A little more background on Saturday’s FA Cup opposition…
By Matty Paddock - 30/09/2021
Posted 3 years ago
FOURTEEN years on from their previous FA Cup to Ware, Russ Penn’s Harriers head back to face the Blues in this weekend’s Third Qualifying Round.
That 2007 tie was in the First Round proper, but Saturday’s game – which will kick off at 3:00pm – offers the winner the chance to reach Fourth Qualifying Round. For Harriers that would be for the first time since 2017.
As it’s been a while since the club have encountered Ware, we’ve decided to take a deeper look into our weekend hosts ahead of our trip to Hertfordshire and their Wodson Park ground.
Here, Shane Wilkinson helps us explore all the key areas of Ware FC with Five Things to Know…
WHO ARE THEY?
Ware were founded in 1892 as Ware Town, before dropping the Town moniker, making it one of the shortest-named FA affiliated clubs. Interestingly they have held senior status since their formation in a move that brought about early success, winning the Herts Senior Cup at the end of the nineteenth century to follow up their success in the East Herts League. Further league and cup success followed the First World War, before they joined the Spartan League. The 50s and 60s saw them move into the Delphian and Athenian Leagues, and in 1968 they reached the FA Cup First Round for the first time, travelling to then Division 3 side Luton Town, who dished out a heavy 6-1 defeat.
Ware were accepted into the Isthmian League for the 1975/76 season and have maintained their place at that level to this day. Under Glen Alzapiedi, they won the Isthmian League Division Two in the 2005/06 season, making them the final champions as Division Two was disbanded ahead of the 2006/07 season, with Division One being reorganised into North and South regions.
They are one of only three candidates to appear in the Herts Senior Cup Final in three separate centuries, having reached it on eleven occasions to date, winning it five times. They are currently managed by Paul Halsey, brother of former Premier League referee Mark Halsey.
WHERE ARE THEY?
Ware play at Wodson Park, located in the north end of Hertfordshire approximately 150 miles from Aggborough. They play on an artificial surface which was laid in 2018, allowing for the hire of the stadium in the local community as well as giving Ware the ability to host local finals and numerous youth games. It has been their home since 1995, when their previous stadium became a car park for a pharmaceutical company, who is the town’s largest employer and paid for the new ground.
Wodson Park has played host to European Competition, hosting a group game in the UEFA Women’s Cup (now UEFA Women’s Champions League) in 2002.
The current record attendance was set at a familiar game, with 2,123 people packing in for our previous visit to Ware back in 2007. Harriers were, of course, victorious that day thanks to strikes from Michael Blackwood and James Constable. Some 300+ fans travelled to back Mark Yates’ men that day.
HOW HAVE THEY GOT HERE?
Ware have played five games to date in this season’s Emirates FA Cup, beginning their campaign back in August at the Extra Preliminary Round as one of the 21 early entering Step 4 sides. That day they hosted Takeley, with goals from Liam Hope and Leigh Rose securing their safe passage to the Preliminary Round.
There, they were rewarded with another home tie, this time against Hashtag United. This was another close looking affair, with Dave Kendall striking with ten minutes to go to secure a narrow 1-0 win.
The First Qualifying Round saw them hit the road, travelling to Colney Heath. The trip away from home comforts wasn’t an issue, though, as they comfortably dispatched their hosts 4-0. Rose and Hope both got on the scoresheet again, scoring the first and last goals respectively with strikes from Taufee Skandari and Louis Rose sandwiched between them.
The Second Qualifying Round saw Ware land a plum tie as they played host to National League South strugglers Hemel Hempstead Town. They were facing an exit from the competition, finding themselves 2-0 down before Louis Rose’s goal got them back into it. The comeback was complete when Liam Dulson got the latest of equalisers, notching in the third minute of injury time. The replay took place last Tuesday and was a tight affair, but Hope’s goal just shy of the hour mark split the two sides as the underdogs came away with a 1-0 win at their higher ranked opponents.
Ware are looking to advance past the Third Qualifying Round for the first time in 14 years, so it seems like Ware cup runs and Harriers are linked somewhat!
HOW ARE THEY GETTING ON IN THE LEAGUE?
Currently plying their trade in the Southern League Division One Central which sits at Step 4 of the pyramid, our hosts on Saturday have enjoyed an excellent start to the season, sitting in third position after seven games. They currently trail second placed side Berkhamstead by four points and early pacesetters North Leigh by five, although they do hold three games in hand on the table toppers.
With 15 points from their seven games, they are a side with plenty of confidence and plenty of goals as well! They have won three of their four home League games to date, with those victories coming by scorelines of 5-1, 4-0 and 4-1. Their only home League defeat came on Tuesday night as Harlow Town emerged 1-2 winners. Their other defeat, away from home, was a 1-0 reverse in their only game to see fewer than three goals. Judging by their League form so far, Saturday’s game could see plenty of goals given that Ware games currently average 3.85 goals per-game in the League. Including cup games, this figure drops slightly to 3.36, but even so, Ware fans certainly appear to be getting value for money at this early stage of the season!
PLAYERS PAST AND PRESENT
The honour of being Ware’s top scorer this season is shared between Leigh Rose and Liam Hope, with the pair on five apiece. Hot on their heels are Robbie Buchanan and Liam Dulson with four goals each. In total, they have seen 11 different goalscorers on their way to 29 goals, with only Reece Crowter and Rechan Esprit sat on a single goal each.
Ware alumni of the last 30 years include the late Dermot Drummy, the former Crawley Town manager who, in the 1996/97 season, combined his management duties with playing for Ware. Drummy was not the only former EFL name to have passed through Ware, with Scott Neilson playing over sixty games for them before moving to then Conference South side Cambridge City in March 2008. Neilson then moved to League Two Bradford City before returning to non-league with Crawley Town via a loan spell with Cambridge United in 2009-10. His time at Crawley was a success, as he was part of their Conference Premier title winning season, before making thirty appearances in their maiden League Two campaign. He would go on to represent Grimsby Town (twice) and Luton Town.
Representing Ware at the other end of their career was former Watford midfielder Micah Hyde. A veteran of 253 EFL and Premier League appearances for The Hornets, as well as 17 Jamaican international caps, Hyde would briefly come out of retirement in 2016, making a solitary appearance.
Perhaps the most famous former Ware player for those of a certain vintage was Derek Saunders, who became the club’s youngest ever captain after the Second World War at the tender age of 17. Saunders would go onto play over 200 times for Chelsea, including every one of their 42 league fixtures when Ted Drake led them to their first ever league title in 1955.
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