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FA Vase weekend came round again - for once without strikes, but with major engineering works that made a day trip to Coventry not very practicable. A couple of nights in a hotel would have been possible, but Friday I had a pre-op eye assessment. (This turned out to surprise them that the cataract was so dense in one eye that the readings were not possible - so back on Monday for another go.) It was therefore necessary to settle for

Episode 13
Saturday 11th February 2023
FA Vase 5th Round
Eccleshill United   0   v   2   Atherstone Town
Paul Cooper; Matt Archibald, Elliot Shiers. 4thers: Bilal Moosa.

As the officials warmed up in their (almost) matching tracksuits, they looked a handsome bunch - well, remember the eye assessment. Sadly, or on reflection maybe not, Mr Archibald had visited a different barber to his two colleagues.

After 8 minutes a late tackle by a home defender drew a deserved word of warning from Mr Cooper. The rest of the half passed peacefully: the Adders occasionally looked dangerous in their attacks, something Eccleshill did not manage - at least until the final seconds of added time, when they forced a corner. The break brought the good news that Brighouse were a goal up at Pontefract.

Eccleshill looked more lively in the second half, but it was Atherstone who took the lead shortly after the hour. An Atherstone foul five minutes later drew a minor reaction from an Eccleshill man, who wanted the ball back, but Mr Cooper was there very quickly to prevent any escalation. With Atherstone ahead, there were fears of a repetition of the timewasting antics of the previous round, but it was not till late on that he had any goal-kicks - and at the second, Mr Cooper waited on the edge of the penalty area to chivy the keeper into action., which had the desired effect, helped perhaps by the fact that the double act was not in operation this time. A long spell of treatment to a home player saw the Eccleshill man about to take the throw in creep 20 yards forward. Treatment over, Mr Cooper briskly moved him back the full distance - perhaps informed by a shout from Mr Shiers and if not, certainly by the Atherstone players. Atherstone added their second in the last ten minutes and held out as Eccleshill pressed. Full time brought the news that Pontefract had scored twice in the second half, leading to a further Brighouse defeat.

It turned out to be a doddle for Mr Cooper, who has advanced well since JCFC first saw him on the line. Briskly given decisions allowed for little or no contestation. His movement was commendable, with a couple of rapid reverse adjustments. He did try to look for advantages, but only once was the result not a quick recall. His whistle could be shrill and strong, but not overdone. The assistants seemed equally efficient in what was a fine team performance.