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History of tHe fA VAse


        n 1974 The FA Council had decided to
      Iabolish the official distinction between
      amateur and professional footballers and
      this meant the end of The Amateur Cup
      and Amateur Internationals involving
      England.
        Two-hundred and twenty clubs entered
      The Vase in its first season but they did
      not include those clubs which had domi-
      nated in The Amateur Cup. Enfield, Hen-
      don, Dagenham, Skelmersdale United
      and others at their level were immediate-
      ly allocated to The FA Trophy.
        For the first time in history, small clubs
      – even village clubs – had the chance of
      playing in a national final at Wembley.
        The first Vase Finalists were Hoddes-  worth at the old Wembley. Tamworth
      don Town from the Spartan League and  won the replay 3-0 at Peterborough
      Epsom & Ewell from the Surrey Senior  and Ian Moores, a former Division
      League. The Hertfordshire side edged  One player with Tottenham Hotspur,
      home 2-1 before a crowd of 9,000.     scored one of the goals.
                                              The 2013-14 Vase competition was the
        Les Ferdinand led the attack
                                            40th in history. Wembley has hosted 34
        Even a competition as democratic as  Finals, Villa Park and St Andrews two
      The Vase had its elite clubs in the early  each, Upton Park and White Hart Lane
      years. Billericay Town, initially of the  one  each.  Thirty-two  different  clubs
      Essex Senior League, won it three times  have got their hands on The Vase, do-
      in four seasons. Halesowen Town, then  nated by former FA Councillor Frank
      in the West Midlands Regional League,  Adams. Whitley Bay lead the way with
      appeared in three Finals and were suc-  four wins.
      cessful in two of them. They even beat a    Aficionados of The Vase competition
      Southall side that had a young Les Ferdi-  tend to rate the 1992 Final between
      nand leading the attack.              Wimborne Town and Guiseley as the
        Until the new Wembley opened in 2007  best so far. Wessex League Wimborne
      the record attendance for a Vase Final  had a modest record in the competi-
      was the 26,489 who saw the drawn 1989  tion  before then,  having  never ven-
      Final between Sudbury Town and Tam-   tured beyond the Third Round, but
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