TEAM Solent are at home to Croydon FC in the last 32 of the FA Vase.

Another Test Park tie is their reward for overcoming Bodmin Town, the South West Peninsular League champions, on Saturday.

Curtis Thorn scored the only goal after 30 seconds to set up the tie against the Southern Counties East Football League outfit,who are in the fourth round of the FA Vase for only the third time after a 3-2 win against Glebe FC.

Team Solent have never been this far in the competition before.
Player/coach James Taylor said: "We're delighted to be at home, it makes a big difference because our pitch suits our passing game.

"I've seen that Croydon are halfway up their league but they've done really well in the Vase so we've got to assume they're going to be a good side."

Croydon have beaten Loxwood, Mile Oak, Bracknell Town and Andover Town in this season's Vase but the trip to Test Park will be their second away tie.

It will be played on January 7. "We've got several important league games before then," added Taylor who is hoping his side can build on the win against Bodmin when they host Hamworthy United tonight.
 

“It was a big performance from our guys at the break,” said Team Solent player/coach James Taylor, whose side has never got this far in the competition.

“In the second half, in particular, it was inevitable a side of Bodmin’s quality would have a lot of the ball, but I knew that if we kept our shape, sit there and not let them get too many shots away, we could catch them on the break.

“That’s what happened, except we didn’t manage that second goal to calm everyone’s nerves.

“Defensively we kept a very good shape and it was only in the dying embers that our goalkeeper Bradley Banda was really called upon.

“But when he did, he made a quite magnificent point-blank reaction save in a goalmouth melee to prevent the tie going into extra-time,” Taylor added.

The goal that ultimately decided a finely balanced affair and left Team Solent as the sole Wessex League representatives in today’s draw at the FA’s Wembley Stadium headquarters was almost pre-planned.

Picking up the ball just inside the right-hand touchline, Jesse Waller-Lassen turned Bodmin defender Callum Martindale inside out before picking out Thorn, who climbed in a crowded goalmouth to send a glancing header past a scrambling Kyle Moore.

It was the Alton-based second year Solent student’s first goal for the side – Thorn having missed most of last season through injury.

Taylor explained: “Normally when we kick off we go back, keep the ball and build up play, but we said in the pre-match that, this time, we’d go forward and see if we could get a shot away and it worked out perfectly.

"Unfortunately, we didn’t build on it with a second goal, but Bodmin are a very good side.

“It was two good teams playing a very good brand of football. We are obviously delighted to have won – Bodmin, having had so much possession, will be devastated - but it was a 50/50 tie which could have gone either way.

“It was a tense old affair and we had to hang when Bodmin forced three stoppage-time corners and Bradley made that wonder save.”

FA Vase draw: Shildon v Atherton Collieries, Billingham Town v Cleethorpes Town, AFC Mansfield v Sunderland RCA, South Shields v Morpeth Town, Gorleston or Basildon United v Coleshill Town, Sun Sports v Bromsgrove Sporting, Newport Pagnell Town v Peterborough Sports, Sporting Khalsa or Sleaford Town v FC Romania or Tring Athletic, Ely City v Shepshed Dynamo, Hinckley v Berkhamsted, Bradford Town v Southall, Bristol Manor Farm v Melksham Town, Chichester City v Buckland Athletic, Team Solent v Croydon, Exmouth v Corinthian, Crowborough Athletic v Eastbourne Town or Bedfont Sports.