This Saturday Thame United venture into the 1st Qualifying round of the FA Cup, the clubs best performance since the 2004 / 2005 season, when they reached the 4th Qualifying round. At this stage of the completion there are 112 ties to be played, this is made up of the previous preliminary round winners from steps 4, 5 and 6 clubs and the introduction of step 3 teams from Northern Premier League, Isthmian Premier League, Southern Premier League South and Southern Premier League Central.

Our opponents this weekend are Wingate and Finchley, (nicknamed the Blues) the origins of the club date back to 1874 but the current club was formed in 1991 by a merger of Wingate and Finchley, they play their home games at The Maurice Rebak Stadium, Summers Lane, Finchley, London, N12 0PD.

The stadium used to be called Summers Lane when Finchley played there. After the merger it was renamed The Harry Abrahams Stadium after a life-long Wingate fan. In the summer of 2016, the stadium was renamed to its current name, The Maurice Rebak Stadium, after the co-founder who died earlier that year. The club were in division 3 of the Isthmian league in 1995, before being promoted to the premier league in 2011 season. The 2023 //2024 season was one of their most successful finishing 4th in the league and narrowly losing in the play off semi final to Enfield Town.

The locations of both clubs has meant that they have played most of their football in different areas of the non league pyramid. Thame United had just left the South Midland league to join the Isthmian league the league that the newly formed Wingate and Finchley joined When Wingate & Finchley did join the Isthmian League (Division Three) in 1995-96, Thame United had been promoted twice and were in Division One of the Isthmian League. Both clubs found themselves in the Isthmian Division one 2002-03 season, with Thame finishing 8th and Wingate & Finchley 18th, and again in 2003-04 where Wingate & Finchley finished 11th and Thame United 15th. In that season there was an away win a piece with the Blues winning 2-1 in Oxfordshire while Thame won 4-0 at the Maurice Rebak Stadium. After this, a restructure of the divisions saw the teams separated, and haven’t been in the same division since, the clubs have never met in the FA Cup.

Last season Thame were knocked out in the extra preliminary round losing at home to Bristol Manor Farm 3 -2, while Wingate and Finchley beat step 5 side Whitstable Town at the same stage last season 3 - 2, before going out in the next round after a reply to Farnborough of the National League South. This season Thames goals have been shared around the squad with 17 goals scored by 10 different players.

The Blues’ have played four games in the league this season, beating Dulwich Hamlet and Canvey Island, but losing to Folkestone Invicta and Potters Bar Town and currently sit in fourteenth place in the league. Key players to watch out for are defender Toby Byron who. has been an ever-present since joining in the summer, and on Monday made his. presence known with some excellent physical defending, while also setting off attacks with some marauding runs forward. Further up the pitch, attacking midfielder Andronicos Georgiou started on Monday and had lots of positive attacking involvements, and will be looking to push himself into contention for the starting XI again on Saturday and there danger men In front of goal to watch out for are Ego Obi, who has scored 4 goals and Like Deslande and Destiny Oladipo.

Kick off at the ASM Stadium is 3pm

Admission Prices Adults £10, Concessions £5, Under 16 £3