Match Report: Belper Town 0-3 Evesham United
Monday 7th September 2026 – Emirates FA Cup First Round Qualifying
The Robins advanced to the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup with a confident display at Belper Town’s picturesque Raygar Stadium. It was a deserved result, albeit the 3-0 scoreline might have made it look a little more comfortable than it actually was.
Evesham almost took the lead in the 3rd minute when Kai Churchley attempted an audacious shot from the halfway line that drifted narrowly wide of goal with Belper keeper Preston caught in no man’s land.
Belper responded to the early scare with a period of pressure of their own and their striker Harry Draper tried a shot from 25 yards that only just missed to the right with Robins keeper Beard at full stretch.
The lively Nailers wide men, Jack Rogers and Tavonga Kuleya, were their main threat but, rather like the Robins in the first period, promising moves broke down and neither keeper was much troubled. Possibly Preston, Belper’s man between the sticks, was the busier of the two. For Evesham, skipper Awadh and Conteh were the main danger men, with Edwards and Bojang strong in defence.
The second half opened dramatically. After a threatening surge and cross from Belper’s Eccleshall was well cleared by Richards, Evesham took the lead in the 48th minute. Kai Churchley finished clinically with a shot under the keeper after being played in on the left of goal by a brilliant ball over the Nailers’ defence by left-back Owen Foye.
This signalled a period of Evesham dominance, and Churchley almost increased their lead in the 50th minute with a curling 20-yard left-footed effort well saved to his right by the diving Preston.
Belper responded well and their second-half substitutes, Gratton and Ayetine, started to trouble the Evesham defence, but the pattern of failing to convert danger into clear chances continued to let the Derbyshire side down.
The Robins retained a genuine threat on the break, particularly via second-half substitute Obieri, but in the 83rd and 85th minutes Belper missed their two best chances of the game. First, Ayetine rolled an inviting cross along the Evesham goal line that agonisingly eluded all the Belper attackers, and then Kureya wriggled free in the box but had his low shot brilliantly kept out by a sprawling Beard.
The Robins then ruthlessly punished these glaring misses. In the 88th minute, Obieri hit the bar from long range, and the ball cannoned back to Nailers centre-half Keenan, who, attempting to clear, unluckily put the ball through his own net instead, the ball going in via both posts. Then, in the 95th minute, Obieri scored a stunning third goal for Evesham. He twisted and turned the Belper defence before curling in a 25-yard shot that flew into the top right-hand corner of Preston’s goal.
The Robins now await their opponents in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round. The draw took place at lunchtime today, giving the Robins another away fixture against either Malvern or Redditch, who replay this evening following their 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The Second Round Qualifying match against either Malvern or Redditch will take place on Saturday 19 September 2026.
ROBINS STARTING X1:
1 Brendan Beard, 2 Liam Hutt (70′ 16 Rocco Sughayer), 3 Owen Foye, 4 Josh Barlow 78′ YC, 15 Jyrel Bojang, 6 Ioan Richards, 7 Aaron Heap (54′ 20 Supuru Obieri 90’+5), 12 Thomas Conteh (73′ 14 McKenzie Stretton), 9 Kai Churchley 49′ (64′ 8 Josh McConnell), 10 Amer Awadh (C) (90′ 18 Daniel Hanson), 11 Brandon Liggett
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES:
13 Oscar Varney
ATTENDANCE: 552
Match Report: Nick Hadley
Photos: Emily Cook
