Sherwood Aiming For Last Sixteen

United Counties League Premier North high-fliers, Sherwood Colliery, will look to continue making history this weekend, when they travel to North West Counties League Division One North side, Droylsden, in the FA Vase Fourth Round.

Wayne Savage’s side have already seen off South Normanton Athletic, Easington Sports, Dudley Town, and Retford United, in their history-making run, and will look to progress even further on Saturday afternoon (weather permitting).

Hucknall Colliery Welfare and Eastwood Town produced enjoyable runs to the quarter-finals in 1986 and 2004 respectively, whilst Rainworth Miners Welfare were runners-up in the competition way back in 1982.

Those three cup runs withstanding, it’s been some time since a local side progressed deep in the FA Vase, the Wood’s third round opponents this year, Retford United, the last to make it to the fifth round, doing so in 2007.

Formed as recently as 2008, the Wood have already had some special occasions, including a 2021/22 FA Cup qualifying match away to Sheffield FC that was selected for coverage on the BBC; they made the first qualifying round that season, and again in 2023/24 and 2025/26.

In the Vase however, their previous best had been the second round, on two separate occasions before; first in 2016/17, when playing in the Central Midlands South, they lost to Westfields, and again three seasons later, in 2019/20, this time in the East Midlands Counties League, eventually succumbing to Clay Cross Town.

Throughout their still fledgling, near two-decade history, the Wood have plied their trade in six different leagues, reaching the Northern Premier League Division One (East) last time around (2024/25), before being relegated back, at the first time of asking, to the UCL.

Having been at the helm for over a decade now, manager Wayne Savage has overseen a lot at the club, with their current campaign looking to top them all; the Wood have not only put on a best record in the Vase, they also sit second in the UCL Premier North.

Fourteen wins and four draws from their twenty-one matches played, the Wood are two points off leaders Boston Town, and with three games in hand, whilst currently on a five-match unbeaten run.

Concerning the Vase, the run to the fourth round began back in mid-September, and a 6-1 thrashing of hosts South Normanton Athletic, Ryan Ingram’s brace helping the Wood on their way to victory alongside goals from Kieran Knight, William Norcross, Jacob Pearce, and Craig Westcarr.

The following month would see the Wood on the road again, this time at Easington Sports, and a 3-0 win courtesy of Knight, Destiny Wognin, and Alexander Duhameau efforts; raptures at Debdale Park then followed in early November, Jamie York’s stoppage time winner affording the Wood a 1-0 win over visiting Dudley Town, and progression to the third round proper.

Back in the 2019/20 season the Wood saw off the challenge of two, Notts-based clubs, en-route to the second round, defeating Blidworth Welfare and Kimberley Miners Welfare 5-0 and 4-0 respectively, in the third round this season they opposed a battle-hardened, Retford United, at home, in early December.

Norcross and Duhameau both registered their second goals of the Vase run, the visitors’ Jake Wright netting in-between what was a tight contest. And now it’s time for Droylsden.

The Bloods, who play at the Butcher’s Arms, in Greater Manchester, sit second in the NWCL Division One North, a point behind leaders Thornton Cleveleys, with two in hand (the division sees four points separate the top ten).

Winning nine and drawing three of their eighteen league games, the Bloods have made this stage of the Vase following wins over Nostell Miners Welfare (4-0), Penistone Church (2-1), Northwich Victoria (4-2), and Fulwood Amateurs (2-0).

Having reached the third round in both 1987 and 1990, this is also the furthest in which the Bloods have progressed in the Vase, losing out on both occasions back then to Rossendale United.

Sherwood Colliery travel to Droylsden, Manchester, in the FA Vase Fourth Round, this Saturday (17 January), KO 15:00 – the prize for the victors, a place in the last sixteen.