Tadley progress in FA Vase

In-form Tadley Calleva progressed to the first round proper of the FA Vase for the first time since 2019 following a penalty shootout win at Hellenic League side Calne Town.

The win is Tadley’s eighth win in nine games in league and cup, having started the season with two defeats.

After a late kick-off, the hosts went ahead in Wiltshire but the Tadders soon hit back when Andrew Charsley turned home a set piece in the 20th minute.

That was how it remained until after half time when Calne retook the lead with 11 minutes remaining and as the clock ticked down it looked as though it would be the hosts in the hat for the next round.

Tadley had other ideas, however, and won a penalty in the 91st minute which Ben Wright swept home to level the scores 2-2 and send the match to a shootout.

With their first choice goalkeeper Craig Atkinson out injured, it fell to James Andrews to make himself the hero for Tadley in between the sticks.

With the shootout level at 2-2 Andrews produced a fantastic save to keep out Calne’s third spot kick and hand the advantage to the visitors.

Tadley made no mistake, slotting another three perfect penalties to send them through to the first round of the FA Vase.

“Penalties are always agonising,” Ben Dillon, Tadley’s joint manager, said.

“Calne are a really good side who play 3-5-2, that’s always difficult to break down.

“We like to play through the lines, through the middle, but Calne congested that middle of the park and we were forced to go around the outside.

“We controlled large parts of the game but got caught on the break a couple of times.

“We didn’t practice penalties but we have a lot of firepower in our side, I had a lot of faith in our takers.

“It’s always a bit of a lottery, we were missing Craig Atkinson but James Andrews came in and was fantastic.

“It was nerve wracking, but that’s what the cup’s all about.”

Dillon’s side will host fellow Combined Counties Premier Division South side Guildford City in the first round in less than a month’s time on October 22.

Tadley beat Guildford 4-2 in league action last week, but the Surrey outfit returned to form with a shock win over Raynes Park Vale this weekend.

Next up for the Tadders is the visit of bottom side Banstead, who are without a win in seven league games so far this season.

Dillon said: "There's always a danger of complacency, it's our job to make sure we avoid that.

"We've got to go and earn the right to win the game."