Only the beginning

Can you see that question mark in the title of this, my first ever blog? Wick to Wembley? In my very first post I explained that the question mark was there for a reason, a very significant reason. It symbolised the fact that there was every chance that I would not complete this journey from Alwyns Lane, Chertsey to Wembley, North London. These two locations are physically separated by a mere 58 miles but I travelled 2354 miles to get there.

The dust has now settled for me. I have deliberately let that be so before I came back to write this piece. All week I have thought that this last post would indeed be that. The last post. The final summary. A conclusion. The end. But in reality, it is only the beginning. And look, that there is no question mark this time in my post title, because this I know for sure.

When I say the dust has settled, that is not strictly true. There has been the odd whirlwind and eddy of activity since last Saturday. For a couple of days (Monday was the worst on my return to work) I felt quite down. Quite hollow as if something had been taken from me. This FA Cup adventure has played a significant part in my life for eight months and it ended as suddenly and as quickly as it had started. A few days in to the week and the expected newspaper and radio interviews came and went. Many, many messages of congratulations were received; thanks to everyone who made the effort to contact me. This whole FA Cup thing has remained high on my agenda.

In the middle of the week we were served up the "game of all games", the Champions League final between Chelsea and eventual winners Manchester United. Probably over-billed, but a very good game with a dramatic end. But the thing that struck me most at the end was, within minutes, with the trophy barely lifted, thoughts back in the studio and with the players on the pitch turned to next season. What would happen to Avram Grant? Would Chelsea sell most of their players? Is this start of a period of dominance from the reds from Manchester? Ronaldo - staying or going?

Football never stands still. There really is no end. Many clubs are already deep into planning, scheming and plotting about next season whilst this season has not truly finished. Promoted clubs gear up for life at a higher, tougher level. Relegated clubs have already come to terms with their fate and are adjusting accordingly. In the lower levels of the non-league pyramid decisions have already been made (and don't forget it is still only May) about league restructuring; some clubs already know which league they will be playing in following enforced sideways moves based on geographical location and changing league numbers. In football the dust is never allowed to rest.

And with me the same is kind of true. I am now entering a period where I have some tough decisions to make. I am mulling over a serious book offer - who would have though that back in August? - and it is a decision I cannot afford to take lightly. I have rediscovered my taste for writing and I hunger for more. This blog, and more specifically the response to it, has been a real eye-opener. This is indeed the last post for this particular site, but I have a feeling another blog may be just around the corner. But who knows? Let me think on it for a while.

And what of the FA Cup? The journey for me was more important than the end. And I have not been surprised with what I have found. The FA Cup is alive and well and it is not only about the big boys. Far from it. It is about clubs and teams from all over our land, in the villages and small towns and local communities. You or I could play in the FA Cup; I know some of you reading this have. On heavy pitches surrounded by single railings on miserably wet October days in front of fifty people. Knowing that game could be the first steps on a footpath that grows into a magnificent road, a road that leads all the way to Wembley.

I have already found myself wistfully looking through the list of teams who have requested to be in the 2008-09 FA Cup. Some will not be accepted, but some new first-timers will. The list is made up of names such as AFC Wulfrunians, Heather St John and Walsall Wood. A world away from 2007-08 winners Portsmouth but undoubtedly still part of the same FA Cup family. The draw for the next season's Extra Preliminary Round will be made in only a few weeks time.

I wonder who Chertsey Town will draw? Wick again? Who knows? This is the beauty of the FA Cup. Only a matter of weeks and we will be back at the start. Return to go. And for me, I know I have not reached an end, but arrived at the beginning. Of that, there is no question.

The Road to Wembley Diamond Car Wobbler

Try telling anyone in Cardiff or Barnsley that the FA Cup doesn't mean anything anymore. The Road to Wembley can start anywhere. It can be as long or it can be as short as needs be. But actually getting there is a huge achievement, so much more if it is totally unexpected. It is the arriving that means just as much as the journey, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Cardiff fans and Barnsley fans alike are living the dream.

In Cardiff and in Barnsley the message boards are buzzing. The club websites are failing to play it down, even though they are "taking one game at a time". The local press are loving it. In sharp contrast to Chertsey back in August, cup fever really has come to town.

And with cup fever comes the cup merchandise. For example, Cardiff are offering fans the chance to pre-order the FA Cup semi final programme. The £5 programme will cost £11 if you want it delivered to your door. That alone is double my entry fee for the Chertsey Town v Wick game.

The occasion is a money-maker's dream. You must make sure you have all the latest gear before the trip to Wembley. The Road to Wembley Car Window Flag. The Road to Wembley Diamond Car Wobbler. The Foam FA Cup. The Foam Wembley 2008 Hand. The Road to Wembley Mini Car Scarf Wobbler. The Road to Wembley Mini Hand Flag. The FA Cup 2008 Scarf.

Yet the best one has to be The Road to Wembley Tee Shirt. Sky blue. But then I guess I'm just being biased, as my wife kindly offered to model the top (see picture above). Looking good dear.

And to think I was worried about getting tickets for the big game - I now have other concerns. So I really must dash and order some merchandise for my trip. I'd be mortified if I left it too late to get my hands on a Road to Wembley Diamond Car Wobbler.

Let's wobble all the way to Wembley.

Tell me why I don't like Mondays

I have had a bad day. In the whole scheme of things, one man's bad day is another man's good day. I shouldn't complain, there is always someone worse off than you. But in my own little world, it has been a particularly bad day. One of those days that starts bad and gets only worse.

And just when you think it can't get any worse - it gets worse still. We all have them. We always will. As my Nan used to say "You know it's a bad day when you put your bra on backwards and it fits better". Yep, it was one of those days, only without the bra. Obviously.

Today was the day I realised how obsessed I am with this FA Cup venture. Today was the day that I realised how much grief I was prepared to accept to keep this venture going. Today was the day that I felt as if it was starting to get too much. Today was the day that I first questioned what I am doing and why am I doing it. Today was the day, for the first time ever, I felt like throwing the towel in.

I had a bad day at work. A miserable Monday. People moaning. People being totally selfish. People being ungrateful. No one happy. No one full of the joys of life. No one on top of the world.

In amongst all of that, today was the day that I knew I had to try and get tickets for the Cardiff game. The last chance. I had failed so far. If I was unsuccessful today, then that would be that. Quite possibly the end of the road. Not so much Wick to Wembley, more like Wick to Watford. Or Chertsey to Watford to be more precise.

I have struggled to get tickets. I have struggled to make travel arrangements. I have struggled to keep everyone happy. I have spent all weekend constantly checking the status of ticket sales. I have spent forty minutes in the freezing cold on the mobile, on hold, securing those tickets. I have spent two weeks making plans with friends to ensure that, yes, they definitely want to go. To ensure that, yes, they had a lift to the game. To ensure that, yes, they had a lift back home again. To ensure that we would all meet at the right time. To ensure that it was convenient for everybody. To ensure that no one was put out.

I have become a travel agent. I have become an event organiser. I have become a ticket buyer. I have become a money lender. I have become a dog’s bloody body.

It has been a really bad day today. But that means tomorrow can only get better. And I must not forget, after all, that I did manage to buy tickets for the game on Saturday. They say that every cloud has a silver lining. However, if today is any indicator of how this week will pan out, then I fully expect the tickets to go missing in the post. That bad taste in the mouth, which has been building throughout this bad day, still lingers.

But anyway, enough about me. How was your Monday?

My glass is half full

Is it just me, or are we hurtling towards Christmas at an alarming rate? Maybe it's my age, but time seems to pass quicker nowadays. On the eve of my second trip to Priory Lane, home of Eastbourne Borough, I can't quite believe that this season's FA Cup will, after tomorrow's game, be half complete. Or half remaining, depending on your view.

It feels like only yesterday that I went to the Extra Preliminary Round game between Chertsey Town and Wick, back in August. The kids were still off school, the days were long and some of the Chertsey players were still on the beach.

From the Extra Preliminary Round in August to the Final in May, there are a total of fourteen rounds. The seventh round will be played out this weekend. The games have come relatively thick and fast since August, one every two weeks (not counting replays). From now on though they start to spread out; three weeks between the First and Second Round Proper, a month between the Second and Third, and so on.

The rather sad thing for me is that many will see this weekend as the start of the FA Cup. Particularly the big media companies. The BBC and Sky TV now get in on the act. Sky TV will broadcast the Hereford United v Leeds United game tonight and the BBC will be showing Torquay United v Yeovil Town on Sunday. There will also be an FA Cup Match of the Day on Saturday evening. The draw for the First Round Proper was the first draw in this season's competition to attract live television coverage. All future round draws will be live. And if you read any of the mainstream newspapers this is when the FA Cup coverage really starts. You would be excused for believing that the previous six rounds didn't exist. The spotlight has just arrived.

But then this is not such a bad thing. The character of the competition has up to this stage has been enhanced somewhat by the relative anonymity. The small clubs, the tiny grounds, the local support, the sub-one hundred gates. Out of the eyes of mainstream media the FA Cup still sparkles and for me that is where it glitters brightest. And it is more intimate. As an individual the early rounds allow you to get up close and personal. The only way to get any closer is to be playing.

But now here come the TV cameras, the bigger crowds, the greater recognition. The First Round Proper - even the title gives something away. And to be honest, my previous FA Cup viewing had only ever been from this stage of the competition. But this season it has been very different for me. I have learnt so much since August and I'll be the first to admit it has been a real eye-opener. There is still so much more the FA Cup will offer up this season and there is plenty to look forward to, but my involvement from the earliest knockings has seen my love affair with the FA Cup blossom.

The viewing gallery has suddenly got bigger. And my glass is, without doubt, only half full. It must be your round...

Don't believe everything you read

Towards the end of last week I picked up a copy of our "freebie" newspaper, the instantly forgettable "Walton and Weybridge Informer". You know, the weekly that is pushed through your front door whether you want it or not. 90% of the newspaper is made up of adverts, and most of the stories are truncated so that if you are really interested you have to read the full story in the sister newspaper, the Surrey Herald (75p).

Now the reason I mention this is that, on the back page, there was a picture from a Chertsey Town match. In one of my very earliest posts (24th August) you may recall that I was bemoaning how little (if any) coverage Chertsey Town get in the local press. You would be excused for believing that the town did not have a football team. The back page of the "Informer" is usually devoted to Esher Rugby Club. To have a picture from a Chertsey Town match was, to say the least, unusual.

There was no accompanying report with it, only the picture. The picture caption read:

"Scott Edgar (right) rolls in Chertsey's third goal in Saturday's 3-0 FA Cup win against Erith".

Now, as you know, Chertsey were eliminated from the FA Cup at Sittingbourne on 1st September in the Preliminary Round after beating Wick in the Extra Preliminary Round. So to see a picture from their FA Cup triumph (in October) against Erith Town was all rather... baffling?

An obvious error, but it got me thinking.

I wonder how many people believe Chertsey are still in the FA Cup? There may well be a small group of Chertsey fans who are walking around town revelling in Chertsey's greatest ever FA Cup run. They may need expert help; the emotional trauma of the truth may be too much to bear. It saddens me just to think of it.

This error now makes me question the accuracy of the local paper's BIG news stories. Did the "Friend's of Chertsey Library" really raise £13.78 at their coffee morning, with cakes made by Ethel and Mavis? Did callous thieves really steal the life size paper mache model of Bruce Forsyth from the local craft shop. The same paper mache model that was found two days later balanced precariously atop the church flag pole. Was Chesney Hawkes really the guest of honour at the Black Cherry Fair? How do I know that any of this is true? It may well all have been utter fabrication or, at best, unmitigated errors.

Everything I once believed in I must now question. My whole value system is in tatters. I'm going to write a letter of complaint to the editor. No doubt they will only print part of it.

So it just goes to show, don't believe everything you read.

Except this blog. Obviously.

Game 1: Chertsey Town 3, Wick 0

Extra Preliminary Round (replay)
Tuesday 21st August 2007
Kick Off 7:45pm

Attendance: 138
Weather: Cool, dry

Distance travelled: 500 yards (and back)

Chertsey is a small town tucked in between the Rivers Thames and Bourne and the Motorways M3 and M25. You don't pass through Chertsey, nor end up there by mistake. You only go to Chertsey if you plan to go there. Chertsey is not a football town. The ground is hidden away, out of sight, at the foot of Alwyns Lane in amongst the Victorian terraces. The town makes no boasts about its club; it does not get any mention in the free local newspaper (that honour goes to Walton & Hersham). Its shop windows do not advertise its games. There are no pubs displaying the team colours (blue and white). The only way a stranger would know there is a football team here was if he spied the sign pointing (with hope rather than any real purpose) to the ground or if he happened to spot the photo of Chertsey Town youth team in the chippy.

Chertsey ply their trade in the Combined Counties League Premier Division and any attendance over 100 is good. I imagine their ground is typical at this level, but I can't say as I haven't been to many games at this level. A single turnstile into the ground (£6) and (although it goes without saying) it is soon evident that there is no Abramovich or Shinawatra here to throw the big bucks around. The ground has a slightly run-down feel to it, flaking paint and ageing concrete.

However, the passion is there. Clubs at this level rely on the many who work tirelessly in the name of the club. And they were out in force tonight for the big cup game. The turnstile operators, the bar staff, the 90 year old groundsman, the suited club officials.

And a reasonable crowd (138), of which (I'm guessing) 4 were from Wick (near Littlehampton).

3-0 was a fair result. Chertsey were strong on the night, solid at the back and gave Wick few sights of goal. The standard of football was good; speed and strength most important, with glimpses of skill thrown in for good measure. Tackles were uncompromising, it certainly wasn't a game for the feint-hearted and to prove the point Wick had a player dismissed late on for a challenge that catapulted a Chertsey winger into the crowd.

And I think the locals were happy. We even had renditions of "We're all off the Wembley, we're all off to Wembley, na-na, na, na...".

The romance of the cup.

Just don't tell anyone in the town.

A full match report can be read on the Chertsey Town website. There are also a large number of photos from the game. I am actually part of the "crowd" scene in a number of the shots, but I'm not saying which ones! The Wick FC website also carries a match report, you will need to scroll down the page to view.

A twist of fate

This may never have happened. All the FA Cup Extra Preliminary round games were played out over the weekend of 17th, 18th and 19th August.

And I was busy.

So, another year of saying "You know, one year....". And that Extra Preliminary round had so much to offer. Glossop North End (my place of birth), Bedfont (close to work), Marlow United (a nice trip up river). Ho hum.

But wait. Chertsey Town (where I now live) were 2-0 down away at Wick, a small community outside Littlehampton on the South Coast. 2-0 down with 6 minutes to play. Two late goals forced a replay, a relief (no doubt) for the Chertsey Town club and their fans but no less than a twist of fate for me.

No late goals from Chertsey, no road to Wembley this year. No blog. No this. Nothing.

Isn't life weird at times?

The road starts here (at the end of my lane)

First ever blog, first ever post, and an apology already. It's my title, you see. "Wick to Wembley?". It's not quite right, slightly misleading. But I'll come to that in a bit.

Ever since my Dad took me to my first ever FA Cup game I fell in love with the competition and I'm still in love. Don't ask me to explain why, I don't know. My wife regularly reminds me it is football, a game, nothing more, nothing less. Twenty two people chasing a pig's bladder around a field. What is there to love?

I'll watch any football game, always have, always will.

But the FA Cup is special. Every season I look forward to it. The small clubs in the early rounds, the First Round proper where there is always an upset, the Third Round where the "big" clubs join in, the excitement of the Semis and then the Final itself, steeped in history. And don't get me started on the draws. Even better when they are live draws. The balls in the bag, the team numbers, the anticipation, excitement and then disappointment when your team gets Darlington (away). Fantastic.

And every year I hear myself saying the same thing "You know, one year I'm going to do a Road to Wembley type thing....". Every bloody year. It drives my wife mad, I'm sure it irritates the hell out of my friends, it is even starting to annoy me now.

So, just do it.

You know the thing, don't you? Go and watch your local club in the Extra Preliminary Round in August. Whichever team wins, go and see them in the next round, and so on, until you arrive at the Final. Wembley. Easy. Job done.

And so here I am, and I've been to the first match:

"Football Association Challenge Cup (sponsored by e.on) Extra Preliminary Round, Chertsey Town v Wick, Tuesday 21st August 2007 Kick Off 7.45pm."

Kind of by accident really. A Tuesday night, nothing on the TV. Chertsey Town's home ground only a stone's throw from home. At the end of my lane, to be precise. Why not?

And this is where my apology enters, stage left. This was actually a replay, the first game was at Wick (a 2-2 draw). I thought "Wick to Wembley" sounded a little snappier than "Chertsey Town to Wembley". Sorry.

But why the question mark(?) in "Wick to Wembley?". Well, I'm not sure if I can do it. It's a tall order. Obscure grounds in places (or even parts of the country) I've never been to before. The distances to travel. The cost. The availability of tickets in the latter rounds. My wife. My child. The inane sadness of it all.

Excuses?

Who knows? In the meantime, come on in, the water is lovely.