The Emirates F A Cup, Extra Preliminary Round Saturday 2 August 2025

The Mikes made their customary exit from the road to Wembley, in a game where nothing went their way.

The game began in toe-to-toe fashion, the contest looking as if either team could win it – as could have been the case. The visitors’ Keiran Brown was the first to go close, his shot skimming the right-hand post after ten minutes. Six minutes later, however, the hosts took the lead. An intelligent Kory Burke pass, after good advantage by the referee, was swept out to the ever-dangerous Keireice Cunningham, who sprinted into the box before sliding the ball efficiently past exposed keeper Danny Roberts. The visitors responded spiritedly, combining well up their right wing, feeding their tricky winger Lewis Holdham.

The wheels began to come off for the Mikes in the twenty eighth minute. After some modern passing about the penalty area, George Cleet appeared to be fouled before falling on the ball. Long and vehement protests from the visitors claiming a penalty; experts corner confirmed it was outside the box A foul was awarded to the opposition – correctly, just outside the area. From the distant dugout, coach Trevor Burroughs was loudly apoplectic. Now, your scribe has, in times gone by, passed F.A. judgement on such protestations; but on this occasion, he found himself in full sympathy. For no reason evident from the half way line, two minutes later another foul was awarded just beyond the eighteen-yard line. As the Abbey kept pressing, the ball was soon cleared from behind an attacker by new skipper Danny O’Callaghan. The attacker went to ground, and a penalty was awarded. In all the years this writer has recorded Church Road doings, he has never criticised a referee; but he has to say he found this decision unbelievable. It turned out to be the game’s turning point, Aaron Bott converting from the spot. Within two more minutes, a poorly executed back pass to Jonathan Brown saw the keeper smother the ball…outside his area. A yellow card resulted, and a six-man wall (with every Boldmere player back in the box) saw the resultant effort sail over the bar. The half finished with a Boldmere flourish – but half time was signalled before they could turn pressure into an interval lead.

The ever-menacing Holdham went close twice within five minutes of the restart, as the men from Stoke recommenced on the front foot. Ten minutes in, another mazy Holdham run, after Cleet had missed an attempted clearance, gave Bott an easy job of putting the visitors ahead, tapping in the centre at the far post. You know which team is finding the going harder by the number of substitutes they bring on, as they try to turn the tide: Boldmere used all five inside seventeen minutes, while their opponents introduced only two.

With the hour just gone, things went from bad to worse. Holdham broke clear once again…and Brown cleaned him out comprehensively. You couldn’t criticise our official for giving him a second yellow; and Charlie Manners found himself in goal. Could it get worse? Oh yes! By now, the Mikes’ urgency, being a goal down, was contrasted by the Abbey’s sloth, a goal up. Seemingly, the ball was returned from the visitors’ dugout in dilatory fashion, and tempers flared, massed players instantly assembling. After consultation with the linesmen, Boldmere were down to nine men, Ben George receiving his marching orders and Aaron Forde was carded.

Despite this, the Mikes kept looking for an equaliser; but the inevitable finally happened. Freddie Cockerell nearly got his head to an accurate centre to level things, whilst Kyle Burke should have done much from a corner when unmarked but as the Mikes threw men forward, a breakaway saw four Abbey attackers marked by two defenders. Matthew Ward had a simple chance to put clear water between the teams: fifty seconds later, it was all over.

Boldmere St Michaels: Jonathan Brown; Kye Bilton; Jordan Gough (Kyle Burke 64); George Cleet; Daniel O’Callaghan; Ben George; Keireice Cunningham (Red Simmons 60); Aaron Forde; Kory Burke (Freddie Cockerell 60); Alex Lock (Harry Wakefield 70); Nathan Oyemade (Charlie Manners 70). Sub not used: Matt Greenaway

Abbey Hulton United: Danny Roberts, Callum Woolrich, Mackenzie Faulkner, Matt Bell, Aiden Blaise, Carl Dickinson, Lewis Holdham (Daniel Cocks 84), Jack Gumbley (Matthew Ward 53), Keiran Brown, Ethan Stanton, Aaron Bott (Luke Walsh 69) Subs not used: Joshua Bristow, Ben-Adey Weston, Jonathan Beaumont