Debut keeper Long inspires Wealdstone to FA Cup win over in-form Worthing
Sunday 18 October 2026 · By Helen Brockbank
A week after a 6–0 home thrashing by Yeovil Town, Wealdstone produced a spectacular second-half performance to beat Worthing 3–0 at The Vale on Saturday and reach the first round proper of the FA Cup.
The hero was a goalkeeper who had only just arrived. Sam Long, 23, signed on a 28-day loan from Salford City on the day of the game, the BBC reported, and went straight into the side for his debut in place of the suspended Dante Baptiste. Wealdstone also signed Jamie Searle, 25, on a non-contract basis. The former Forest Green Rovers, Eastbourne Borough and Barnsley goalkeeper was an unused substitute.
Gary Waddock made three changes. As well as Long’s debut, Dion Conroy started in place of the also-suspended Aidan Francis-Clarke, and Aaron Henry replaced Olufela Olomola.
The first half was goalless, with Long making early saves from Jack Wadham and Ricky Aguiar, while Fejiri Okenabirhie was denied twice by Worthing goalkeeper Taylor Seymour. After the break, Wealdstone, attacking towards their own supporters, scored three times in about ten minutes.
Long started the move for the first, his ball forward held up by Luke Norris, who laid it off to Ronan Maher. Maher cut inside and curled a superb shot into the far top corner. Three minutes later, Okenabirhie finally got his goal, staying calm one-on-one to slot into the bottom corner after Worthing lost the ball in midfield.
Long then turned provider. Another long ball from the debutant bounced through the Worthing defence, and Norris took it round the goalkeeper to make it 3–0, according to the club’s report.
Worthing’s best chance to reply fell to Jordan Young, who was clean through, but Long rushed out to save. Norris almost added a fourth late on when his curling effort clipped the top of the crossbar. The attendance was 942.
The win was a powerful response to the 6–0 defeat by Yeovil on 10 October, a game in which Wealdstone also had two players sent off. It also ended the cup hopes of a Worthing side unbeaten in eight league matches.
Wealdstone will be ball number 74 in the first-round draw on Monday 19 October. It is live on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max and the TNT Sports YouTube channel, with the programme starting at 6.30pm BST and the draw itself at about 6.35pm. League One and League Two clubs enter at this stage. The win is also worth £9,375 in prize money.
The challenge now is to carry the momentum into the league. The BBC table, which has not changed since 10 October, has Wealdstone 19th with 12 points from 13 games, with three wins, three draws and seven defeats. They are level on points with Hartlepool United and Boston United, and are only above the relegation places on goal difference.
Waddock’s side travel to Aldershot Town on Saturday 24 October at 3pm BST, then host Solihull Moors on Tuesday 27 October at 7.45pm and Southend United on Saturday 31 October at 3pm. Both of those home kick-off times are GMT, as the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October.
Grosvenor Vale is Wealdstone’s compact National League home in Ruislip, a short hop from the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines. Capacity sits around 3,200 to just over 4,000 depending on how the club counts temporary terracing, with a few hundred seats. It is a pieced-together ground rather than a bowl: original corrugated Main Stand on the south side, a noisy covered terrace at one end, a mix of seating and cover at the other, and a Second World War anti-aircraft gun turret still standing in the north-east corner. Visiting supporters usually find it friendly, cheap by fifth-tier standards, and easy to read once you know which end is which.
The pitch runs roughly east–west. The west goal sits in front of the Bulla Stand, an elevated covered terrace built by supporters in 2013 and later extended. That is the Stones’ loud end. The east goal sits in front of Couch Corner and the six-row MODU seated stand added in 2017; the concrete gun turret is just beyond that corner. On the south touchline is the low Main Stand, six rows of white seats under a traditional roof. Opposite, on the north side, sit the Social Club overhang (the small 1966 Stand of about eighty seats), covered pockets such as Brian Collins Corner, and longer open or part-covered terracing often labelled Hawthorne or SHOTS on ticket pages.
Segregation is not automatic. When it is used, away fans are typically put on the Social Club / north side and around toward the Gun Turret / east end, or allocated a west-end mix of MODU seats and Hawthorne standing — always follow the club’s match-specific note. Away turnstiles are signposted from the Grosvenor Vale approach. Buy in advance if you can; on-the-day prices are a couple of pounds higher and some seated allocations sell only online. Expect adult standing in the high teens and seating around twenty pounds for a National League fixture, with concessions and under-19 rates well below that.
Ruislip station is about a five-minute walk; Ruislip Manor is only a little further. Ruislip Gardens on the Central line is useful if the Met is shut. By car, leave the A40 for Ruislip and drop down West End Road into Grosvenor Vale. On-site parking is limited (often around £5 when open) and the lane is narrow; street parking exists but do not block drives or mount pavements. The Vale Social Club outside the ground usually welcomes both sets of fans before kick-off; at half-time it is often home-only when the fixture is segregated. Food and drink stalls sit inside both sections. Bags larger than a small handbag may be refused. Views from the Bulla and Main Stand are generally good; some older covers still have supporting poles.
Bring layers: several terraces are open or only partly roofed. The club shop is worth a look if you collect badges. Grosvenor Vale will not wow you as architecture, but it is a proper non-league ground with a wartime curiosity in the corner, goals in front of the two proper ends, and enough cover that a wet Tuesday need not ruin the trip. Check Wealdstone’s site the day before for turnstile times, segregation and whether the field car park is open.