FA Vase Preview | Hallen (A)

Key Info

• Hallen v West Didsbury & Chorlton
• FA Vase Quarter-Final
• Saturday 28 February 2026, 3pm kick off
• MB Frames Stadium, Moorhouse Lane, Hallen, BS10 7RU
• Limited parking onsite
• No advance tickets - entry via cash or card on the gate
• Ticket prices: £8 Adults, £5 Concessions (65+ and 10-16s), £1 u10s.
• Coach tickets still available - see below 
• Radio commentary on WestLive
• No dogs permitted 

Match Preview

West travel to Hallen AFC on Saturday with the aim of booking a place in the FA Vase semi-final. A win would see West reach the last four of the competition for the first time in the club's 118-year history and would put us within touching distance of a final at Wembley Stadium.

Only once have West ever made it this far in the FA Vase. That run came three years ago when eventual winners Ascot United broke West hearts with a penalty shootout victory on a gloomy afternoon in South Manchester. That experience does give West something of an edge this season though, as it makes us the only club in this year's final eight to have ever made it as far as the quarters before.

Needless to say, Hallen are a side West have never faced before - this is in fact the furthest south West have ever played. Like West, Hallen play at Step 5 of the non-league pyramid but are languishing in the relegation places in the Hellenic Premier Division. Only one side sit below the Armadillos in their league, but they do have five games in hand on the teams immediately above them and will have plenty of opportunities to get themselves out of danger. 

Despite their league position, there is no doubting that Hallen will be a difficult opponent. They are on an excellent run of form, having won their last three games by an aggregate score of 10 goals to nil, and they haven't lost a match since 3rd January.

Their main threat on paper is forward Harrison Fairman, who has scored 23 goals from 22 starts this season and has bagged seven goals in his last three outings. 

West come into this match following a three-nil defeat at FC St Helens on Tuesday night, which saw the club drop out of the playoff places, as we enter an unprecedented week containing three separate quarter-finals.

If the scores are level after the 90 minutes, the tie will be settled by a penalty shootout. As covered below, Saturday's opponents are two for two when it comes to winning shootouts in the Vase this season. Despite the significant number of cup games played this season, West had to face a penalty shootout, largely due to an ongoing run of 41 games without a draw in all competitions.

There will also be radio commentary available for this match on WestLive - please follow the link at the top of this article.

Hallen's route to the Quarter-Finals

This weekend's hosts have had to win seven rounds to progress this far in the competition. They are one of only two teams from the first qualifying round that are still standing in the Vase, whereas West did not enter until two rounds later.

The Armadillos' FA Vase campaign has played out as follows:

1st Qualifying Round, Saturday 23rd August 2025
Woodley United (step 6) (Away)
Won 1-0

2nd Qualifying Round, Saturday 20th September 2025
Milton United (step 5) (Home)
Won 8-1

1st Round, Saturday 18th October 2025
Newquay (step 5) (Home)
Won 3-1

2nd Round, Saturday 8th November 2025
Andover New Street (step 5) (Away)
Drew 0-0 (won 4-1 on pens)

3rd Round, Saturday 13th December 2025
Hamworthy Recreation (step 5) (Home)
Won 3-0

4th Round, Saturday 17th January 2026
Hythe & Dibden (step 5) (Home)
Drew 1-1 (won 4-2 on pens)

5th Round, Saturday 14th February 2026
Gornal Athletic (step 6) (Home)
Won 3-0

Coach Travel

Around 250 West fans are making the 330 mile round-trip, with a few spaces still available on the supporters' coaches. These coaches will be leaving the Bowling Green pub at 09:30 on Saturday morning. Coach tickets are £29 for adults and £15 for u18s & o60s.

Click here to purchase your seat:
https://www.shocal.org/shop/store/gettickets?id=558

Matchday Information

The hosts play their football at the MB Frames Stadium, which is otherwise known as the Hallen Centre. 

It has a capacity of 2,000 with 200 seats located in the covered Frank Fairman stand (more on that later).

In addition to buying tickets on the gate, wristbands can be purchased from the bar immediately outside the ground, which we understand will speed up entry on a day that's bound to have a large crowd. 

Cash and card can be used throughout the stadium, and hot and cold food will be served from the main clubhouse as well as from other areas around the ground.

Otherwise, the nearest pub to the ground is the King William IV, which is a five minute walk away.

Please note that dogs cannot attend this match.

Hallen AFC History

Hallen AFC were founded in 1949 as Lawrence Weston Athletic, which is based on the name of the housing estate that the club originated from. They changed their name to Hallen AFC in 1992.

It is not entirely clear where the 'Armadillos' nickname originates from. One theory suggests that the moniker relates to the club's original home at Kingsweston House, which was used as a British Army camp during WWII. When playing there, the football club used one of the army's Nissen huts as their changing rooms, which was said to resemble an armadillo.

Hallen moved into their current ground on Moorhouse Lane in 1979. It's main stand was renovated in 2020 and the 200 seats within it were donated by Brentford FC when Griffin Park was demolished shortly before they were promoted to the Premier League.

We hope that all West fans have a safe trip down and enjoy what will be a memorable and potentially historic day in the club's history. Your support throughout this run has been incredible - make sure you are there to play your part as we look to move one step closer to Wembley. Up the West!!

Article by Ollie Sargent, photo by Nathan Ashmall