Cup Final – Shildon AFC

Please see below correspondence received today from the Football Association regarding the FA Competitions for the 2021/22 Season:

We have received an application from your Club to enter one or more of The Emirates FA Cup, The Buildbase FA Trophy, The Buildbase FA Vase and The FA Youth Cup Competitions.

On Friday 2 July 2021, Clubs shall be notified of the following information for each of The Emirates FA Cup, The Buildbase FA Trophy, The Buildbase FA Vase and The FA Youth Cup Competitions;

– List of participating Clubs

– List of Clubs to receive exemption

– Round Dates

– Prize Fund

The Emirates FA Cup – Step 6 Clubs to be accepted

As the Competition was oversubscribed, it will not be possible to accommodate all Clubs that have applied to enter. As a result of the recent restructuring of The FA National League System, the maximum number of Clubs that can be accepted to participate in the Competition in its current format shall be 729. All Clubs that applied to enter the 2021-22 Competition that will be competing at Step 5 of The FA National League System or higher for the 2021-22 season shall be accepted. Taking into account the number of Clubs that have been uplifted in the recent restructuring, it means that only eight places will be available in the Competition for Clubs competing at Step 6 of The FA National League System.

A draw will be conducted to determine eight of the 17 Step 6 Leagues which will be represented in the Competition. Each of those eight Step 6 Leagues will then be represented by one Club. This Club will be the highest ranked Club within that Step 6 League that was not successful in receiving upward movement to Step 5 of The FA National League System in the recent restructuring.

Whilst we accept this method would not ordinarily be used to determine entries into the Competition, we believe it to be the fairest method in the current set of exceptional circumstances, to ensure the Competition has a fair balance of Clubs across all the divisions of Step 6 of The FA National League System.

The Emirates FA Cup – Step 4 Clubs receiving exemption

Similar to previous seasons, in order to maintain the number of participating Clubs at a similar level and for the Competition to retain its current format, it will be necessary for a number of Clubs at Step 4 of The FA National League System to enter the Competition in the Extra Preliminary Round instead of the Preliminary Round. For the 2021-22 Competition there shall be 21 Clubs at Step 4 required to enter the Competition in the Extra Preliminary Round instead of receiving exemption to the Preliminary Round, which is the round where the remaining Step 4 Clubs shall enter. This shall comprise of three Clubs from five of the eight Step 4 Leagues, which means there will be two Clubs from each of the remaining three Step 4 Leagues.

Draws shall be conducted for each Step 4 League to determine which Clubs shall enter the Competition in the Extra Preliminary Round.

Competition Draws

Draws for the following fixtures shall be released on Friday 9 July 2021;

– The Emirates FA Cup – Extra Preliminary Round & Preliminary Round

– The Buildbase FA Trophy – First Round Qualifying & Second Round Qualifying

– The Buildbase FA Vase – First Round Qualifying & Second Round Qualifying

– The FA Youth Cup – Preliminary Round and First Round Qualifying

Competition Rules

The Rules of each Competition are currently being reviewed. These will be communicated to all participating Clubs as early as possible following the release of the draws for the opening two rounds of fixtures on Friday 9 July.

Please note the above information is correct as at the date of this communication, but remains subject to change.

Kind Regards

FA Competitions

When Shildon defeated their local rivals, Bishop Auckland to win the Durham Challenge Cup for the second time in 1925-26 (the first victory coming in 1907-08 as Shildon Athletic) little did they know that it would take another 41 seasons (the intervention of the Second Word War cancelling all competitive football for several years) before they would see their name etched on the cup again.

In the 1971-1972 season, the patient Shildon fans once more celebrated with their players as they proudly held the trophy aloft after overcoming Durham City.

Now another 41 seasons have passed and Shildon are once more in the final, this time against another local rival, Spennymoor Town. If history was written by numbers, then those numbers are surely aligning themselves for the Railwaymen.

The players have given their all this season, reaching heights that no one would have credited them with after a stuttering start to their league and cup campaigns. But if any group of players deserved some reward for their efforts this season, it is surely this group of Dean Street’s finest for many a year.

Gaffer, Gary Forrest, has taken the club from relegation candidates to league and cup challengers and now, on the eve of an historic day, the fans dare to dream!

A new chapter in the history of Shildon Football Club is ready to be written, and this group of players are ready to write it. We wish them every good fortune on the field of play tomorrow as they attempt to turn theirs and our dreams into reality.

The Durham Challenge Cup Final will kick off at 10.45am on Good Friday at Billingham Synthonia’s Central Avenue Stadium. Entry is just £5 and £2 concessions.

Dare to dream with the Railwaymen!