centre back and put some good blocks in to keep the potential upset alive going into half time.   

Second Half

Kidlington continued where they left off in the early stages of the second half and made it 2-0 thanks to a moment of quality. A low free kick from Dec Shepperd found Michael Hopkins on the edge of the box who found the bottom left corner on 54 minutes to give the visitors some breathing space.     

The pattern of the match was similar to the first half with Chelmsley working hard to nullify the attacking quality of Kidlington but struggling to create chances up front.

A lot of this was down to how Kidlington were set up with Latham Hawkins leading by example and having a brilliant game at centre back. He was constantly reading the danger and breaking up promising Chelmsley attacks to stop them building momentum in the final third.

Nicolson D’Abreu was another player who impressed for the visitors yesterday and stood out at right back. He did a good job of containing the attacking threat of Dylan Pahile and played a key part in stopping Chelmsley building attacks down the left-hand side.    

The best chance for Chelmsley came late in the second half when Luke Keen made a good run off the shoulder before running through on goal. He couldn’t quite get enough on his shot though to trouble Charlie Barnett in the Kidlington goal who comfortably saved it.

Kidlington wrapped up the match going into stoppage time when substitute Aydin Ulas produced a quality finish into the top left corner for 3-0.      

It was a professional and composed performance from the visitors who saw the match out to progress to the second round.

Chelmsley will feel a bit disappointed, but it’s been an encouraging FA Vase run on reflection with a notable upset against Hellenic League side Pershore Town last month.

Upcoming Fixtures

Chelmsley Town will be looking to bounce back against Birmingham OJM (Away) in the Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup on Tuesday before returning to league action with a home match against play off chasing Birstall United next Saturday.

They then play Nuneaton Griff at home in the second round of the MFL League Cup on Monday 27th October before playing Cradley Town (Away) in division one on Saturday 1st November.

Kidlington will be looking to keep their momentum going against Amersham Town (Home) on Wednesday evening before travelling to Edgware and Kingsbury next Saturday in Combined Counties league action.

It’s a busy few weeks for the Oxfordshire side who play Hilltop (Away) on Friday 31st October before playing Virginia Water at home on Wednesday 5th November in the Combined Counties league.

FT score: Chelmsley Town 0-3 Kidlington

Man of the match: Latham Hawkins (Kidlington)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League