Isuzu FA Vase preview: Ben Elliott targets Wembley visit with West Didsbury & Chorlton

By Andrew Simpson

When Ben Elliott made his first appearance for West Didsbury & Chorlton, he scored a last-gasp goal in an FA Vase tie against Bury – now he has Wembley in his sights in the same competition.

Then 19, he announced his arrival at Chorltonville with a composed finish at the end of a forward burst that had started inside his own half.

“That chance couldn’t have fallen to a better person,” mused his manager afterwards.

Last weekend, more than five years on from that moment, followers of the North West Counties League outfit in a bumper crowd at Brookburn Road will have felt the same after watching the striker score twice during a 4-1 win against Winsford United.

Dreams

Their reward is a trip to Hallen, from the Hellenic League’s top flight, for a last-eight date on Saturday.

“It’s not the main reason I’ve come back [to West], but it helped to persuade me,” Elliott told The NLP.

“Every player dreams of playing at Wembley at least once, and I’m no different. After getting this far, it’s hard not to have fleeting moments when you think about it.”

The 24-year-old, below, returned to the club in January following an 18-month stay with Prescot Cables in the Northern Premier League.

By then, Paul Marshall’s team had already navigated ties against Brigg Town and Rossington Main.

Nelson and Winsford have been dispatched since, meaning West have matched their run to the quarter-finals in the 2022-23 season when they lost on penalties against eventual winners Ascot United.

That coincided with Elliott’s initial spell in the South Manchester side’s distinctive black and white, during which he racked up 80 goals in 145 appearances.

Calmness

“My memory [of the Ascot game] is heartbreak,” he reflected. “We were taught a harsh lesson after going ahead early.

“Games go on for 90 minutes, but when they equalised with time running out, we had nothing left.”

Fellow attacker Billy Matthews is the only other player still at the club who featured that day, and Elliott has seen enough already to be confident the current version of West – who returned to the promotion play-offs places following a 4-0 win against South Liverpool on Wednesday – have the know-how to handle the pressure of the big occasion.

Versatile defender Lee Jackson reached the semi-finals of this competition with 1874 Northwich in 2018, while goalkeeper Ollie Martin was a play-offs final winner with Radcliffe the following year.

Midfielder Sean Moscrop claimed a title with Vauxhall Motors, and back-marker Paul Riley did the same, twice, while playing for Wythenshawe.

Elliott added: “You saw it last Saturday after Winsford scored [inside 90 seconds]. I thought it might be a bad day when I hit the bar not long after, but we weren’t fazed and worked our way back into it.

“While a lot has changed since I left, that calmness has stood out.

“The support from an amazing crowd helps too; the numbers that come to watch us are ridiculous for the level, but to the players it’s just become the norm. They lift us.

“That makes a big difference when your opponents aren’t used to it.”