Leamington 5 Boldmere St Michaels 0

I was genuinely looking forward to this clash. For me, an away trip to Leamington represented the first real 'road trip' style experience that I am expecting to have over the next few months. It was also going to be interesting to see how Boldmere could handle a team that was 2 whole divisions above them. As the scoreline suggests, they couldn't, but what was more intriguing about this tie was the discovery of new surroundings, of a club in possession of higher trappings of fame and fortune, and ambitions.

The New Windmill Ground is situated in the middle of nowhere deep in the Warwickshire countryside, and is a very smart set up. Home fans were heard loud and clear in the stand behind the goal, and seen clearly too thanks to the many flags draped over them. The club boasts a large modern clubhouse, where you can enjoy a post match pint with fans and players alike, in the Ed Mullard bar. During the match, should you fancy striking up a conversation with the locals, you could always pop across to the club shop, where you would be served by club stalwart  Debbie Hodgkins. I know this, because I was informed by the professional matchday programme, a snip even at this level, at only £2.

Back to the football, and it was clear right from the start that Leamington were a club who knew what they were doing on the pitch as well as off. They were faster, pacier, sharper and fitter than their Birmingham based opponents, who found it hard to get much possession in the early stages of the game. That said, Boldmere were only 1-0 down by half time, there was every chance of scoring a goal in the 2nd half and the game was by no means over yet.

This changed however, after the Boldmere captain hauled down a Leamington player in the penalty area, the resulting conversion doubling Leamington's lead. From then on it was clearly game over. Boldmere lost their cool, leading to a dramatic collapse in the final 10 minutes, conceding 3 more goals.

It was hardly surprising, but at the same time a fascinating contest, both teams trying to play football, but one team clearly miles ahead than the other in terms of quality and fitness. At the end of the game, I decided to follow the programme's recommendations and sample the atmosphere in the Ed Mullard bar, where I could sit and watch Debbie Hodgkins in action, whilst reflecting on Boldmere's short and sweet FA cup run. The draw is on Monday, and this is where it begins to get really exciting. There are hundreds of teams in the 2nd Qualifying round...I could be traveling anywhere between Leamington and Carlisle......

Coleshill Town 0 Boldmere 1

Im not gonna lie. There were several times during the course of this match when I seriously began to question my motives in taking on this challenge. An FA Cup replay on a cold, wet Tuesday evening? Great.

This one had to be done however, and being a local derby, it had every chance of becoming a classic. It wasn't. In reality it was a game of little incident, Boldmere scoring the games only goal by means of a free kick that flew past everyone in the box, including the goalkeeper, into the net. In the second half, the weather deteriorated further, and I ended up watching the rest of the game in my brother's girlfriends car.

For Boldmere however, the importance of the result of this tie cannot be overstated; a tough away win againt a team higher placed in the league, a local derby as well, this was a great result for them. Now for Leamington....

Boldmere St Michaels 2 Coleshill Town 2

And so the FA Cup brought me back to Boldmere on a mild Tuesday evening for a local derby clash with high flying Coleshill Town. Lets face it, it was never going to be a walkover. While the first round had served up a rather entertaining clash against a team a division below, this one presented Boldmere with a much tougher challenge, made tougher still, by the comparative loss of form since the last tie.
And so it proved.

Boldmere again set their stall out to play as unattractive, direct football as possible, their sole attacking strategy being to hit the channels in the vain hope of releasing a pacy winger, or giving service to the big man up front. In truth, this direct style of play seemed like it was paying off, as the huge Number 9 struck a superb left foot shot in from about 18 yards. However, false dawns are aplenty in non league football, and it was only a matter of time before Coleshill's industrious play was to yeild them rewards. They equalised, and soon went 2-1 ahead.

What I have seen already in both ties is that a football game rarely opens up until late in the second half. Boldmere started the half better, quicker and set about their task with new enthusaism. Their archillies heel however, was yet again the tactics they were to employ, making little use of any centre midfield intricacy they did have. Meanwhile, both sets of players quickly began to use the match as a method of stress relief, Boldmere suffered injuries in quick succession, and gaining a penalty soon after. Though the penalty was saved, Boldmere were able to gain some reward for their hardwork by eventually equalising.

At the end, it was a truly dour affair, suitably rounded off at the very end, by a scuffle, an argument, and a centre midfielder getting sent off AFTER the game had finished. The result? Iv got to do this all over again on Tuesday for the replay.