The Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division minnows beat the FA Vase trophy holders to reach the quarter-finals, writes club committee member Tommy Rose

Cockfosters FC beat FA Vase holders Whitstable Town en route to the quarter finals (credit @‌els_photo_graphy)

Cockfosters FC’s remarkable FA Vase campaign is continuing following two dramatic victories – putting the Chalk Lane club into the quarter-finals and just two wins from Wembley.

The cup run, already the best in the club’s history, gathered further momentum on 17th January when Cockfosters edged Crawley Down Gatwick 2–1 at Chalk Lane in a tense fourth-round tie. Leading 1–0 through a first-half Terry Offeh goal, the hosts were given a significant lift when goalkeeper Connor Sansom saved a penalty to preserve their advantage.

Crawley Down later equalised, setting up a nervy finish, but the decisive moment arrived in stoppage time as Conrad Holland struck an injury-time winner to send Cockfosters through.

That victory set up a daunting last-16 trip to Whitstable Town for Gavin Kelsey’s side last Saturday (7th), when a crowd of more than 1,500 packed into the Primcura Healthcare Stadium. Facing the reigning FA Vase holders on their own ground represented undoubtedly the toughest assignment of the season so far.

But Cockfosters responded impressively. After a tense first half, Kendall Gyamfi opened the scoring for the visitors after 51 minutes, finishing confidently after being coolly set up by George Lutaaya. Whitstable fought back to level the tie, and the contest immediately shifted again when Cockfosters captain Jay Lovell was shown a second yellow card with 20 minutes remaining.

Whitstable were awarded a penalty shortly afterwards, but Sansom produced another outstanding save to keep the scores level at 1–1.

With no extra time in the FA Vase, the tie went straight to penalties at full time. For the fourth time in this season’s competition, Cockfosters were required to settle matters from the spot — and for the fourth time they prevailed, winning the shootout 5–4 to secure a notable victory over the holders.

At the heart of the performance was player of the match Jandir Da Cruz, who was a commanding presence at the back throughout and helped his side withstand sustained pressure, particularly after being reduced to ten men.

The reward is a quarter-final trip to play Droylesden FC on Saturday, 28th February. Victory there would send Cockfosters into the semi-finals, just one step away from an historic Wembley final.

Significantly, the cup run has been matched by strong league form. Cockfosters remain in the play-off positions and are pushing for promotion to step four of the non-league pyramid for the first time in the club’s history, ensuring that the closing months of the season promise to be among the most important the club has experienced.

Huge credit must go to manager Gavin Kelsey and his coaching team.

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