Welcome to the Gloucester Groundhopper blog's most recent instalment.
We travelled to London for the Cherry Red Records Premier Challenge Cup action for this blog post. We went to Wembley, but it wasn't the place you believe it is; Vale Farm was the place we visited. Wembley FC, who call the stadium home, was in competition there against Rayner's Lane. Wembley compete in the Combined Counties League, while Rayners Lane compete in the Combined Counties Division One, so Wembley were favourites in this cup tie.
We were in London and taking a tour of West Ham United's stadium, the London Stadium. We opted to visit Wembley FC, the team known for having many well-known former football players come out of retirement to come and play for them in the FA Cup, after much consideration because we believed that while we were in London we should get and see a game.
It’s All In The Name
Wembley FC play in red and white and are nicknamed "The Lions" due to the lion on the coat of arms for the old Borough of Wembley.
Some Notable People From Wembley:
Jerel Ifil- Footballer
Luciana Berger- Politician
John Tavener- Composer
Valda Osborn- Figure Skater
Peter Fribbins- Composer
Some Notable Players From Wembley FC's FA Cup Campaign
After taking over the sponsorship of the FA Cup on March 15, 2012, Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch) announced that they would now be sponsoring Wembley FC as part of a marketing push to promote their participation with clubs at all levels. A team minibus and a clubhouse refurbishment were included in the sponsorship agreement. Other activities include promoting the club in the larger Wembley community and implementing a new programme for responsible drinking.
Some of the players who joined Wembley FC at that period are listed below:
Brian McBride: McBride spent a brief time with the minor league Milwaukee Rampage. He scored 17 goals and assisted on another 18 in 18 games. McBride left the United States in 1994 to work in Germany. VfL Wolfsburg was playing in the German Second Division at the time and gave several aspiring American players the opportunity to play soccer in Europe. McBride struggled to find playing time with the club and struggled to score goals. However, one of his two goals came in a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich's reserve team in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals; Wolfsburg went on to win the tournament, despite McBride's absence. McBride was released by Wolfsburg at the end of the season and chose to return to the United States when MLS was formed. McBride returned to the United States for the inaugural season of Major League Soccer in 1996. Before moving to England, McBride spent eight years with the Columbus Crew, scoring 62 goals and 45 assists in 161 league games. In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI. McBride spent time in America on loan with two English clubs: Preston North End and Everton. McBride's rights were purchased from MLS by Fulham in January 2004 for $1.5 million. McBride decided to return to the United States to finish his MLS career after his time at Fulham. He expressed a desire to play for his hometown of Chicago. McBride scored nine goals during the 2009 season, including two in three SuperLiga appearances. He was one of several former professional players who agreed to join Wembley for the new season's FA Cup campaign in June 2012. Uxbridge knocked them out in a replay after they had set up the tie by knocking out Langford in the previous round.
Martin Keown: As a child, Keown played for local sides and his local Gaelic football team before signing on as a schoolboy for Arsenal in 1980, though he made his professional debut on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in 1984. On November 23, 1985, he made his Arsenal debut. Keown joined Villa after a season in which they narrowly avoided relegation to the Second Division, just four years after winning the European Cup and five years after winning the league. Graham Taylor then arrived at Villa Park to replace the fired McNeill, and Keown was an important part of his rebuilding plans, missing only two league games and scoring three goals as Villa finished second in the Second Division and won promotion back to the top flight on the first try. Keown had a good start to his Everton career, and they topped the table for a while in late autumn, giving hope that they could win the league title, but their form dwindled after Christmas, and they finished sixth. Keown made 20 league appearances that season and a slightly better 24 in 1990-91, when Harvey was replaced as manager by Howard Kendall in November. In 1991-92, he missed just three league games, resulting in another mid-table finish, and he played just 13 more league games for the Toffees before accepting a £2 million return to Arsenal in February 1993. Keown then returned to Arsenal, where he won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, three Community Shields, and one European Cup Winner's Cup during his time there. He signed for Leicester City but left after less than six months to join Reading until the end of the season, when he retired. He then returned from retirement to play in Wembley FC's aforementioned FA Cup campaign.
Ugo Ehiogu: Ehiogu began his career as a trainee at West Bromwich Albion before becoming a professional in 1989. Between 1991 and 2000, Ehiogu made over 200 appearances for Aston Villa before moving on to Middlesbrough for seven years. He won the League Cup three times, twice with Aston Villa and once with Middlesbrough. The centre-back has also played for West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United, Rangers, and Sheffield United. After a trial with Milton Keynes Dons on 3 August 2009, Ehiogu announced his retirement from football. In 2014, he began coaching at Tottenham Hotspur. Ehiogu was a co-founder of the music label Dirty Hit, which signed British indie band The 1975. Ehiogu had also agreed to participate in Wembley’s FA Cup campaign. Ehiogu sadly died on April 20, 2017 as a result of a cardiac arrest.
Claudio Caniggia: Caniggia played club football for River Plate (1985-88), Hellas Verona (1988-89), Atalanta (1989-92 and 1999-2000), Roma (1992-93), S.L. Benfica (1994-95), Boca Juniors (1995-98), Dundee (2000-01), and Rangers (2001-02). (2001–03). He has become a club legend and cult hero at many of the clubs he has played for, such as when he scored against Dunfermline to help Rangers win the Scottish Premiership in 2003. Caniggia began his career as a After appearing in 53 games and scoring eight goals for River Plate, he moved to Serie A club Hellas Verona in 1988. In 1989, he moved to Atalanta, where he stayed for three years and scored 26 goals in 85 league games. He played in the UEFA Cup twice with Atalanta, helping the club reach the quarter-finals in 1990-91. Caniggia joined Roma in 1992, believing that the move would help the club compete for the Scudetto. Following a surprise doping test after a 1-1 draw against Napoli on March 21, 1993, he joined Benfica on a year-long loan financed by the Parmalat dairy company. The rights to Caniggia from Roma and Diego Maradona from Racing Club de Avellaneda were then acquired by Argentine media mogul Eduardo Eurnekian, who loaned them to Boca Juniors in exchange for matches broadcast on his television stations. He returned to Boca in 1997-98, but his appearances were limited because he did not make the 1998 World Cup squad. After another season of inactivity, he returned to Atalanta in Serie B, where he helped the club gain promotion to Serie A. He then joined Dundee, managed by Ivano Bonnetti, whom he knew from their time together in Italy. After quickly becoming Dundee's star player, he was transferred to Rangers, where he quickly became a fan favourite after scoring against archrivals Celtic in a cup final. He was one of several former professional footballers who agreed to join Wembley for the new season's FA Cup campaign in June 2012. He scored the game's first goal, at the age of 45, in a 3-2 victory over Langford.
Over players included: Graeme Le Saux, David Seaman and Terry Venables.
A History Lesson From AFC Finners
Wembley FC was founded in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II. They were formed because many locals felt it was unfair that the area that housed the national stadium did not have its own team.
They won the Middlesex Senior League in their second season before joining the Spartan League Western Division and winning it in 1951. They played in the Athenian League for many years, and Malcolm Allison got his first managerial job with the club in the early 1960s.
After joining the Isthmian League, they spent 21 seasons in the division's second tier, reaching the FA Cup first round for the only time in the 1980-81 season. In the 1980s, they had cup success, winning two Middlesex Senior Charity Cups and two Middlesex Senior Cups.
Their tenure in the Isthmian League's Second Division ended in 1996, but not in the way they had hoped, as they were relegated for the first time in their history.
After bouncing around the Isthmian League system for a few years, they were promoted to division one following a reorganisation of the league system. They were then promoted to the Combined Counties Premier Division.
They signed a sponsorship agreement with Budweiser in 2012, and Terry Venables joined them as an advisor. Former professionals such as Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, and Graeme Le Saux came out of retirement to play in the club's FA Cup campaign that year, and they made even more headlines. Despite these efforts, they were unable to advance past the qualifying rounds. They were promoted to the premier division north of the Combined Counties League, where they have remained ever since.
Also, Wembley FC's ground, Vale Farm, was used as a training base by the England team during their victorious 1966 World Cup campaign.
Honours
🏆 Athenian League (Runners-Up: 1974–75)
🏆 Athenian League Division One (Runners-Up: 1967–68)
🏆 Delphian League (Runners-Up: 1955–56)
🏆 Spartan League (Champions: 1950–51)
🏆 Middlesex Senior League (Champions: 1947–48)
🏆 Middlesex Senior Cup (Winners: 1983–84, 1986–87) (Runners-Up: 1955–56, 1968–69, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1998–99)
🏆 Middlesex Senior Charity Cup (Winners: 1967–68 (Joint), 1980–81 (Joint), 1982–83, 1986–87, 1994–95) (Runners-up: 1996–97, 2013–14)
🏆 London Senior Cup (Runners-up: 1955–56)
🏆 Spartan League Dunkels Cup (Winners: 1950–51 (Joint))
🏆 North West Middlesex Invitation Cup (Winners: 1956–57)
🏆 Middlesex League Cup (Winners: 1946–47)
🏆 Suburban League Cup (Winners: 1984–85)
🏆 Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup (Runners-Up: 2010–11)
Matchday: Wembley FC 0-1 Rayners Lane FC
We were in London to take part in a tour of the London Stadium, home of West Ham United. At first we struggled to find a match that we could watch in London, but at the last minute, some matches in the cup were announced and we were able to pick Wembley FC.
The stadium is in the Sudbury area, and the nearest tube station is Sudbury Town, which is on the Metropolitan Line and Piccadilly Line. Parking is available at the stadium, which has a fairly large car park. The stadium is fairly easy to find, as there are numerous signs directing supporters there. It was a wet and windy journey to the stadium, which around 15 minutes from the tube station.
When we arrived at the stadium, we were greeted by a friendly gentleman who escorted us to the club shop to purchase our pin badges (which were available for five pounds). You can purchase programmes from a variety of London clubs, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal, at the club shop. It also includes signed merchandise from Premier League clubs as well as former club advisor Terry Venables. The gentleman then gave us a history of the club and informed us that Vale Farm's long-term goal is to conform to National League standards. We entered the stadium after paying the £7 entrance fee, which can be paid at the turnstiles or in the clubhouse.
There is a small kitchen at the stadium that serves refreshments, and there are several takeaways and shops around the corner where you can get food and drinks. We chose to visit a Chinese restaurant which was around the corner from the ground. I have to admit the food was absolutely vile and it was the sketchiest takeaway I have ever been in.
The stadium was in excellent condition. There are four stands, one of which is very large and can seat approximately 700 people. A mural honours a former player, Raheem Belgrave, who tragically died in January 2022. As previously stated, there is a clubhouse with a bar that displays football matches on large projector screens. The only shame was the response I got when I ordered a tap water from the bar. The barman gave me such a dirty look which was a shame. Another oddity is that Wembley Stadium is visible from the ground and looks spectacular at night. It was a really nice place to watch football because almost everyone at the stadium was friendly and had a good laugh.
Teamsheets
Wembley FC
Manager: Ian Bates
Charlie Wealands
Henry Osei
Ronnie Swash
Ethan Tyrer
Chris Allen
Danny Sefton
Alfie Bates
Tag Rowe
Donnell Moore
Yassine Fehmi-Gil
Joshua Blaize-Carr
Substitutes
Calvin Osborne
Emmanuel Obamakinwa
Hayden McConnell
Devante Jones
Ben Lawson-Hatch
Rayners Lane FC
Manager: Scott Patmore
Charlie Patmore (c)
Callum Hailey
Johnny Hopkins
Frankie Bircham
Rob Magwood
Paolo Deritis
Yacine Lakehal ⚽️
Osman Mahad
Jevoy Blair
Troy Perez Duah
Dan Griggs
Substitutes
Alex Ward
Achraf Sellami-Laarmairi
Christos Pedrithes
Signey Gueye
The game began frantically, with Wembley attempting to suffocate Rayners Lane and the away team attempting to play their way through the Wembley team. Wembley had the first clear-cut chance, when their striker headed over a cross from the left. Frankie Bircham's header for Rayner's Lane then hit the crossbar. Rayner's Lane scored first after Troy Perez Duah ran past a few players and set up Yacine Lakehal, who curled the ball into the top left hand corner from twenty yards out. At the halftime break, Rayners Lane led 1-0.
Wembley came out stronger in the second half, knowing they needed to equalise to stay in the cup. They fought for every ball and attempted to break through a tenacious Rayners Lane defence. Rayners Lane frustrated Wembley throughout the second half, limiting them to few chances in what was a tense second half (which arguably should have seen a couple of red cards). Rayners Lane appeared to be in control until the 90th minute, when the referee awarded Wembley a penalty for a handball. It was a poor penalty, the Wembley player stepped up but fired straight into Charlie Patmore's hands. In the end, Rayners Lane pulled off the giant killing and advanced to the next round of the FA Cup, while Wembley will look to bounce back while also climbing the leagues.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 4/10
Food and Drink: 5/10
Stadium: 5.5/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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