Westfield 2–2 AFC Walcountians — Heartbreak from the Spot

Jack Stapley
FA Vase

Walcountians win 5–3 on penalties as Westfield’s first-ever Vase tie goes the distance.

Westfield’s first-ever venture into The FA Vase ended in heartbreaking fashion as AFC Walcountians prevailed on penalties after an entertaining 2–2 draw on a roasting afternoon at Westfield.

Both sides played their part in an open, competitive cup tie, but it was the visitors who kept their nerve from the spot to progress, despite Westfield feeling they had done enough to earn their place in the next round.

First Half

Walcountians started brightly, with Joe Dicken and Liam Ward both blocking in front of new signing Ford Robertshaw early on, but it was the Westies who struck first after just six minutes.

Brad Pritchard delivered a beautiful ball into the box, where George Murphy cleverly let it run for Dylan Phillips, who smashed an unstoppable volley beyond the keeper to send the Westies dreaming of a cup fairytale.

The goal settled both sides and what followed was an entertaining battle between two teams keen to play football. Walcountians enjoyed plenty of possession, while Westfield looked equally dangerous, with both sides attempting to play out from the back and pass through the lines.

The visitors levelled after 13 minutes from a well-worked short corner. The ball eventually fell to a Walcountians forward, who poked home at the near post. Westfield will feel disappointed with the manner of the goal, having defended the situation well initially.

George Murphy, making his debut, was already causing problems. Picking the ball up inside his own half, he embarked on a brilliant run, dancing past four defenders before seeing his effort saved. A square pass to Dylan Phillips would perhaps have been the better option, with Phillips waiting in front of an open goal, but there were certainly plenty of encouraging signs from the debutant.

Buckley was next to go close, letting fly from around 25 yards and forcing the Walcountians goalkeeper to scramble, with the effort narrowly clearing the crossbar.

The visitors continued to see plenty of the ball and created a couple of opportunities of their own, but Ford Robertshaw was equal to everything thrown his way.

Half-time: Westfield 1–1 AFC Walcountians

Second Half

The second half began with Ford producing an excellent reaction save at the back post, although the flag was raised shortly afterwards.

That moment appeared to kick Westfield into life, and the hosts produced a superb 20-minute spell of pressure and domination.

George Murphy fired wide after excellent work from Harry Murphy and Brad Pritchard to win the ball back high up the pitch. Dylan Phillips then came agonisingly close to adding his second, stinging the goalkeeper’s hand with another powerful 25-yard volley.

Westfield’s pressure finally told when a Walcountians defender was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box.

With the captain’s armband on for the day, Bradley Pritchard stepped up and calmly dispatched the penalty with aplomb to put the Westies 2–1 ahead with 17 minutes remaining.

Westfield looked set to see the game out, but Walcountians refused to go quietly.

In the 88th minute, Westfield lost possession high up the pitch and the visitors broke forward with numbers. A perfectly weighted sliderule pass from Walcountians’ number seven released their forward one-on-one with Ford.

The Westfield goalkeeper produced another brilliant save, but unfortunately the rebound fell straight back to the striker, who made no mistake from close range to tap into an empty net.

With no further goals, the tie went straight to penalties.

Full-time: Westfield 2–2 AFC Walcountians

Penalties

For the second time in a week, Westfield found themselves facing a penalty shootout.

Ridgers, Pritchard and G. Murphy all converted from the spot for the Westies, but unfortunately Stapley saw his penalty saved.

Walcountians showed tremendous composure, converting all five of their penalties to win the shootout and book their place in the next round of the FA Vase.

Plenty of Encouragement

Ultimately, Westfield will feel this was a game that got away from them.

The Westies had chances to win the match in normal time and, particularly during that excellent spell in the second half, looked the more dangerous side. But that is cup football — sometimes it comes down to the finest of margins, and on this occasion those margins went the visitors’ way.

Despite the disappointment, there were plenty of positives to take. The improvement from the opening-day defeat to Oakwood has been significant, with greater confidence on the ball, a real willingness to play through the lines and plenty of attacking threat.

There were also encouraging performances from debutant George Murphy and new goalkeeper Ford Robertshaw, while the character shown by the whole side throughout a demanding afternoon was clear to see.

The FA Vase journey may have ended at the first hurdle, but there are certainly signs that this Westfield side is heading in the right direction.

Congratulations to AFC Walcountians on the victory, and we wish them nothing but success in the FA Vase going forward.

NO WAY THROUGH: WESTFIELD PRESS FOR THE WINNER. PHOTO: GRIZZLY PICS

First published in Dugout News, Issue 002, Sunday 16 August 2026. Republished here in full.