Southend United News | FA Cup
Southend United drawn at home to Berkhamsted in FA Cup
Southend United will begin their FA Cup campaign at Roots Hall after being drawn at home to Berkhamsted in the fourth qualifying round.
The tie is scheduled for the weekend of 17 October, with a place in the first round proper at stake for The Shrimpers and their Southern League opponents.
For Kieron Dyer’s side, the draw offers the opportunity to progress in front of their own supporters. However, Berkhamsted have already won twice away from home in this season’s competition and will arrive hoping to add Roots Hall to their cup journey.
Introducing the Comrades
Berkhamsted, nicknamed The Comrades, compete in the Southern League Premier Division South, two levels below Southend in the non-league pyramid. They are managed by Chris Devane and play their home matches at the Glencar Community Stadium, Broadwater, in Hertfordshire.
Their league results have been mixed, but their cup performances give Southend something to take seriously. Three successive FA Cup victories have brought them to the final qualifying round.
How Berkhamsted reached this stage
The Comrades began with a 3–2 victory at Bishop’s Stortford in the first qualifying round on 5 September, before beating Hendon 4–1 at home a fortnight later.
They then secured their trip to Roots Hall by winning 2–0 at Redditch United on Saturday. Ryan Blake opened the scoring after 12 minutes, with Luke Andrews adding the second in the 80th minute.
That leaves Berkhamsted with nine goals scored and three conceded across their three qualifying ties. Their victories at Bishop’s Stortford and Redditch also show that travelling away has presented no barrier to their progress.
Berkhamsted’s FA Cup journey
First qualifying round: Bishop’s Stortford 2–3 Berkhamsted · 5 September
Second qualifying round: Berkhamsted 4–1 Hendon · 19 September
Third qualifying round: Redditch United 0–2 Berkhamsted · 3 October
Fourth qualifying round: Southend United v Berkhamsted · Weekend of 17 October
Players to watch
Captain Jonathan “JJ” Lacey is one player Southend will need to keep an eye on. He scored five times in Berkhamsted’s opening five league matches, including a double against Poole Town, and twice in the FA Cup victory over Hendon.
Ryan Blake has also featured regularly among the scorers. As well as his early goal at Redditch, he found the net against Bishop’s Stortford and Hendon, giving him a goal in each of their three FA Cup ties.
Forward Ricardo German, who joined from Sholing in the summer, provides another attacking option. He was also on target in September’s 3–1 FA Trophy victory over Chatham Town.
There is a background Southend connection, too. Former Shrimpers player Jack Wood played for Berkhamsted before moving to Kings Langley, from whom Southend later signed him.
League business comes first
Southend have a trip to Boston United to negotiate before their attention turns fully to the cup.
The Shrimpers returned to winning ways with Saturday’s 3–1 victory over AFC Fylde, with Darren Oldaker, Ryan Colclough and Ben Goodliffe scoring at Roots Hall. That provided a welcome response to the defeat against Barrow and the late equaliser conceded at Eastleigh.
Berkhamsted are scheduled to visit Yate Town on Saturday. Their two most recent league matches ended in defeats against Hanworth Villa and Sholing, although those setbacks have been accompanied by progress in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
The confirmed date, kick-off time and ticket arrangements for the Roots Hall tie will be added once announced. The first round proper is scheduled for the weekend of 7 November.
The Shrimpers-online verdict
A home draw against a side from two levels below is an encouraging starting point for Southend. The Shrimpers will be favourites, with the opportunity to reach the first round proper in front of their own supporters.
Berkhamsted’s route through qualifying is a reminder that the job still has to be done. They have scored freely, won on the road twice and have several players contributing goals. Southend will need to give them the same attention they would any other opponent.
The win over Fylde showed how dangerous The Shrimpers can be going forward. If they bring that attacking quality into the cup and cut out the defensive mistakes that gave Fylde opportunities, they will give themselves a strong chance of progressing.
For now, Boston comes first. Then Roots Hall will host the next step in Southend’s FA Cup campaign.
Up the Shrimpers.
