Ten seasons ago, the younger son joined me at The Oval to watch Eastbourne United AFC in the FA Vase for his first taste of live football. I bought him a Twix and a hot dog, and he mostly enjoyed himself as the home side won 6-1. Nudging a decade on, and we both made the journey over from Hastings once more. This time, it was the FA Cup, and the opponents hadn’t travelled quite so far as the Vase opponents that day – Epsom & Ewell is closer than Morpeth – but there was still food to be consumed and soccer to be enjoyed. This was a great afternoon in the late summer sun – a classic cup tie with no quarter asked or given, whose result was in doubt right up until the end, watched by a crowd prepared to be part of the spectacle. Hard tackles, great goals and a plate of chips the size of your head – honestly, what more could you ask for?

This was the first qualifying round which, as tradition dictates, is actually the third round of qualifying for the first round proper. We’ve done the Extra Preliminary Round and the Preliminary Round by now and so two teams from level 9 did battle in the hope that they will get a pay day against a decent National League regional team in the next round – whilst also eying the £2,250 winner’s cheque on offer. And, yet, for all that, what we got was a match with two sides going hard at each other because, in the end, there was pride on the line. Losing this one hurt.

Those losers were Epsom & Ewell of the Combined Counties Premier Division South. They’ve lost all their league games so far this year but done okay in cups. That luck ran out today and, really, it didn’t deserve to. This was a properly even contest that, on balance of possession and chances, they’d really done enough to earn at least the replay which, as the tannoy announced, would be played on Tuesday.

It was even at the break after a half with lot of action and endeavour but not a huge amount of shots – creative play in the midfield and on the wings was stifled when the ball moved to within range of the target. The second half looked like continuing in much the same vein – albeit with a few more thundering tackles and a fair bit more backchat to the ref – the visiting #4 Zachery Powell became something of a comedy villain and booed by a section of the crowd every time he got the ball.

It took a moment of magic to open the scoring. On 49 minutes, Callum Barlow unleashed an unstoppable drive through a crowded box and it was somehow 1-0 to the home side. Their lead looked like it would withstand the pressure that Epsom threw at them but on 78 minutes, a rare sequence of defensive failings after a crossed free kick, led to players on the ground and the ball in the net. I’m still not really sure how it got there.

Both teams sniffed a win with neither seeming to favour the option of that Tuesday replay. The winner that avoided that came late in the day – the clock says 90 minutes, in fact – with Hayden Beaconsfield being the scorer who sent the home fans and players into raptures whilst the Epsom players looked on in something approaching disbelief.

There was still time for some corner-flagging, a bit of messing about and a few Epsom attacks, including the obligatory final ‘send up the keeper’ but the game was done. Final score: Eastbourne United AFC 2-1 Epsom & Ewell.

A quick glance at the Football Club History Database makes me think this may be United’s deepest FA Cup run since 1988. They will find out who they play when the draw for the next qualifying round is made on Monday evening when, as the tannoy was able to announce, they will be away at Varndeanians now they don’t have to play a Cup replay. Epsom & Ewell, meanwhile, go back to the league, with their next game being somewhat further than Eastbourne: they are away at Jersey Bulls.

I brought along the camera and in between giant portions of cheesy chips and chats with the younger son, it took some photos. They are here.