2005/03/08 - Alvechurch 2 Racing Club Warwick 4 - Midland Football Alliance League Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg

 

Today I'm going back 17 years to 2005 and Racing Club Warwick's Midland League Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg against South-West of Birmingham rivals Alvechurch, played in front of a crowd of just 102. If you've got a great memory you may recall that I covered the programme from the 1st Leg just over a year ago. Warwick edged the 1st Leg by 1-0 and so it was all to play for in this, the 2nd Leg.

Alvechurch is a village club located in Worcestershire (the sauce!) who they ply their footballing trade in the Southern League Premier Central Division (non-league step 3). Alvechurch have a claim to fame for their part in English FA Cup football history in that they, along with Oxford City, participated in the longest FA Cup match ever, a record that is unlikely to be broken because drawn replays have gone to a penalty shootout since 1991. The tie involved 6 matches, including five replays and four of those replays went to extra time. The 6 games were spread over just 17 days and Alvechurch also fitted in a regular league game during this period before overcoming Oxford City at the 6th attempt! Their reward was a First Round Proper tie against Aldershot which they lost 4-2 at the first time of asking. Alvechurch is also famous (infamous?) for being former Arsenal, Leicester City and England striker Alan Smith's first club. Smith was also well known for being one of the commentators on the EA Sports game FIFA from 2012 until 2020.

Alvechurch's home since 1957 of Lye Meadow may not exist for much longer. The club is seeking planning permission to build homes on the site and relocate to The Hayes in West Heath, Birmingham. Lye Meadow has a pronounced side-to-side slope and so it is perhaps not a ground that will be long mourned if it does go under the bulldozers.

The featured match was a delight for Racing Club Warwick supporters with their nerves being settled early in the second half with goals from Tom Cudworth (51st minute), Jermaine Gordon (54th minute penalty) and Robert Betts (63rd minute) which gave Racing Club a 4-0 lead on aggregate. The tie was effectively over although Alvechurch did manage to pull a goal back via Keith Rostill in the 68th minute before Jermaine Gordon scored a second to restore Warwick's four goal cushion. Alvechurch completed the scoring in the 80th minute with a goal from substitute Jason Ramsey but it was Marcus Law's Racing Club that were through to their first Cup Final in years by an aggregate score of 5-2.

CRB Match No. 1425