An 82nd-minute penalty rescued a 1-1 draw with Isthmian Premier side AFC Whyteleafe. The replay is at Chislehurst on Wednesday at 7.45pm, with £2,250 at stake.

Crowborough Athletic are still in the FA Cup. A penalty eight minutes from time earned a 1-1 draw at home to AFC Whyteleafe on Saturday, a club playing a division above them, and the first qualifying round tie now goes to a replay. (Crowborough Athletic FC, match centre)

Whyteleafe led through Mannie Mensah on 72 minutes. Elliot Duncan equalised from the spot on 82. The club named Carter Ryan its star player.

The replay

The club’s own fixture list has the replay on Wednesday 9 September, kick-off 7.45pm, away. (Crowborough Athletic FC, fixtures and results)

Whyteleafe are a Surrey club by name, but they do not play there. Their home ground is Flamingo Park Sports Ground, on the Sidcup Bypass (A20) at Chislehurst BR7 6HL, in the London Borough of Bromley. (AFC Whyteleafe, match day)

One caution before anyone sets off. When we checked on Saturday 6 September, Whyteleafe’s own fixture list did not show the replay at all: it went straight from Saturday’s tie to a home league game on 12 September. Only Crowborough’s site carries the Wednesday date. Non-league fixtures move, so check both club websites on the day rather than this article.

What the winner gets

The FA pays through every round, and at this level the money is real. From the published 2026-27 prize fund, first qualifying round winners take £2,250 and the losing side £750. Second qualifying round winners take £3,375. (The FA, Emirates FA Cup prize fund)

The route to Saturday was profitable already:

  • 8 August, extra preliminary round: Guernsey 0 Crowborough Athletic 5. Winners’ share £1,125.
  • 22 August, preliminary round: Epsom & Ewell 0 Crowborough Athletic 3, played at Chessington. Winners’ share £1,444.
  • 5 September, first qualifying round: Crowborough Athletic 1 AFC Whyteleafe 1.

Eight goals scored and one conceded across three rounds. Win on Wednesday and the second qualifying round follows on 19 September, which is also the date the club is currently down to play a league game away at Broadbridge Heath.

The opponent is struggling

“A division above” undersells how open this tie is. Whyteleafe’s own league table, published on their site, has them 21st of 22 in the Isthmian League Premier Division: six games played, no wins, two draws, four defeats, six goals scored and seventeen conceded, two points. (AFC Whyteleafe, league table)

They lost 5-1 at Ramsgate on 31 August, three days after drawing 2-2 at home with Cheshunt.

The knock-on at home

Saturday’s cup tie has already cost Crowborough a league date. The home fixture against Erith Town, due on 5 September, is listed as postponed. The club’s fixture list now shows Erith Town at home on Tuesday 13 October instead.

What it means for you

If you want to go, it is an away midweek trip out of Sussex and into south east London, so plan the drive rather than the train. Our roadworks and travel page has what is currently closed on the way north.

Admission at an away game is set by the home club, and Whyteleafe publish tickets through their own site, so check there rather than assuming Crowborough’s prices apply. Crowborough’s own published admission of £10 adults, £6 concessions and £2 under-16s covers league games at Fermor Road.

The background to the run, including how the club reached this round and what the ground is like to visit, is in our preview of the Whyteleafe tie.