BRIAN GRANVILLE, our man in the trenchcoat with a diploma in coversational Italian and a copy of When Saturday Comes tucked into his pocket, reports on the latest FA Cup upset involving one of the borough’s non-league sides

Croydon FC have a second chance to qualify for the next stage of the FA Cup having held VCD Athletic to a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the Vickers’ Crayford ground on Saturday in the Preliminary Round.

The replay against the Isthmian League First Division side will be at Croydon Arena this Wednesday, August 24, at 7.45pm.

In the replay, VCD will be looking to control Croydon’s James Fray, who tormented the home side down both flanks and was unlucky not to clinch the match for Croydon with a long-range curling shot in the 53rd minute that hit the post.

VCD will also hope that Jeff Dual-Kessif will be less of a handful. Through on goal, the Croydon No9 just failed to collect the ball to press home the advantage.

Croydon’s stalwart stopper Francis Ameyaw, who needed to parry a late strike over the bar, will also be key to any continued cup run, with the replay winners lined up for a home time in the first qualifying round on September 3 against Kingstonian, a club which has recent experience of reaching the fourth-round proper of the FA Cup.

With Croydon in the Southern Counties East League, in VCD they are up against a side that plays one level above them in the non-league pyramid. VCD’s players include recent signing Jamie Guy, who has League experience with Colchester United.

So Saturday’s performance has got the club, under the touchline leadership of Dickson Gill, really buzzing ahead of this week’s replay.

If the Trams’ Andy Mott can improve on his occasional wayward distribution, a Croydon win may well be in prospect, bringing in nearly £2,000 in prize money plus a glamour tie in the next round, where sides, some with famous cup histories and others with recent league experience, including Dulwich Hamlet, Blyth Spartans, Hereford and Rushden and Diamonds, enter the draw.

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