The Woods face up against Step Six opposition this evening, taking on Lymore Gardens in the First Qualifying Round of the Isuzu FA Vase, with the winner facing a home tie against Frenford in the next round.

Woodford Town are yet to face Friday's opposition, who formed just ten years ago.

The Woods

Shane Baptiste's side come into this clash having not tasted defeat after seven matches in all competitions so far this season. Despite being forced into 120 minutes of football on Wednesday night, leaving little time for recovery, spirits will be high in the Woodford camp thanks to Alex Kozak's 117th-minute winner in that Emirates FA Cup tie against Harlow Town.

After ringing the changes on Wednesday night with this fixture in mind, there is once again expected to be several changes to the visitors' lineup when the team sheets are handed in on Friday night.

Whilst we failed to avoid a banana skin at this stage of the competition a year ago, that is the only time The Woods have failed to qualify for the Second Qualifying Round of the Isuzu FA Vase since the Club's reformation in 2017.

Our hosts

Lymore sit top of the Eastern Counties League Division One South at the beginning of the 2025/26 season, and boast a similar record to The Woods, having not lost a game yet in the league from five matches. They are one of just two sides in their division who are yet to taste defeat so far in this campaign.

They were last in action on Monday night, beating Southend Manor in the League Challenge Cup. That tie concluded with a penalty shootout, which Gardens won 8-7 following a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes.

This is their first-ever FA Vase tie.

Match details

Friday night's tie under the lights will take place at Oakside Stadium (IG6 1NB) - the home of former Essex Senior League side Redbridge, and will kick off at 19:45 BST. The winners will be determined on the night, and should the scores be level at the end of the ninety minutes, the tie will go straight to penalties.

Kit colours

The hosts will be in their usual home colours of all white. Meanwhile, The Woods will also don their home strip, featuring yellow shirts and blue shorts, with a slight adjustment to the usual colour of our socks, as we switch to yellow socks due to a kit clash in this FA Vase clash.

Ticket information

Tickets are available at the turnstiles this evening, costing £7 for adults and £4 for concessions, with children under 16 entering for FREE.

Following along?

As always, we will be providing live, minute-by-minute commentary across our socials, with a match report to follow after the full-time whistle. However, the best place to follow the action live will be in person, so come down and give Shane Baptiste's side a big away crowd on Friday night.