I decided not to take part in Non-League day but Sunday League day instead.

I drove South to watch the FA Sunday Cup Semi Final between Trooper and AFC Hackleton.

The FA Sunday Cup was started in 1964, and this year has seen a record entry of 124 clubs. Although Sunday football has a national importance in the game, due to its inclusiveness and involvement at all levels, it has yet to be given the honour of the final being played at Wembley. The game on Sunday’s did not get FA sanction until 1960 but was played much earlier outside of their jurisdiction.

There are many at all levels who remember fondly turning out on muddy uneven pitches in all weathers, with a group of friends (sometimes loosely only connected by the team), with kit that had not been seen for a week and after a late few nights as the weekend unfolded. My first involvement was at 16 playing as a guest in a Jewish Sunday League that played all over the South East of England playing for Luton Nomads. My career ended with Kingsbury Old Boys (although not a Kingsbury Old Boy) on corporation pitches in and around Luton.

The Semi Final was a ticket only game at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium.

Trooper were formed in 1981 and play in the Tamworth and District Sunday League and have become a very strong team in their area winning many recent competitions. AFC Hackleton started in 2010 in the village South East of Northampton and play in the Nene Sunday League.

It was a sunny day with the temperature showing 13.5 on the car display as I parked outside the ground. The crowd of 1090 seated in the shade, which meant that by the time I left my feet felt like lumps of ice although out on the pitch it must have been warm under the bright blue sky.

Trooper 1 Hackleton AFC 1

Trooper winning 4.3 on penalties

Sunday March 24th 14.00 pm kick off Sixfields Stadium, Northampton NN5 5JT

FA Sunday Cup Semi Final

Trooper: bright green and white vertical stiped shirt fronts with green backs and green shorts

Hackleton: White shirts and Black shorts.

Hackleton started the game playing some controlled football and dominated the first 30 minutes. But as often is the case it was their opponents, Trooper, who took the lead, when on 32 minutes a wayward pass was intercepted and hit forward for their number14 to run onto. He breezed past the fullback and from the right hand side of the penalty area advanced to slot a ball along the ground, past the keeper leaving the ball nestled in the far corner. The flow of the game now seemed interrupted and half time came with Trooper still ahead.

Trooper came out in the second half with gusto and but for two great saves from the Hackleton keeper should have put the game beyond the Northamptonshire side.

Hackleton regained the initiative but despite many corners and some gigantic throws into the penalty area they were snuffed out by a resolute and competent trooper defence. With just over three quarters of the game gone scuffles in the left hand corner of the Hackleton attacking area held up the game for some time. The referee, his linesman and the fourth official deemed to have not seen much wrong doing but footage of the whole game, on YouTube, clearly shows a trooper defender pushing an opponent to the ground by his throat.

Hackleton pressed forward, hit the post, had a major miss and a clearance off the line, that looked suspiciously as if it had crossed it, before they equalised. A high through ball was nodded down by the number 9 to Ed Panter who riffled the ball home in the 87th minute. It was justice for Panter who had been ruffed up all game as he continually battled to beat the Trooper defence down the right wing.

The game had many nervy minutes of added time, following previous long stoppages, but it stayed at 1.1 to bring on the dreaded penalties.

Two penalty saves a piece left the score at 3.3 however after Trooper had made it 4.3 Ed Panter stepped up but missed. It was all over and the Trooper team and some of their fans ran on the pitch to goad the disconsolate Hackleton fans.

In the other semi final Home Bargains (from the Liverpool area) beat Highgate to set up a final with Trooper.

I enjoyed the game which was poorly controlled by the officials. Northampton Town organised the event well although there were no chips.