While Sutton United might have been making waves in the Cup, the party is still going where the Vase is concerned. If ever you wanted to grab a chunk of passion that shouts "non-league is not dead!" then take a look at what went down when Bromsgrove Sporting hosted Buckland Athletic in the Quarter Finals of the FA Vase.
2,984 fans turned out for this fixture. A complete sell out for a competition that starts at the grass roots of the game around the country and winds up at Wembley. A truly remarkable marker for the non-league game considering both sides sit in the ninth tier of the English football pyramid.
Emotion heavy, powerful scenes from pies to flares to plattered beards and wide eyed fanatics ― this is pure football. Served up on a mud splattered pitch in a stadium of local proportions, it's a modest place where the game embodies a crunching tackle. It was a game of two halves with Buckland Athletic starting strong and providing their fare share of talking points ― notably missing a penalty. Bromsgrove Sporting however brought an attacking game in the second half, scoring twice and securing their spot in the Semi-Final.
Utter raw heroism ― the atmosphere was well worthy of any top flight fixture. This was the biggest ticket in town and a memory Bromsgrove can cherish as they look to book a place at a Wembley final.
Onto the tasty talking points. How is that cut of crust? A piping serving with a plethora of sauces, Bromsgrove certainly brought many condiments to kick off. Does size matter, though? What are you saying Tony?
Pie Rating (Chicken)
Price: £2.80 ― 6/10
Size: Enough to fit a whole palm ― 8/10
Crispyness: Not enough crunch ― 6/10
Pastry: Quite thin pastry, not thick enough ― 5/10
Filling: Lack of pastry made room for quite a lot of meet, very good ― 9/10
Score: 34/50
Photography and Pie Rating by Tony Heslop.
Thanks to Bromsgrove Sporting for welcoming us in.
