FA Trophy 2026-27 1st Qualifying Round Review
by Phil Annets – @FATrophyFacts on X
Stat of the Round
Portland United set a competition record of biggest gap between FA Trophy games having only previous participated in it during the competition’s 1969-10 inaugural season. The Blues also won to set another record of longest wait for first FA Trophy victory – 57 years!Aylesbury United 6-4 Sittingbourne FC is only the fourth such score-line in FA Trophy history!
Aylesbury United 6-4 Sittingbourne FC is only the fourth such score-line in FA Trophy history!
First time in 2nd Qualifying Round Round ever
Eastbourne Town – 10th campaign
Gorleston FC – 10th campaign
Erith Town – 3rd campaign
Hallam FC – 3rd campaign
Wellingborough Town – 3rd campaign
Portland United – 2nd campaign
Takeley FC – 2nd campaign
Wythenshawe FC – 2nd campaign
Debut Clubs Sill in FA Trophy
AFC Stoneham, Fakenham Town, Horley Town, Nuneaton Town
Equalling best run to 2nd Qualifying Round
Southall FC – 6th time in 11 campaigns
Slimbridge FC – 3rd time in 10 campaigns
Pontefract Collieries – 3rd time in 9 campaigns
Newmarket Town – 3rd time in 4 campaigns
Raynes Park Vale – 2nd time in 4 campaigns
Croydon Athletic – 2nd time in 3 campaigns
Loughborough Students – 2nd time in 3 campaigns
First time in 2nd Qualifying Round in a while
53 years – Bourne Town (2 campaigns)
43 years – Ashington FC (5 campaigns)
12 years – Peacehaven and Telscombe (2 campaigns)
9 years – Egham Town (3 campaigns)
6 years – Moneyfields FC (3 campaigns), Whitstable Town (2 campaigns)
5 years – Aylesbury United, Slimbridge FC (2 campaigns), Willand Rovers
4 years – Faversham Town (2 campaigns), Shepshed Dynamo, Ware FC
Into 2nd Qualifying Round and long time since last KO before it
29 years – Congleton Town (6 campaigns)
10 years – Bognor Regis Town, Potters Bar Town
9 years – Prescot Cables, Weymouth FC
8 years – Canvey Island, Matlock Town, Morpeth Town, Nantwich Town
7 years – Ashford United, Tiverton Town
6 years – Cambridge City
4 years – AFC Sudbury, Hanley Town (3 campaigns), Hashtag United
Never KO before 2nd Qualifying Round (Min 3 campaigns)
9 campaigns – Guisborough Town
4 campaigns – Ascot United
First time knocked out as Early as 1st Qualifying Round ever (Min 3 campaigns)
Falmouth Town – 12th campaign
First time Knocked Out Before 2nd Qualifying Round for a while
43 years – West Auckland Town (4 campaigns)
15 years – Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC
12 years – Hungerford Town, Royston Town
11 years – Barwell FC
9 years – Basford United
8 years – Bedfont Sports (6 campaigns), Haringey Borough (7 campaigns), Kingstonian FC
7 years – Belper Town, Carlton Town, Cray Valley Paper Mills, Dorchester Town, Hendon FC, Lincoln United (5 campaigns), Lowestoft Town, Sittingbourne FC, St Ives Town, Swindon Supermarine
5 years – Winchester City
4 years – Bishop’s Cleeve, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Tilbury FC (3 campaigns), Westfield FC
Consecutive 1st Qualifying Round KOs
5 – Grimsby Borough (all 5 campaigns), Mossley FC, Newcastle Town
4 – Binfield FC, Merstham FC, Stotfold FC (all 4 campaigns)
3 – 1874 Northwich (Across 5 years), Beaconsfield Town, Boston Town (Across 45 years), Garforth Town (best Trophy run), Liversedge FC (Across 4 years), Redbridge FC, Vauxhall Motors (Ellesmere Port)
Avenged Previous FA Trophy Defeat
Bishop’s Cleeve 1-3 Bristol Manor Farm
Grantham Town 1-3 Mickleover FC
Bideford FC 1-2 Tiverton Town
Swindon Supermarine 0-1 Slimbridge FC
Tilbury FC 0-0 Hertford Town (3-4 pens) (Met 48 years ago)
Bognor Regis Town 3-0 South Park Reigate
Aylesbury United 6-4 Sittingbourne FC (Met 30 years ago)
Potters Bar Town 2-1 Barton Rovers
Biggest Wins of the 1st Qualifying Round
Seven Goals
Padiham FC 0-7 Pontefract Collieries (BIGGEST FA Trophy WIN and BIGGEST margin of DEFEAT)
Five Goals
Lichfield City 0 -5 Matlock Town (BIGGEST margin of DEFEAT)
Liversedge FC 0-5 Bootle FC (BIGGEST margin of DEFEAT and BIGGEST FA Trophy WIN)
Four Goals
Marlow FC 0-4 Hayes and Yeading United
Weymouth FC 5-1 Melksham Town (Joint BIGGEST margin of DEFEAT)
Lower Breck 4-0 North Ferriby (BIGGEST FA Trophy WIN and BIGGEST margin of DEFEAT)
Cupsets
Hat-tricks and more
4 – Ben Hodgkinson (Bootle FC)
3 – Joe Taylor (Herne Bay)
3 – John Murphy (Prescot Cables)
3 – Louis Collins (Ashford United)
Miscellaneous
Garforth Town has posted the club’s best run to Q1 Rd for the 7th time in their 9 Trophy campaigns to date!
Stafford Rangers have now beaten Corby Town all three times they’ve met each other in the FA Trophy!
Ten clubs that all last exited FA Trophy before the 2nd Qualifying Round seven years ago have all exited it before the Q2 Rd this season!