Match Information
-
Hashtag United 3-2 Brackley Town
-
When: Sunday 17th November 2024
-
Kick-off: 3pm
-
Where: Aveley FC, Parkside, Park Lane, Aveley, Essex RM15 4PX
-
Competition: The Isuzu FA Trophy – Second Round Proper
-
Attendance: 172
I wanted to find an Isuzu FA Trophy Second Round tie for filming in my roaming reporter role representing competition sponsors Isuzu.
We had suffered a number of weather related postponements on our past schedule so we knew the game between Hashtag United and Brackley Town would definitely go ahead due to the 3G artificial pitch at groundshare hosts Aveley FC.
It was also interesting to witness Hashtag in action because they are admirably enticing new audiences to Non-League football courtesy of massive online content.
Originally broadcasting exhibition matches after formation in March 2016, they’ve attracted 647,000 YouTube subscribers (better figures than several Premier League clubs!), 504,000 Instagram followers and 230,000 Twitter followers.
Since joining our National League System at the start of 2018/19, the ‘Tags’ have won rapid promotions from Step 6 up to their current Step 3 status in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Fixtures continue to be screened live on YouTube.
Another real benefit features a thriving Hashtag United women’s team and in excess of 40 youth teams for boys and girls aged five years old upwards.
Meanwhile, I previously saw today’s opponents Brackley Town lift the FA Trophy in 2018.
The Northamptonshire outfit beat favourites Bromley 5-4 in a tight penalty shoot-out following the 1-1 draw after extra-time before 31,430 spectators at Wembley Stadium gracing Non-League Finals Day. I’ve always regarded this fine tournament as the Non-League FA Cup.
Retrospectively, I attended my first FA Trophy Final back in 1976/77. Scarborough defeated Dagenham 2-1 (attendance 21,500) and I still recall my schoolboy utter excitement walking down Wembley Way towards those iconic twin towers prior to kick-off.
Anyway bringing the story up to date, I duly embarked on my one hour journey around the M25 Motorway and via the A13 to meet Isuzu cameraman Nick at Aveley.
Ground Description
Plentiful car parking spaces lead to an imposing main grandstand complete with plush bar and hospitality facilities. These incorporate an upstairs indoor balcony where I savoured the game in warm comfort.
There is a smaller seated stand on the opposite touchline plus covered terracing sections adorning either end.
Extra steps of terracing have been added subsequent to my last Parkside visit in February 2024. I noticed a couple of outside grass pitches too for Sunday League, youth and community football use.
Programme Details
A colourful 15 page online edition.
aried articles included ‘Welcome to Parkside’, manager’s notes by Jay Devereux, Hashtag’s journey so far, details of growing the club, recent accolades, opposition information, fixtures & results, squad pen pictures and the line-ups.
In addition, duplicated teamsheets were available on the day.
The Match
It was 19th in the Isthmian Premier entertaining 7th in the National League North division.
Therefore anyone enjoying decent knowledge of football betting and online betting would’ve fancied the Step 2 visitors to prevail. But cup football is unpredictable!
Ultimately, Hashtag edged an exciting contest through strikes by Matt Wooldridge (23 minutes), Misha Djemaili (74 mins) and Luke May-Parrott (90+3 mins).
The dramatic injury time winner brought loud chants of “Doing the Parrott” among Hashtag’s jubilant supporters behind the goal. Brackley’s scorers were Morgan Roberts (15 mins) and Matt Lowe (52 mins).
The People
Hashtag United founder/CEO Spencer Carmichael-Brown was very helpful when I contacted him in advance about our filming request.
Hashtag possess a young and enthusiastic media team which positively reflects their internet audience demographic. I was particularly impressed to watch producer James Hodges expertly coordinating output from a bank of monitors.
The match commentary by Spencer was truly vibrant and referred to all the Hashtag players on first name terms - “Sak passes to Toby who squares the ball to Luke…” - thereby nicely giving YouTube fans a closer and more informal insight.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Tony Incenzo*
