It means something when your FA Cup debut, your first ever match, takes place in the 150th anniversary of the competition. There are precious few debutants each season, and you have to make the most of the magic that the cup brings in its earliest rounds, before the big boys turn up with their football league grounds and attendances in the low thousands. That is why the Extra Preliminary Round is so much fun, and Lakenheath, Suffolk-based first-timers, were the perfect place to start the Road to Wembley for this special anniversary edition, especially as they are 45 minutes from home so I didn’t have to get up early.
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Driving through the Suffolk countryside on a sunny day, it is difficult to understand why people don’t do this kind of thing more often. The gently undulating hills and fields as far as you can see make for a perfect little weekend drive, if you can cope with so… many… tractors. And, of course, the threatening rainstorm and that point where gently undulating subtly becomes suspension-threatening, and you miss your turning because the sat-nav hasn’t quite got enough signal out in the middle of nowhere. Ok, so maybe it’s not quite as inviting a journey as it first appears. Lakenheath, though, a tiny village that is home to a Second World War airfield, is a charming little village and I recommend everyone visits. Though not all together, it really can’t take that many people. We were treated to a surprise village fete when we arrived, and confused that Google seemed determined that we should watch the game from somebody’s back garden, high above the pitch. I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded, but who am I to ask?
We eventually found our way down to The Nest, which is both tucked away and deep in the ground. The club exists in a former quarry, which makes for some pretty unique views of cliff-face on three sides, tall and green with trees and shrubs. Like a cousin to the Estadio Municipal in Braga. It’s these kind of things that make Extra-Preliminary Round football so exciting.
Almost as soon as they had kicked their first FA Cup ball, the Heath took the lead. Some slack defending from Mulbarton Wanderers allowed McIntosh space on the left, and his third minute cross was met by what I’m reliably informed is the Suffolk Zlatan, Shaun Avis, who headed home. The home side continued to dominate in the early part of the game with a goalmouth scramble their best chance to double their lead before half time. But as the break approached, Mulbarton started to come into the game and for the final 15 minutes applied near-constant pressure to the Lakenheath area, eventually scoring on the break not long before half time through Tom Baird.
The second half saw Mulbarton continue where they had left off, applying the pressure and looking largely the better side, before a foul on Altay gave them the chance to take the lead. Baird took it, putting a lovely ball into the box, and Altay powered it into the net. That seemed to spark Lakenheath back into life, and they started pushing forward with chances falling for Slater whose introduction was caused a tiring Mulbarton defence all kinds of problems. But the goal wouldn’t come as we ticked into 10 minutes of injury time. But 10 minutes was just enough to give the home side a chance, and on 99 a loose ball bounced to Casey on the edge of the area, who drilled a volley into the top corner for the equaliser, and surely the goal of the round.
And so they go again, on Tuesday night, for the chance to progress to the next round. As we got back into the car and drove away from the little quarry, the skies darkened and the heavens opened, happy to ignore the quality we had just seen.
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