FA TROPHY | FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2025 | KICK OFF 3PM
EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN FC
The Vistavis Community Stadium College Lane | East Grinstead | RH19 3LS Tel: 01342 325885
BUZZ FROM THE NEST
Welcome one and all to this afternoon's FA Trophy game againsy our South Central opponents Binfield which, in case you didn't know, is in Berkshire. Yes the road to Wembley starts today. Binfield have prior experience of playing there having reached the FA Vase final a few years ago. And the Wasps once went to Wembley in the FA Cup back in the 1980s. Not for the final, we played Wembley in one of the early rounds... and lost.
No one is denying it's been a terrible start to the season. Looking at positives: we have been competitive in every game, even the heavy defeats to Whyteleafe and Bridges; our young squad will improve with more experience of this level; and soon we're going to get a bit more luck.
So onwards and upwards - and a reminder that the next home game against Hassocks will now be played next Saturday (13th, 3pm) and not on Tuesday 16th.
OWNERSHIP STATEMENT
In accordance with the Football Association's Rule 2.13 (publication of ownership) in relation to Step 1 to Step 6 Clubs within the National League System East Grinstead Town FC is an unincorporated association / members club and a Community Amateur Sports Club (reg no CASC 02270).
Followuson:
FROM THE Dugout
Afternoon everyone and welcome to today’s FA Trophy match against Binfield.
Binfield have started the league campaign well and currently sit seventh. We, on the other hand, are still desperately searching for our first win. Hopefully a break away from league action will allow the lads to play with a little less pressure on them and we can get our first victory which will really lift the group. There’s no hiding away from the fact that the results haven’t been good enough. We are hoping this coming week to add some much needed new faces to bolster what I already believe to be a good enough squad to compete in this league. But as I’ve explained to the lads this week, we can’t go a full month of football without picking up points and not expect us to have to make some changes.
The lads are fully on board with what is required and I will continue to support them on and off the pitch until we get things right.
The rest of the coaching staff and I also need to improve to make sure we are in a much better position come the end of the month. As I’ve said all along, this is a new squad and the lads will need some time but we must help ourselves by winning games of football.
Thanks as always to all of our fans for their support both home and away and I assure you we will be better and the results will come.
BINFIELD TheAwayEnd
BINFIELD FC – THE LAST 20 YEARS
Since 2005, progress at the club has been swift with the addition of floodlights and later a seated stand. The club is tirelessly working to improve our facilities with plans to make further changes to the car park, clubhouse and a new stand around our tea bar. We constantly strive to improve all elements of the facilities from changing rooms to a playing surface we are extremely proud of, to benefit everyone from our under-6s up to our first team.
We won the FTL Hellenic League Division 1 East title in 2008-09 and gained promotion to the next level of English football, where we finished runners up in the 2010/11 Uhlsport Hellenic Premier Division, third in 2012/13 and fifth in 2014. August 15 2009 will long be remembered as our first game in the legendary FA Cup and we have enjoyed some good runs reaching the 1st qualifying round in each of the next two seasons with 400 supporters enjoying the visit of Margate in 2010 and a trip to Slough Town and narrow defeat in 2011. In 2013 the side reached the 2nd qualifying round, losing to a 96th-minute free kick as Leatherhead came from behind. Binfield entered the FA Vase for the first time in season 2008-09 and won three rounds, before reaching the fourth round (last 32) in 2011/12 in an incredible season of cup success. The 2011/12 team is the most successful in our history, winning both the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Trophy and the AM Print & Copy Floodlit Cup in five glorious days in April 2012. We also reached the final of the Hellenic Challenge Cup.
In the two Covid-disrupted seasons, the first team were sitting in second place in the Hellenic Premier. Positions were used to calculate points per game and resulted in promotion to the Isthmian League South Central, our first season ever at Step 4. However, the 2020/21 season will, of course, be remembered for our amazing run in the Buildbase FA Vase when playing every game behind closed doors bar one and all away from home we reached the final at Wembley where we came up against a very good Warrington Rylands side and narrowly lost 3-2.
In 2021/22 season in the Isthmian South Central the team finished eighth after a good start. In the FA Trophy we won at North Leigh and Herne Bay before a home win against Chippenham. We bowed out against Truro, missing a last-minute penalty.
In the 2022/23 season, the team finished sixth in the Isthmian South Central, our highest league position. In the FA Cup we reached the third qualifying round, again our best ever performance, before losing 5-3 away to Beckenham Town. In the FA Trophy, we lost in the first round proper away to Tavistock.
The 2023/24 season will always be remembered as the great escape. At Christmas, the team had no wins in the league, only four points and were rooted to the bottom of the table. Their only win was a 2-0 victory over Wokingham in the FA Cup. They were knocked out of the FA Cup after a replay at Northwood. There were poor performances in the FA Trophy and Velocity Cups with 7-1 and 6-0 defeats respectively. A management change just before Christmas saw Ross Weatherstone taking charge. The team finished with eight wins and managed to finish four points and one position above the relegation zone. 2024/25 was the year of the cup run and giant killings. In the Velocity Cup, the Moles were on the road for every game and made it through to the semi-final beating Premier Division sides Dulwich Hamlet and Hastings United before losing to a strong Billericay Town. In the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup, they defeated National League side Maidenhead United before losing in the quarterfinals to Flackwell Heath. In the league, the Moles improved slightly from last season finishing one position higher and with nine more points.
STANDINGS LEAGUE
FIXTURES & RESULTS
AUGUST
Sat 2 AugHEastbourne UnitedFA Cup EP1-4195Rawlins
Sat 9 AugAWhyteleafeIsthmian South East0-5321
Tues 12 AugHThree BridgesIsthmian South East1-4190Daniel
Sat 23 AugASittingbourneIsthmian South East1-2262Rawlins
Mon 25 AugHSevenoaks TownIsthmian South East0-2219
Sat 30 AugHEastbourne TownIsthmian South East1-2192Rawlins
SEPTEMBER
Sat 6 SepHBinfieldFA Trophy 1st Q3pm
Sat 13 SepHHassocksIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 20 SepABroadbridge HeathIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 27 SepHDeal TownIsthmian South East3pm
OCTOBER
Sat 4 OctABeckenham TownIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 11 OctHCrowborough AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
Tue 14 OctAHassocksIsthmian South East7.45pm
Sat 18 OctHAshford UnitedIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 25 OctASheppey UnitedIsthmian South East3pm NOVEMBER
Sat Nov 1HHastings UnitedIsthmian South East3pm
Sat Nov 8AVCD AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
Tue 11 NovAThree BridgesIsthmian South East7.45pm
Sat Nov 15HMersthamIsthmian South East3pm
Sat Nov 22AMargateIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 29 NovHAFC WhyteleafeIsthmian South East3pm
DECEMBER
Sat 6 DecAAFC Croydon AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 13 DecHHerne BayIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 20 DecAEastbourne TownIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 27 DecHJersey BullsIsthmian South East3pm
JANUARY
Sat 3 JanASevenoaks TownIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 10 JanHErith TownIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 17 JanHBroadbridge HeathIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 24 JanACrowborough AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
FEBRUARY
Sat 7 FebADeal TownIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 14 FebAAshford UnitedIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 21 FebHSheppey UnitedIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 28 FebAHastings UnitedIsthmian South East3pm
MARCH
Sat 7 MarHVCD AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 14 MarAHerne BayIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 21 MarHAFC Croydon AthleticIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 28 MarAErith TownIsthmian South East3pm
APRIL
Sat 4 AprHSittingbourneIsthmian South East3pm
Mon 6 AprAJersey BullsIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 11 AprHFavershamIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 18 AprAMersthamIsthmian South East3pm
Sat 25 AprHMargateIsthmian South East3pm
TEAM LINE UP
EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN BINFIELD
Rex Porter
Neo Wooster
Yashua Smith
Alex Andrade Filipe
Dan Cadman
Tom Cadman
Matt Weaire
Jay Richardson
Ollie Deurell Benito
Tyler Grant
Luke Harrison
George Griffiths
Powell Ukah
Warren Colman
Finlay Lovatt
Kian Price
James Laws
Liam Trevatt
Brady Ayoola
Joe Hasler
Terrique Hall-Anderson
Matt Daniel
Omar Folkes
Ollie Rawlins
Mason Saunders
PROGRAMMES FROM THE PAST
BY LESTERMEDCALF
We'll have a look at a couple of programmes for games played in the past in the first few days of September. To start with we have a game from the season which saw us promoted to the Isthmian League – East Grinstead v AFC Uckfield on Saturday 7 September 2013 in the FA Vase. We were in division one of the Sussex County League while AFC Uckfield were in division two, having been relegated in the previous season.
Richard Tramontin welcomes our visitors in his club notes with a particular welcome for their manager Ray Collier who had been our first-team keeper earlier in his footballing career. Richard also notes that two of our current team – Sam Schaaf and George Hillier-Jones – had previously played for AFC Uckfield.
Team manager Simon Funnell talks about our recent games. After a good start in our first couple of matches “We have struggled a bit in recent weeks. We need to get back on track.” Players are still missing and our last couple of games had seen a 0-0 draw at home to Horsham YMCA with neither side doing much and then a cup match away to division two side Seaford on a very dry and hard pitch. A last minute goal from Ben Burns had given us a 2-1 win and ruled out the need for a replay. The programme has a division one league table – though it was a bit early in the season for it to mean too much. We were bang in the middle with one win, one defeat and a couple of draws. No division two table though we are told that AFC Uckfield had so far had one win, one draw and one defeat. The game saw the Uckfield keeper making a number of good saves in a goalless first half before early in the second-half they took the lead. That's how it stayed until the last 10 minutes when their keeper made his first mistake and Scott Johnston brought us level. And five more minutes saw Matt Geard scoring our winning goal - with a trip to Pagham in the next round of the FA Vase.
RAM RAID
A couple of years later and we have East Grinstead v Ramsgate on Saturday 5 September 2015 in our second season in the Isthmian League.
Bruce Talbot had just taken over the role of programme editor – the fourth time that he had taken on the job, some 31 years after his first go at the job. He goes on to tell us that producing a programme in the 1980s and 1990s was very different to producing them in 2015 (which is itself different to producing them in 2025). Back in the 1980s you used a typewriter and correction fluid. Once you'd typed it you needed to copy it. 38 copies was the normal number of programmes produced – why 38? Because 19 were produced in a normal run. And then the pages had to be stapled together. Manager Tony Beckingham starts his piece with a reminder that “The first month of the season has passed and it's safe to say that it has been a slightly disappointing start.” He had been away on holiday for a couple of weeks and had come back immediately after a 7-1 FA cup defeat. However, he was back in time for an August bank holiday Monday game away to Three Bridges where we had “ended up with a creditable 1-1 draw” Trevor McCreadie scoring our goal. The programme's league table shows us in 20th place – 24 teams in the league – with just one win, one draw but four defeats while Ramsgate were in eighth place. Perhaps no real surprise that Ramsgate went home with the points from a 2-0 win.
A22 DERBY ENDS IN DEFEAT
Pictures from last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Eastbourne Town shows Rex Porter and Powell Ukah in action. Photos: Stuart Gibson.
MATCH ACTION
MEET THE 2025-26 SQUAD
Rex Porter
Goalkeeper Rex joined us from Bromley in the summer on a season-long loan. At 17 he already has the physical attributes to be a good keeper.
Neo Wooster
Midfielder is a product of the Dorking FC academy and has gained first team experience at Dorking and Lancing last season.
Yashua Smith
Midfielder who joined the club this summer. Played in the Combined Counties League for Wembley last season.
Alex Andrade Filipe
Experienced defender who joined the club in 2023 and has made more than 70 appearances since then.
Dan Cadman
Younger brother of Tom and, like his sibling, a full-back. Previous clubs include Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill Town.
Tom Cadman
Tom is a versatile player who has played for multiple clubs at this level and above including Burgess Hill, Whitehawk and Haywards Heath. Into his second spell with the Wasps, for whom his dad and grandfather also played.
Matt Weaire
Central defender who joined the club in July 2023. Was a youngster with Brighton and Colchester United before spells in non-league at Lewes and Cray Wanderers.
Jay Richardson
After being in our youth system, Jay has been part of the Dorking Wanderers academy and made several first team appearances at the club as well as on loan at both Bognor and Steying. An imposing central defender, Jay’s dad John also played for the club.
Ollie Deurell Benito
Another summer signing, Ollie played youth football for Kingstonian and London South Lions last season.
Tyler Grant
Defender Tyler made his first-team debut last season aged 16 having come through the club’s youth system.
Luke Harrison
Midfielder Luke joined the club in November 2024 having previously played for Horsham YMCA and Worthing.
George Griffiths
Former Burgess Hill midfielder who joined the club in pre-season. Previous clubs also include Wimborne Town.
Powell Ukah
Another summer addition to the squad, Powell’s previous clubs include Banstead Athletic and Corinthian Casuals.
Warren Colman
Industrious midfielder who joined the club from Horley Town at the end of 2024 and quickly established himself in the team, making 22 appearances in the second half of last season.
Finlay Lovatt
Skilful attacking midfielder who was in Leyton Orient’s academy and had two years as a pro with Bromley in the National League. Has also played for Dulwich Hamlet and Beckenham Town amongst others before joining the Wasps in 2024.
Kian Price
Midfielder Kian joined the first-team squad this summer, having come through the club’s youth system.
James Laws
Another product of Dorking Wanderers’ academy, attacking midfielder James scored against Crawley Town in our preseason friendly in July.
Liam Trevatt
Midfielder Liam joined the club this summer, having previously played for Reigate Priory.
Brady Ayoola
Midfielder Brady joined the club in March 2025 and went on to make 12 appearances.
Joe Hasler
Another product of Dorking Wanderers’ academy, striker Joe played 18 games for Lancing last season on loan.
Terrique Hall-Anderson
Former Charlton midfielder now in his third spell with the Wasps.
Matt Daniel
Matt joined the club in 2022 from Lancing and became a regular last season when he also chipped in with some important goals, finishing as top scorer in the league with 14 in 2023/24 before scoring ten times in the league last season. Has also played for Horsham YMCA.
Omar Folkes
Powerful striker who joined Wasps in 2022 and has become a regular member of the squad, contributing three league goals last season. Former clubs include Merstham and Three Bridges. His hold-up play is among the best in the league and he chips in with the odd goal as well.
Ollie Rawlins
Striker Ollie played for Cray Wanderers and Steyning last season on loan from Dorking Wanderers, before joining the Wasps this summer.
Mason Saunders
Another player from the club’s youth system, Mason will be looking to establish himself in the first team squad this season after making his debut in the final home game of the 2024/25 campaign.
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