SWANAGE TOWN AND HERSTON FC
SWANAGE TOWN AND HERSTON FC
Double click to editSWANAGE TOWN & HERSTON
IN THE FA VASE
By Mark Chadderton
This article has been written using the records obtained on the Football Club History Database (http://www.fchd.info/), if anyone reading the article has any further information please get in touch with the author via the website.
THE SWANS FIRST entered the third major FA competition as a Western League Division One side. In their very first season in the competition they actually played more games than in any of the subsequent seasons that they entered, playing a total of six matches.
Unfortunately these six ties were against just two sides as both the preliminary round clash with Moneyfields Sports and the overseas first round clash with Newport (Isle of Wight) went to two replays! Newport IOW progressed at Days Park 1-2 as Swanage had done the round prior against Moneyfields 4-3.
A 4-2 defeat in the preliminary round at Brading Town the next season served as a rather disappointing contrast. However, at the same stage a year on from that, in 1979, the Swans beat St Martins at home and Yate Town away thus reaching the second round proper for the first time. This was the stage that they were never to get past in future efforts. First Tower United it was who knocked us out away in round two 3-1.
There appears to be no record of Swanage entering for the 1980-81 season and the following season saw us enter for the first time at the extra preliminary stage! Three home victories later without conceding a goal saw the Swans back in round two, only to fall at Days Park to Newbury Town 0-2.
1982-83 saw a narrow 3-2 defeat at Newquay in round one and then another gap in our FA Vase record for 1983-84. A preliminary round defeat at Supermarine in 1984-85 was another disappointing early exit for the club and thus 1985-86 saw another extra preliminary round entry, this time at Amesbury Town. Swans’ 0-4 victory however promised another false dawn as a 3-0 reverse at Chippenham Town brought us back down to earth.
A 1-0 defeat at St Blazey in the 1986-87 season was a real disappointment. This was the only time that the Swans have been knocked out at the extra preliminary round. At least the Swans went on to be champions in their league campaign that season and the following season the Swans entered both the FA Vase and the FA Cup for the first time in one season. Swanage despatched Horndean away 1-2, Romsey Town away 3-4 before succumbing to St Austell away 4-2.
When the 1988-89 season saw the Swans drawn away to Lawrence Weston Hallen in the preliminary round, it was their ninth consecutive match that they had been drawn away in the competition! The one-all draw they managed away in that tie was then spoilt by a 1-2 reverse in the replay.
Lightening really does strike twice as come the 1989-90 season, ten years after losing away in round two to First Tower United, the Swans again lost to First Tower United away but this time in the preliminary round.
Even more startling was the preliminary round defeat the following season as Swanage shared a ten-goal thriller at home to Newport IOW but crashed out by the unusual margin of 4 goals to six!
Entering at the preliminary stage in 1991-92 the Swans repeated their away day victory of three seasons earlier in the FA Cup at Sholing Sports to reach the first round proper again. And so around one year after losing at home 4-6 in the same competition, Swanage turned the table on their hosts Fleet Town to reach round two with that freakish looking score of 4-6. That 6-goal haul remains their highest number of goals in one match in either the FA Vase or FA Cup.
That 4-6 away day triumph also stands as Swanage’s last win in the Vase. Round two of 1991-92 ended with an exit away to Tiverton Town by 2-0.
The years 1990 to 1992 had seen the club at its zenith, finishing second and fifth in the Wessex League, so in context the two FA Vase campaigns must be viewed as big disappointments.
The Swans entered the FA Vase for the next four seasons, registering four defeats, three in the preliminary round and finally losing away to Carterton Town in the first qualifying round in 1995. The club did not enter either the FA Vase or FA Cup after the 1995-96 season and their overall FA Vase record suffered with five straight defeats in those final five years.
Just like the club’s performances in the FA Cup, Swanage’s FA Vase record is not exactly eye-catching, having won only 12 of their 34 FA Vase games played. They lost half of those matches too. Six home wins and six away wins have been recorded and the furthest we have progressed is to the second round on four occasions.
The best season was possibly the 1981-82 campaign even though the side failed to take advantage of being drawn at home four games on the trot. The biggest wins have been by four goals, 4-0 at home to Peasedown Athletic in 1982 and 0-4 away to Amesbury Town in 1985.
As for the club’s heaviest FA Vase defeat, that came in their penultimate season, 1994 at home to Westbury United where the visitors came away from Days Park winners by 0-4.
OVERALL RECORD IN THE FA VASE
Played 34 Won 12 Drawn 5 Lost 17 For 61 Against 69
HOME RECORD
Played 14 Won 6 Drawn 2 Lost 6 For 27 Against 27
AWAY RECORD
Played 20 Won 6 Drawn 3 Lost 11 For 34 Against 42
If anyone has any FA Vase memories they would like to write up and/or any FA Vase memorabilia involving Swanage that they wish to share then please let us put it up on this site. Anything is welcome, press clippings, programmes, tickets or photographs would be ideal.
Please get in touch with us now!
SWANAGE STATISTICS IN BOTH NATIONAL FA COMPETITIONS
FA Vase Played 34 Won 12 Drawn 5 Lost 17 For 61 Against 69
FA Cup Played 26 Won 8 Drawn 7 Lost 11 For 35 Against 43
Overall : Played 60 Won 20 Drawn 12 Lost 28 For 96 Against 112
HOME RECORDS
FA Vase Played 14 Won 6 Drawn 2 Lost 6 For 27 Against 27
FA Cup Played 12 Won 4 Drawn 4 Lost 4 For 18 Against 20
Total: Played 26 Won 10 Drawn 6 Lost 10 For 45 Against 47
AWAY RECORDS
FA Vase Played 20 Won 6 Drawn 3 Lost 11 For 34 Against 42
FA Cup Played 14 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 7 For 17 Against 23
Total: Played 34 Won 10 Drawn 6 Lost 18 For 51 Against 65
Source: Football Club History Database
Statistics compiled by Mark Chadderton
