FA Cup 2022-23

FA Cup: How non-league Helston Athletic are battling the cost of living crisis.

"Our hearts sink each time we hear the FA Cup draw," says Helston Athletic's chairman Paul Hendy.

An away tie almost inevitably means a long day on the road for the part-time club based in Cornwall. This weekend is no different.

On Saturday, Helston's team coach will set off at 08:30 for a third qualifying round tie at Weston-super-Mare, a 340-mile round trip that involves five stops along the way to pick up players and staff in Truro, Bodmin, Saltash, Plymouth and Tiverton.

In the last round they were on the road at 07:00 with breakfast granola pots for the mammoth 450-mile day out to Bishop's Cleeve in Gloucestershire.

Having started out in the extra preliminary round on 6 August, this is Helston's fourth away tie in eight weeks and means the club nicknamed the Blues will have clocked up 1,250 miles in the FA Cup this season.

With winter approaching and the cost of living crisis starting to impact, hundreds of clubs are worried about heating costs, energy bills for floodlights and fuel prices.

Didcot Town, who play in the Southern League Division One Central, say their energy bill is increasing from £1,250 per month to £5,450.

Mansfield, who play five leagues higher than Helston in League Two, have moved the kick-off time for their home game against Walsall on 15 October forward to try and mitigate the "considerable increase in energy bills".

Down in the Western League Premier Division, where money is even tighter, Helston are bracing themselves for tough times.

"We've already been approached by a club in our league asking whether we would agree to change the kick-off time so that they can save on floodlight costs," adds Hendy.

"Our clubhouse used to open every night. Not now. We can't afford it when only one person comes in for a bottle of Coke."

Yet Helston, who have 25 teams operating out of their Kellaway Park home, believe they can ride out the financial storm and provide the town with a community facility for many years to come.

It helps when the club treasurer, who also washes the kit, is a former bank manager.

ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/0A7C/production/_126848620_helston.png
Paul Hendy is Helston Athletic's chairman and groundsman while club treasurer Sandra Egan is a former bank manager who washes the kit


Free travel to Weston-super-Mare
To help their fans with the cost of living crisis, Helston are providing free coach travel to Weston-super-Mare, who play two levels higher.

"We have already exceeded our expectations in the FA Cup this season so there is no pressure," adds boss Matt Cusack.

This is the club's best FA Cup run in their 126-year history and Paul Hendy is determined as many supporters as possible get the chance to experience Saturday's game.

Helston will use some of the £10,000 earned from this season's run to fund the travel, while Helston's women's team secured an additional £1,800 last month after winning their FA Cup first qualifying round tie with Crediton United.

"Although there's a lot of stuff going on with the cost of living, we're in a much stronger position than we were," says Hendy.

"The money we have earned from the FA Cup is not going on things like electric and gas because we will cut our costs accordingly for that.

"It will be used to improve facilities and will serve as a permanent reminder of the year we made it through to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time."

I wasn't able to carry on with 'follow the winner' as Brightlingsea Regent were drawn away to Needham Market (north of Ipswich), which is a long trek from Epping.
And it was a Friday evening kick off.
Needham Market 2 Brightlingsea Regent 0.
Hopefully Needham Market will draw someone a bit more local to south west Essex.

Burton Albion v Needham Market - It's 159 miles from ground to ground.

Cheers. To tick off a 'new ground' and not have to travel a big distance - Borehamwood / Eastleigh might be doable. 159 miles is hard to justify (to myself, let alone her in doors).

FA Trophy Match - Warrington goalkeeper Tony Thompson sent off after confronting fan who urinated in his bottle.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63691613

A dilemma indeed!

To answer your question, a suggestion only in these strange times, of course it would be appropriate to go in the away end as it is the away team that would determine your attendance. Just don’t celebrate too much! 😉

Whatever, I hope you are enjoying your time in non-league football.

UTG!

Updated 3rd round draw in full..

The 4th Round Fixtures of the FA Cup are:

Manchester City v Arsenal

Manchester United v Reading

Derby v West Ham

Preston v Tottenham

Southampton v Blackpool

Sheffield Wednesday v Fleetwood

Wrexham v Sheffield United

Ipswich v Burnley

Walsall v Leicester

Fulham v Sunderland

Stoke City v Stevenage

Luton Town v Grimsby Town

Brighton v Liverpool 

Bristol City v West Brom

Blackburn Rovers v Birmingham

Boreham Wood or Accrington Stanley v Leeds


The 4th round will take place from the 27th to the 30th January.

FA Cup: BBC to show Preston v Tottenham & Wrexham v Sheffield United in FA Cup..

FA Cup fourth-round televised games


Friday 27th January

Manchester City v Arsenal - 8pm - live on ITV1, ITVX


Saturday 28th January

Preston v Tottenham - 6pm - live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app

Manchester United v Reading - 8pm - live on ITV4, ITVX


Sunday 29th January

Brighton v Liverpool - 1.30pm - live on ITV1, ITVX

Wrexham v Sheffield United - 4.30pm - live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app


Monday, 30 January

Derby County v West Ham United - 7.45 - live on ITV4, ITVX