The FA Cup begins in Oxfordshire for PArkway
By Rob Kershaw
The start of September means the start of what will hopefully be a bit of a cup run for Parkway, as we prepare to face off against Didcot Town.
The Railwaymen have made a solid start to life in the Southern League Division One Central, winning three of their opening four games of the season.
They are second to Berkhamsted as a result, behind only on goal difference as they seek promotion into the Premier Central Division next season.
Their exploits have been mostly successful this season, and have already taken them through two rounds of the cup, seeing off Shrivenham and Cadbury Heath.
In the league, a 5-3 win away at Hertford was followed by a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the aforementioned leaders, Berkhamsted.
They responded with their 4-0 cup win over Cadbury, before scoring seven goals in two games as they defeated Biggleswade and Highworth in Division One Central.
Parkway, meanwhile, have been finding that competitive performances will not always lead to results in the Southern League Premier South.
A draw at Bolitho with Chesham has been followed by five straight defeats to Beaconsfield, Dorchester, Merthyr, Gosport and league leaders, Weston Super Mare, conceding 18 goals in the process.
But the boys played far better than the score lines suggest in all of those encounters; they just need to find some consistent 90-minute performances, and the results will surely come.
Hopes will remain high that the first of those wins will arrive at the Loop Meadow Stadium this weekend, as Parkway begin their 2022-23 cup exploits.
Last season, the Yellows were eliminated by Gosport in their first qualifying round match, while Didcot were seen off by Oxhey Jets in their preliminary round encounter.
Previous Meetings
We have never faced off against this weekend’s opponents, so let’s start the record with a W!
Travel
A trip up the A38 to the M5 awaits on Saturday, followed by a run on the M4 onto the A34 in Berkshire, leaving the M4 on exit 13.
Follow the A34 and the A4130, and you will arrive in Didcot, just south of Oxford.
Alternatively, you can take the train to Bristol Temple Meads, before taking a connection to Didcot, which has a station roughly a 10-minute walk from the ground.
There are limited spaces available on the supporters’ coach, simply email [email protected] for more details!
Weather
Heavy cloud cover is expected for kick-off, and there is around a 24 percent chance of rain.
Temperatures, however, are still expected to reach above 20 Degrees Celsius.
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