A first game in this season's FA Vase sent us to Knaphill FC over in the west of Surrey to face a fellow Step 5 club having a good start to their season. The Lingers arrived in third place while our hosts are in second in the Combined Counties League Premier South Division. Having been spared the opening round, in the Second Qualifying Round we were looking for a first win in the competition since our run to the Third Round three seasons ago.

There was a sense of deja vu if you had been at our match at Horsham YM as it was a scrappy game on a bobbly pitch that was not conducive to slick football. In the opening quarter hour we created an opening for Kristian Belousas to shoot from the edge of the box that the home side blocked; a Kwesi Ntim cross from the left wing was headed just wide of the right post by Yusuf McGregor; and in play from a set piece Belousas was able to slide the ball into the box for Adejola Lahan to have a scuffed shot. Knaphill's first chance came on 16mins with a shot over the bar which was offside anyway. A minute later debutant Taurean McDonald-Roberts put a cross through the box from the left that McGregor reached but was not able to keep in.

The first real chance came from the home side's long ball game that put them in on goal only to see Sang Baek come out to save and then Luke Richardson make a superb block on the shot from the rebound. McGregor worked space for a shot from the D that went over the bar before on the half hour Knaphill worked a good move that saw their shot hit their own player and go behind. From a free kick on the right McGregor was able to play in Lahan for another shot in the box but it was straight at the keeper. Six minutes to the break and good hold up play by Gabriel Odunaike allowed Belousas a chance to shoot that had the keeper scrambling at the foot of the right post to keep the ball out. Gifting the ball away allowed Knaphill in for a shot from the D that went wide of the right post.

With three minutes plus any added time to play, a nice move started by McDonald-Roberts holding the ball up well, feeding Stephen Hodge on the right wing, who then set it back to Ntim. He skinned two players to drive forwards and find Belousas for a cross to left side of the box where McGregor had the ball taken off his head by the keeper. Two minutes later and from a corner on the right Richardson got a good head on the ball and in the busy six yard box the ball was directed against the post arriving back at Ntim for a shot over the bar. Into added time and Hodge set up Ntim again for him to shoot wide of the left post.

The home side lifted their performance after the break and had the better of opening ten minutes but were not able to make the most of their shooting chances by missing the target. Looking to lift our performance on 58mins Guyni Nganga was replaced by Jack McDonnell in a switch of full backs. On the hour mark, McDonald-Roberts held onto the ball well in the left corner to win a free kick that was delivered into the six yard box where their keeper claimed it well. Two minutes later McDonnell's industry saw him put a cross in from the right wing that Odunaike controlled and passed to Ntim. Holding off challenges he laid the ball to McDonald-Roberts whose rasping shot was goalbound until the keeper turned it around the post. From the corner Alex Kpakpe hit a shot into the side-netting on the right.

A long ball by Knaphill ended with a shot fired over the bar on 67mins. A minute later McGregor was replaced by Reon Donkor. Hodge was having a good battle on the left wing with the home No. 7 and got in a couple blocks on the edge of the box to concede a corner. Inside the final quarter hour and a penalty shoot out looming if it remained all square, Belousas got a good header forward to McDonald-Roberts on the left wing. He held the ball up and played in Ntim to take the ball into the box and finish across the keeper for 1-0 on 76mins.

With something to defend a change on 82mins with Belousas being replaced by Ethan Lampard for his debut. With the defence and midfield holding firm against the long balls and into the final minute Odunaike's work was done as Oliver Thompson came on to see the game out. In a third added minute Ntim set up Donkor for a chance to seal the game but the keeper was able to save. The ball was quickly sent into our box where Richardson, Lahan and a final boot from Thompson got the ball away down field. The final whistle came and The Lingers advance to the First Round on Saturday 10 October on a weekend reserved for the competition.