BUILDBASE FA TROPHY - THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY CONTINUES

Tuesday 8th January  
First Round Proper
Maidenhead United v Oxford City
Havant & Waterlooville v Dover Athletic
Salisbury v Braintree Town

Saturday 12 January
Second Round Proper 
Ramsbottom United v Weymouth
Hartlepool United v AFC Telford United
Maidstone United v Maidenhead United or Oxford City
Hemel Hempstead Town v Wingate & Finchley
Barnet v Dorchester Town
Hereford v Brackley Town
Salford City v Dagenham & Redbridge
Blyth Spartans v Boreham Wood
AFC Fylde v Biggleswade Town
Spennymoor Town v Bromley
Stockport County v Truro City
Dover Ath or Havant & Waterlooville v Harrogate Town
Chesterfield v Bedford Town
Carshalton Athletic v Salisbury or Braintree Town   
FC Halifax Town v Solihull Moors 
Wrexham v Leyton Orient

TEAMS LEFT BY DIVISION
* denotes subject to replay

Vanarama National Division (Step 1)
Maidenhead United*, Havant & Waterlooville*, Dover Athletic*, Braintree Town*, Hartlepool United, Maidstone United, Barnet, Salford City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Boreham Wood, AFC Fylde, Bromley, Harrogate Town, Chesterfield, FC Halifax Town, Solihull Moors, Wrexham and Leyton Orient. 

Vanarama National North (Step 2) 
AFC Telford United, Hereford, Brackley Town, Blyth Spartans, Spennymoor Town and Stockport County. 

Vanarama National South (Step 2)
Oxford City*, Hemel Hempstead Town and Truro City. 

Bostik League Premier Division (Step 3)
Carshalton Athletic and Wingate & Finchley. 

Evo Stik Southern Premier South (Step 3) 
Weymouth, Salisbury and Dorchester Town

Evo Stik Southern Premier Central (Step 3) 
Biggleswade Town. 

Evo Stik Northern League First Division West (Step 4) 
Ramsbottom United. 

Evo Stik Southern League Division One Central (Step 4) 
Bedford Town. 

Bedford Town and Ramsbottom United are proudly the last step four teams left in the Buildbase FA Trophy for this season. The Eagles won an incredible game 7-0 at The New Eyrie against their Vanarama National league opponents after a 3-3 draw on Saturday. There is more to the story as The Shots sent their academy side after an injury crisis left them with only ten first team players available. The Hampshire side are four points above the drop zone in their division so look to be concentrating on this rather than a trip to Wembley. 

Bedford Town have a rich history in the competition if you look back to the 1970s when they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage in 72/73, 73/74, 75/76 and 77/78 as well as the semi-final in 74/75.

A crowd of 485 saw the game against The Shots last night and i'm sure a good number of those fans will be making the trip to Chesterfield in the next round. 

The run to the second round has been epic to say the least with 10 games played already and three teams from higher up the football pyramid beaten! To put this into context a Vanarama National side potentially only needs to play seven games to win the competition  

BEDFORD TOWN'S FA TROPHY RUN 2018/19 
Extra Preliminary Round - CHESHUNT 2-2 
Exrta Preliminary Round Replay - Cheshunt 2-1 
Preliminary Round - Tilbury 4-1 
1st Qualifying Round - Kingstonian 1-1 
1st QR Replay - KINGSTONIAN 3-2 
2nd QR - Chipstead 2-2 
2nd QR Reply - CHIPSTEAD 2-0 
3rd QR - WORTHING 2-1 
1st Round - Aldershot Town 3-3 
1st Rd Replay - ALDERSHOT TOWN 7-0 
2nd Rd - Chesterfield ??? 

Ramsbottom United were only promoted to step four in 2012. Their best performance previous to this season was in 2014/15 when they were beaten by Stockport County in the First Round. Their opponents in the next round are Weymouth who make the long trip North of Manchester. 

The Terrors qualified for this round after Needham Market, their opponents in the Second Round Proper, withdrew from the competition. The Marketmen had travelled down to Dorset last Friday evening for Saturday's game only for it to be postponed due a waterlogged pitch. The game was rescheduled for Tuesday 18th December but with player's having to take leave from their full time employment potentially leaving Suffolk at around 11am and not to return until around 4am the club made the decision to unfortunately withdraw.

A special mention also to Biggleswade Town who have been drawn away to AFC Fylde. The game will mark the highest ranked opponent The Waders have ever played in their 144 year history which is a fantastic achievement for Manager Lee Allinson and his squad. They beat last season's semi-finalist's Wealdstone in the First Round and include former Enfield Borough midfielder Soloman Nwabuokei in their squad who I first saw play in 2016 and always thought he had a very bright future in the game. 

There are officially three teams who have lifted the Trophy who are still involved being last season's winners in Brackley Town along with FC Halifax Town (2016) and Wrexham (2013). Dagenham FC who merged with Redbridge Forest in 1992 to form Dagenham and Redbridge won in 1980. Telford United, who were wound up in 2004 where supporters formed AFC Telford United, won the competition on three separate occasions  in 1971, 193 and 1989.