Ali Al Hamad’s club has reached a new milestone, with three second-half goals securing its first appearance in the FA Cup first round since its formation.
Salisbury FC, owned by Kuwaiti businessman Ali Al Hamad, have reached the FA Cup first round proper for the first time in the current club’s history after beating Eastbourne Borough 3–0 on Saturday, 17 October.
Josh Hedges, Ollie Morgan and Jeremy Sivi scored in the second half at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, turning a goalless match into a decisive victory. The club’s full-time announcement recorded an attendance of 1,948 for the fourth qualifying round tie.
The result gives manager Brian Dutton’s side a place in the stage where League One and League Two clubs enter the competition. It also brings a new milestone for an English club whose Kuwaiti connection now extends beyond ownership to player trials, a visit to Kuwait and a developing football presence in the country.
Three goals take Salisbury through
Hedges opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, Morgan added a second three minutes later and Sivi made it 3–0 in the 75th. All three goals arrived within a 13-minute spell, settling the final qualifying hurdle after the teams had gone into half-time level.
Eastbourne had arrived with nine consecutive wins behind them. Before the match, Dutton told Salisbury Radio that his players would treat their opponents with respect, pointing to how difficult such a run is to put together at any level.
Salisbury’s own route to the first round had already included convincing results. They beat Taunton Town 4–1 before defeating Dulwich Hamlet 5–0 on 3 October. Saturday’s win took their total across those three qualifying ties to 12 goals scored and one conceded.
Against Dulwich, five different players found the net: Caine Bradbury, Robbie Gallagher, Luke Russe, Richard McIntyre and Nathan Odokonyero. That result had taken the current club into the fourth qualifying round for the first time. Two weeks later, Salisbury have moved another step further.
A 2–1 league win at Farnham Town a week earlier had also extended Salisbury’s unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions. That match was another comeback, with Hedges and Odokonyero scoring after Salisbury had conceded early.
A milestone for a rebuilt club
The distinction between Salisbury FC and its predecessor matters when describing the achievement. The current club was formed in December 2014 following the collapse of Salisbury City, and began competitive football in the 2015–16 season.
According to the club’s history, supporters and volunteers helped bring the Raymond McEnhill Stadium back into use after it had been closed for a year. Salisbury started again in the Wessex League Premier Division, winning the title in their first season.
The older Salisbury City side had its own FA Cup record, including a third-round appearance against Sheffield United in the 2011–12 season. Saturday’s result is therefore a first for the present club, rather than the first time a team representing Salisbury has reached the competition’s main rounds.
That makes the win a marker in the rebuilding story that began more than a decade ago. For supporters who helped restart the club at a much lower level, the first-round place adds a cup milestone to the progress made through the league system.
The Kuwaiti owner behind Salisbury
Al Hamad’s involvement began with the ownership change announced in June 2025, through the UK-registered company Proleague Ltd. The club said its previous directors had reached the limit of what they could support at Salisbury’s existing level.
In that announcement, Al Hamad set out a long-term approach based on sustainable growth, local talent and the club’s place in its community. Dutton welcomed the investment while acknowledging the contribution made by the previous chairman, Ian Hammond, and his family.
The timing puts this FA Cup breakthrough a little over a year into the new ownership. It is a result delivered by Dutton and his players, within a club whose ownership and commercial plans have changed substantially over that period.
For Kuwaiti readers, the connection is direct: a businessman from Kuwait is now chairman and owner of a club advancing in one of English football’s best-known competitions. The first-round achievement gives that relationship a clear sporting milestone, beyond the takeover itself.
Building a connection with Kuwait
Salisbury’s links with Kuwait have also involved the playing squad. In September, the club announced a first-team and staff visit running from 27 September to 1 October, with a friendly against Al-Qadsia at the Mohammad Al-Hamad Stadium included in the programme.
The club said it had written permission from both the English and Kuwaiti football associations to travel. It also said the commercial profits and ticket revenue from the arrangement would go to Salisbury.
Speaking to Sky Sports before the trip, Al Hamad described an earlier trial programme in Kuwait that had attracted 450 interested players. Coaches selected three prospects for an expenses-paid opportunity to train with Salisbury’s first team for 10 days.
He also outlined plans involving an academy and youth participation in Kuwait, explaining that overseas activity was intended to support the club’s finances alongside its football development. Those plans provide context for why Salisbury has been seeking an audience beyond Wiltshire.
The FA Cup run has now given that audience a competitive story to follow. After wins over Taunton, Dulwich and Eastbourne, Salisbury will enter the first-round draw alongside clubs from the English Football League, with the next opponent determining where this campaign goes next.
