Deal Town 7 Tooting Bec 0

Isuzu FA Vase First Round Proper, Saturday 22nd October

I made my first ever visit to the Kent costal town of Deal on Saturday for an Isuzu FA Vase First Round Proper contest and saw a first half hat trick from Man Of The Match Tom Chapman help hosts Deal Town demolish Tooting Bec on a lovely October afternoon at The Charles Sports Ground.

The one and only time I have seen Deal Town came when they netted their one and only Vase success, a feat not many have achieved over it’s almost fifty years in existence, when they defeated Chippenham Town 1-0 at Wembley, after extra time, in the 2000 final, so some twenty odd years ago now.

This was obviously totally different to that day in terms of the situation and surroundings, this was my first visit to Deal in both the town itself and the ground, and after having some lunch at Wellington's Bar & Bistro, which was very pleasant, a nice stroll along the seafront and around Deal Castle, and then stopping at an ice cream parlour on the way to the ground, I arrived at The Charles Sports Ground.

It is a lovely set up it has to be said, it had three refreshment places, a lovely new clubhouse, seated stand and some covered standing areas, just what you need for this level, and also an electronic scoreboard too, it certainly was a decent step five ground that was for sure, oh and the bar did a lovely IPA too as well as their own 'Deal Town' lager, very home grown for sure!!!

The hosts are having a decent start to their campaign, sitting fourth in the Southern Counties East Premier Division, winning six of their eleven league games so far, although they hadn’t won in three games in the league and lost at Phoenix Sports last time out 3-0, so it had been around a month since they had last tasted victory in their division.

They did however thrash fellow Premier Division side K Sports 5-1 at home coming into this contest a week ago in the Kent Senior Trophy, so that would have given them a much-needed boost coming into this big FA Vase 1^st Round contest and, they would have been coming into this contest as strong favourites no doubt.

This is because their opponents in this tie were Southern Counties East First Division side Tooting Bec, a side who didn’t even exist when Deal won the Vase back in 2000, as the club were only formed four years after that so are not even twenty years old, however it only took them just over a decade to reach Senior football after several seasons in Junior Surrey football.

Their league form had been decent lately, three wins on the bounce after a poor start before they were beaten by Bridon Ropes last time out, but this would be a much tougher assignment against a Deal Side who are a step above them in the pyramid although as said before anything can happen in cup football, and the visitors had nothing to lose.

So, how did these clubs reach this stage of the Vase, well Deal saw off Southern Combination Premier Alford 3-1 at Alford’s Recreation Ground before needing penalties to see of another SCEFL Division One side FC Elmstead after a goalless draw, so hope for Tooting Bec who are above Elmstead in that Division, maybe they can go one better than them, who knows.

Tooting Bec themselves played both their previous rounds at home, beating fellow SCEFL One side Sporting Club Thamesmead 1-0 before thrashing Southern Combination One side Billinghurst 5-0, meaning they haven’t conceded a goal in this year’s competition yet, although it would be a tough task to keep that record going in this one, but who knows as they say?

Enough background info on the game anyway, shall we talk about what happened in the game itself?? Why not, after all that’s why we are all here isn’t it.

Well, it didn't take long for the hosts to gain the advantage as with only seven minutes on the clock they found the net after Tom Chapmen caught the visiting keeper out at his near post to net from an angle from inside the box, and then he had his and Deal's second midway through the first period with a lovely deft chip over the keeper into the far corner for a beautiful finish.

Tom Chapman was causing the visitors all kinds of problems, and nine minutes before the break he duly completed his hat trick when sweeping home from inside the box, and when Aaron Millbank thundered home a powerful header from close range just two minutes later, the tie was already well and truly over and you felt at this point it was how many Deal would get, it had been an horrendous half for Tooting Bec, and it was now damage limitation for sure in the second period.

The second period was just as one sided as the first though, and eight minutes after the break it was five when Ben Chapman got in on the act too, firing an effort in from outside the box with ease, and then around twenty minutes into the second half the two Chapman's combined when Tom crossed for Ben to tap home from close range, and then two minutes after this a wonderful team goal ended with Connor Coyne sweeping home from inside the box, and the real possibility of double figures of on the cards for sure.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors with fifteen minutes left too as Jack Martin, the Tooting number four, was shown a straight red after a poor challenge on Ben Chapman, when it rains it pours for the visitors here, it had certainly been an afternoon to forget, apart from a decent chance in each half, floating one across goal and wide in the first half at 2-0, and somehow heading wide from close range at 5-0, it was pretty much one way traffic.

It was a ruthless display from the home side though, and they missed several decent openings too so could have easily netted double figures here, and the majority of the 466 crowd inside the Charles Sports Ground would have more than enjoyed that display from their side in this one as they breezed into Round Two's draw on Monday.

Full time Deal Town 7 Tooting Bec 0 

Finally it was a very enjoyable day, Deal is a lovely town and the club are lovely too, fantastic set up, good people and a great side, would certainly recommend you visit here if you haven't done already, you will not be disappointed that is for sure.