Birmingham FA - Ray Hall Lane

Birmingham County FA

Ray Hall Lane

Great Barr

Birmingham 

B43 6JF

0121 357 4278

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Ground Number: 1191

Saturday 20th May 2022
Knowle 1-0 Sutton United

Birmingham FA Vase Final

PRE-MATCH RESEARCH

There's not a lot of information on the Birmingham FA Ground, though I gather it was originally built in 1979 before being fully refurbished in 2016. The CEO of the Birmingham FA is reasonably well known, former goalkeeper Kevin Shoemake. He had a trial for us in the summer of 1991 around the time I started supporting them. Paul Hyde was chosen as our keeper instead but Shoemake had a decent career. He made 44 appearances in the Football League for Orient and Peterborough United but played mainly in non-league including 117 appearances for Kettering Town. He's been in the job since 2018, having previously done the same job at the Northants FA. The BCFA offers 14 different cup competitions to play in. The Birmingham Senior Cup is the most prestigious. It is one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, having been contested since the 1876/77 season.

How old the Birmingham FA Vase is, I couldn't find out. It is contested by clubs that play at step 7 and below in the non-league pyramid. Both finalists are some of the highest-ranked in the competition, both playing in the Midland League D2. Knowle finished 3rd whilst Sutton United were champions and will take their place in step 6 next season. Knowle started out their cup run right at the start, kicking off with an 11-2 win away at PS Olympic. They then won 4-0 at Jet Blades before another away win, 2-0 at DSC United. They were on their travels again in the Quarter Final as they won 2-1 at AFC Somers before winning on penalties at AFC Coventry Rangers following a 0-0 draw.  Sutton United got a bye in the 1st round before a 2-1 win against Balsall & Berkswell. They followed that up with a 6-3 win at Gornal Colts before winning 3-1 at Bolehall Swifts. They booked their place with a 1-0 win at Coventrians in the semi-final.

MY VISIT

Originally on this day, I was looking forward to a double in Wales, most importantly a match at the wonderful looking Garw. However, Dan, who was supposed to be giving me a lift pulled out on Wednesday due to car issues. It was disappointing, but at least good notice was given. There was a real lack of choice of decent venues but I thought I'd found a good replacement in Galleywood. They had a decent railed pitch and Chelmsford is always a nice day out on the train. However, it was moved to a pitch outside Chelmsford City, not my bag at all. Runwell Sports was a reasonable venue a bus ride from Chelmsford but another spanner was thrown in the works with the ongoing train strikes. The government's failure to rein in the train operating companies that rip off passengers and staff alike meant that public transport was very limited.

I conceded that I'd have to drive, but even then, it was still tricky. The Herts Senior League was my next port of call but there was nothing I fancied. Indian Gymkhana v Larkspur Rovers appealed, but the venue was unclear. The Middlesex County League used the old-fashioned looking but informative Football Mitoo to list their games. Here I found Pitshanger Dynamo v OIR, being played at Brentham Club. I'd rather have seen Brentham there, but Pitshanger had an excellent Twitter account. This counted for a lot at this level and it looked like a nice venue. However, another spanner was thrown in the works on Thursday as it emerged Pitshanger had been suspended from the league that morning, so it was back to square one.

On Thursday evening, I decided upon a double in the Midlands. The showpiece was this game - the Birmingham FA Vase Final between Sutton United & Knowle. This had been my original intention a while back, but I opted for the easier option of a double of Wales until the offer was taken away. I'd originally intended to go on the train but with limited services, I decided to drive and give people a lift. From our game at Gornal, we took the ten-minute walk to Wallows Fish Bar & Kebab House. I had my eye on the Biryiani but that was special. In a rush, I went to for the 9" pizza, chips and drink deal for £6.50. The chips were poor, having been sat stewing for ages. But the veggie hot pizza was excellent and one fo the better that I had. However, I wish I'd had the Tsunami on Naan which was kebab meat on a naan with cheese and peppers. What was done was done though and I made my way back to the car. We drove past the takeaway on our slow drive to the Birmingham FA Ground. We were there at 1.40, driving past one of the pitches which hosted FC Premier. It was fiver to get in, decent value plus a free digital programme was available for download.

Knowle were the better side early on and had a number of chances. Overall, it was a dreadful game though and Sutton were very flat. They could not have won the league with performances like that, so must have had an off day. They barely registered a shot. Knowle hit the post at the start of the second half but generally, it was a hard watch. Pressure around the 70th minute and right at the end told for Knowle. They got a last-gasp penalty, scored by O'Neill Martin whose name bore a resemblance ti a heroic Wycombe manager. I drove home, dropping my passengers off. A couple of drinks were needed once home to help me relax as I was not looking forward to a 9-hour shift on Subhuman Sunday at work.

THE GROUND

The Birmingham FA Ground on Ray Hall Lane is a smart but functional setup. There is a decent amount of parking. There is also a tea bar. There is no bar at the ground, though a Stonegate pub, including food, is a short walk away. As for the ground itself, surprisingly, it is not floodlit. It had four covered stands. Two holding around 50 seated and two holding the same amount standing.