Kirkham & Wesham 3 Worsborough Bridge 1
FA Carlsberg Vase First Qualifying Round
At: Kellamergh Park
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 187
Weather: sunny
With Stafford’s game at Stevenage being put back two days to Monday, the result was a Saturday free to choose my own destination. The family were keen for a day out too so a trip to the Flyde peninsula seemed the logical choice. Blackpool Tower, Pleasure Beach, McDonalds and... a trip for me to Kirkham & Wesham’s first-ever FA Vase tie.
Kirkham have made good progress over the past couple of years with a move in summer 2006 to a new ground and promotion during the summer as West Lancashire League champions to the Vodkat League Division Two.
Life in the Vodkat League has started well for a team who plan a name change to 'AFC Fylde' for the start of next season. They went into the Vase tie as league leaders.
In contrast, Northern Counties East League side Worsborough Bridge Athletic hadn't had the best of starts. Summer floods didn't help one bit.
The ground is located about 200 metres from the main road behind the Birley Arms pub, near the village of Warton. Purpose built, K & W moved their at the start of the 2006/07 season from their previous home at Coronation Road in Kirkham around four miles away. Previously called the ‘Birley Arms ground’, the new stadium now has the name of ‘Kellamergh Park’. Fans can use the pub car park but at the far end is a track which leads to Kellamergh Park with a car park and additional parking on adjoining grass.
Entering the ground through the impressive turnstiles at the southern corner of the ground, the changing room block is to the right behind the near goal. A £30,000 stand with three rows off seats and press box is found on the halfway line of the near touchline. There is continuous hard standing on all four sides. Next to the changing rooms which are enclosed by a fence, is a building housing a tea bar and toilets.
I wasn’t the only person at the game as a neutral – there must have been around 10-15 travellers including a Plymouth fan I recognised and another from Cheltenham who asked how Neil Grayson was doing this season.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the actual FA Vase trophy was on display before the game. Manager Mick Fuller said: “It’s the biggest game (this one against WBA) in the club’s history and we are grateful to the FA for agreeing to parade the FA Vase trophy at Kirkham. We have spent thousands of pounds to get the ground right for events such as this and it gives our boys the opportunity of seeing what they are fighting for.” WBA are, of course, Worsborough Bridge Athletic not the Baggies.
In front of a crowd of 187, Kirkham raced into a two-goal lead but Worsborough pulled a goal back before the interval. The home side made sure of the win with a third goal in the second half. Former Blackpool striker Sean Paterson scored a goal in each half to set up a home Second Qualifying Round tie with Brodsworth.
After the game I returned to Blackpool, met up with the family, spent the evening at the Pleasure Beach and returned home late but it didn’t matter on what was an enjoyable day out to a club I would think will go on to greater things – may be achieve their aim of Football League status by 2022.
As a footnote, I wonder if Kirkham really thought that the FA Vase trophy would return to Fylde come the end of the season. The club played in many more ‘big games’ all the way to defeating Lowestoft Town in the final at Wembley. During the 2008 close season, Kirkham and Wesham changed their name to AFC Fylde, ready for the 2008/09 season as a promoted club in Vodkat League Division One.
