The final countdown

There’s an old saying that the more you watch the clock the slower time passes. I seem to have been waiting an age for Saturday’s FA Cup Final; six weeks will have elapsed between my last trip to Wembley and my next, but it feels much longer than that. When I was a kid, the six week summer holiday seemed like an eternity. This, by comparison, seems much longer. And the slow passing of the minutes, hours and days is all the more painful with the knowledge I have one more game to take in. Only one more, the ultimate game. One final hurdle left before I can complete this gallop through the fourteen ties that has whittled 731 teams down to just two and, at its climax, to one eventual winner.

Should I worry that I might not complete this journey? I have surpassed all my own expectations. I envisaged getting as far as maybe the fourth or fifth round before coming up against any number of insurmountable obstacles. I have already had one trip to Wembley. I now have a ticket for the final on May 17th, it is up there on the shelf above my desk as I write. It rarely leaves my sight. And I know that finally owning a golden ticket is a massive hurdle negotiated. I owe a friend so much.

I know I shouldn't watch time tick by, life is far too short, but there are still so many things that could go wrong in these final few days. I have had some near misses so far; my wife’s volleyball injury (Dartford v Camberley Town) and my chest infection (Wolves v Cambridge United) being the most notable. Although I have that valuable ticket in my sweaty handed possession, other factors may yet prevent me from taking those last steps up Olympic Way.

Fire, pestilence, flood? Hardly. But one cannot rule out anything. I consider myself to have been extremely lucky so far the way this season’s FA Cup has shaped up. No incredibly long journeys for me, no sight nor sound of a Premiership club until the Sixth Round Proper, no replays that clash with any “no you cannot get out of this” type of family occasion. Maybe it is time for my luck to run out?

A car breakdown? A tube strike? A blow to the head? A family crisis? A “dog eats ticket” shock? I know I must put all those things to the back of my mind. But a kind of paranoia has started to take hold and once it starts it can only get worse.

Here's how my week looks.

Tomorrow I'm at the dentist. The possibilities for disaster are endless. A slipped drill creates a new cavity where there shouldn't be one. A malfunctioning chair rockets me up through the ceiling into the tanning salon above. I could be gassed by an incompetent anaesthetist. Patient records are mixed up at reception and I end up with full jaw brace and have to take on food through a straw for the foreseeable future. I could become another NHS blunder headline "man has leg amputated in teeth cleaning fiasco". Gulp.

On Thursday I have a golf society day. A veritable minefield. A lightening strike on the first tee? A golf ball embedded in my temple or a stray tee embedded in my scrotum? I could step on a bunker rake and get smashed in the mush, cartoon style. I could shatter a kneecap as I attempt to break my clubs out of frustration. Not a safe environment.

And then on Friday I take my son swimming. Where to start? A slip on a wet changing room floor to break a few bones? A momentary lapse in concentration as I forget to come up for air? A stumble off the diving board and a fall from a great height to wipe out the "Aquarobics for Geriatrics" class. Or even a frenzied blood curdling shark attack? Perhaps not.

Good grief. The final countdown to the culmination of several months of effort should be a pleasurable period. But as the clock slowly ticks and tocks and tocks and ticks, I am working myself up into a state something close to hysteria. If I'm this bad, just think what it must be like for the fans of, and everyone involved with, Cardiff City and Portsmouth. A hundred times worse I suggest.

If you are off to Wembley next Saturday, and I make it there in one piece, please do come over and say hello. You won't be able to miss me. I'll be the lummox wrapped in cotton wool.

A mix of fortunes

Whilst Cardiff City and Portsmouth play out their league campaigns, with one eye on their sojourn to Wembley in two and a half weeks, many teams across the country have reached their season end. Some of the leagues lower down the pyramid played out the final games at the weekend; for other clubs with league games to complete the season is effectively over anyway.

My visit to Chertsey Town on Saturday, back to the source so to speak, prompted me to look at how the teams I have encountered in this FA Cup have faired this season. And as one would expect, there has been a mix of fortunes.

Mid-table respectability (or mid-table obscurity, depending on the ambitions or expectations at the start of the season) was the final resting place for a few of the clubs. In my last post I mentioned Chertsey Town’s campaign. Their 1-0 win over Wembley lifted them into the upper half of the table. They ended up playing three games in the FA Cup and in the FA Vase they were out by September after a 5-1 reverse against Deal Town. Another club that I visited for an FA Cup tie from the same league (Combined Counties Premier Division) were Camberley Town who had an arguably more successful season with a 3rd place league finish, six games in the FA Cup and a successful run in the FA Vase, reaching the Fifth Round before succumbing to Concord Rangers.

The middle reaches of the table were also final resting places for Sittingbourne and Bromley. Sittingbourne, who eliminated Chertsey Town in early September, finished 9th in Ryman Division One South, a league won by fellow Kent outfit, Dover Athletic. The FA Trophy wasn’t any kinder for them, losing in October in the First Qualifying Round to Northwood. Bromley had a tense culmination to their Blue Square South season. For a long time just outside the promotion chasing pack (aiming for the Blue Square Premier) they still had a mathematical chance of sneaking into the play-offs. However a last day home defeat quashed any dreams and Bromley ended up down in 11th, missing out by only five points in what was a very tight top half of the table.

For Weymouth, their run-in to the end of the season was equally tense, but not in the way they would have hoped. For a long time embroiled in a Blue Square Premier relegation battle with the likes of Farsley Celtic, Altrincham, Halifax and Northwich Victoria they escaped with an 18th place finish, five points above the drop zone. Their defeat at Cambridge United in December was their fourth FA Cup game. In the FA Trophy they lost in the Third Round to eventual finalists Ebbsfleet United.

For a few other teams that I have taken in this season, an exciting climax beckons.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been typically inconsistent this season, but with the final set of games this coming Sunday they can still reach the Championship play-offs. In an incredibly tight league, West Bromwich Albion virtually assured promotion with their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Monday evening. Then it is likely to be Stoke City or Hull City joining them, with those two and Bristol City guaranteed a play-off slot. After that, anyone of five clubs can claim the last play-off slots, including Wolves. It will be a nail biting final day. Mick McCarthy’s side finish at home to Plymouth Argyle but their fans will have radios tuned in for results elsewhere.

For Eastbourne Borough the season continues. The Blue Square South league fixtures are complete and the Sussex side finished runners-up to local rivals Lewes. The lottery of the play-offs now awaits the men from Priory Lane. Eastbourne Borough led the league for a large chunk of the season, but could not hold on to their position in the final stretch, winning only one of the last six games. They now battle out a two-legged semi-final with Braintree Town. Should they be successful, the club, who recorded the league’s second highest average attendance of 872, would have a play-off final date at Stevenage’s Broadhall Way ground on May 8th.

Another of our FA Cup teams with a play-off extension to the season is Cambridge United. They also finished 2nd in their league, behind Blue Square Premier runaway leaders Aldershot Town. The club enjoyed five FA Cup games but lost in the FA Trophy in January to local rivals Histon. Burton Albion are their opponents in the play-off semi-final. Who knows? Cambridge United may still get to Wembley this season.

But out of all the teams I've seen the most successful club has to be Dartford who were crowned league champions a few weeks before the end of the season. They won the Ryman Division One North by nine points, losing only seven games. The team I have seen most in this season’s FA Cup, they scored an impressive 107 league goals, 31 one them coming from the division’s leading scorer Brendan Cass. Dartford have swept most teams aside with apparent ease this season, chalking up some impressive score lines; 7-2 v Witham Town, 6-1 v Enfield Town, 6-1 v Canvey Island and three separate 5-0 wins. And their supporters have turned out in force, averaging 1,135 at Princes Park. To put that figure in context, the next best average was Canvey Island’s 325. The league’s lowest average attendance was 73 for Waltham Forest. Congratulations to Dartford.

So a mix of fortunes indeed. Cardiff City and Portsmouth complete their league campaigns this weekend and next respectively. The team from Wales cannot reach the Championship play-offs whilst Pompey can theoretically still finish as high as fifth in the Premiership. But with an FA Cup Final appearance looming on the horizon, both clubs will quite rightly claim that it has already been a successful season.

And for one of them, on May 17th, it could get even better.

The Tykes

After seeing off Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough, next up for Cardiff City is fellow Championship side Barnsley. Both clubs seem very happy with the semi-final draw having avoided the only Premier League team Portsmouth and the Championship's top goalscorers West Bromwich Albion. A Wembley date in front of the Sky TV cameras on Sunday April 6th, with a 4pm kick-off, awaits both clubs.

In the meantime, another new club to introduce. Here is an initial attempt to give you a bit of background about the club from South Yorkshire.

Barnsley FC were formed in 1887 as Barnsley St. Peters and plied their trade in the local Sheffield and District League and the Midlands League before they joined the newly created Division Two of the Football League in 1898. The Football League was split into two divisions that season with the election of four new clubs, Barnsley, Burslem Port Vale, Glossop North End and New Brighton Tower. Their first league game was a 1-0 defeat at Lincoln and Barnsley went on to finish eleventh out of eighteen in their debut season.

April 24th, 1912 was the date that Barnsley won the FA Cup, the only time in their history. They had made a final appearance two years earlier, drawing 1-1 with Newcastle United (at Crystal Palace) before losing the replay 2-0 at Goodison Park. The 1911-12 FA Cup was described as the "cup that bores". Both semi-finals and the final ended 0-0 and needed replays. Barnsley's cup run took in no less than six(!) goalless draws, most notably their quarter-final tie with defending cup holders Bradford City which went to four games after three 0-0 scorelines. Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion produced a stalemate in the final at Crystal Palace before Barnsley settled a drab affair deep into extra time of the replay at Bramhall Lane. This remains Barnsley's only major trophy. What are the odds of a repeat of the 1912 final line-up in 2008?

Runners-up in the Football League Division One in 1996-97 saw Barnsley promoted to the FA Premier League, the club's only foray into top flight football. They went up behind the high scoring Bolton Wanderers and were joined by Crystal Palace, who won the play-off. All three clubs were to be relegated the following season and it was a tough first season (1997-98) in the Premier League for Barsnley. Bolstered by record season ticket sales the manager Danny Wilson splashed out a record £1.5 million to Partizan Belgrade for Georgi Hrstov and also brought in a Slovenian (Krizan), a South African (Tinkler) and a German (Leese) to bolster the squad. But all to no avail. They finished second bottom winning only ten games.

Norman Hunter is one of a number of famous names to have managed Barnsley. The current manager is Swansea born Simon Davey, who will no doubt be looking for a win over Swansea's rivals Cardiff City. Davey made forty nine appearances for Swansea City and Barnsley is the first club he has managed. Other notable names to have taken the helm for the Tykes are Arthur Fairclough (three separate spells), Allan Clarke (twice), Danny Wilson, Dave Bassett and Andy Ritchie.

Strips. Barnsley have been playing in the traditional strip of red shirts and white shorts since 1901. Over the years their strip has had various styles but always red shirts with a white (and sometimes black) trim. Their most notorious strip was worn in 1989-90 which consisted of white stars on a red background and was voted as one of the worst football shirts ever, even though Barnsley fans remember it fondly. Barnsley's away strips over the years has been most commonly white, but other colours have been used ranging from yellow to blue and black to green. In 2001-02 their away strip bore the colours of Brazil which spurned the famous Barnsley associated phrase "it's just like watching Brazil".

Luke Steele is the on loan goalkeeper at Barnsley. He won the Man of the Match award in Barnsley's fantastic 2-1 win at Liverpool in the Fifth Round of this season's FA Cup. Steele was also voted as the FA's player of the round so he will be at Wembley in May whatever happens in the semi-final. That game was his debut for the Tykes having only signed on loan as emergency cover two days before the game. He also played a major part in the 1-0 defeat over Chelsea in the quarter-final. Unfortunately for Steele, the Peterborough born keeper will not be able to play in the final if Barnsley progress and they face West Bromwich Albion as the Midlands club are his current employers.

East Stand, Oakwell. Barnsley have played at Oakwell since 1887. The capacity is 23,009 and includes a redeveloped West Stand which is the only part of the original ground that remains. Only this month the club have announced plans to knock down the West Stand and rebuild. When the new two tier East Stand was built in 1993, partly funded by the football trust, it replaced a covered terrace. Capable of housing almost 7,500 supporters, its completion meant that Barnsley became the first football club in Yorkshire to boast executives boxes.

Yorkshire meets Hungary. One of the Barnsley fan's favourites is Hungarian born István Ferenczi who joined the club on 31st January 2007. Fellow Hungarian Péter Rajczi was also signed on the same day. Ferenczi's debut was against Cardiff City and he has gone on to score eleven goals for the club in forty four appearances. The Barnsley squad, like many in the English game, has a fair smattering of overseas players. Countries currently represented at Oakwell include Trinidad & Tobago (Tony Warner), Nigeria (Kayode Odejayi), Brazil (Anderson da Silva and Dennis Souza), Denmark (Kim Christensen), Jamaica (Jamal Campbell-Ryce), Germany (Heinz Müller), Netherlands (Marciano van Homoet) and Spain (Diego León).

So Barnsley will bring a little overseas flavour to Wembley on April 6th. For a town known locally as "The Tarn" and located in the heart of the West Riding, with a history of coal mining and glass making, the trip to the new Wembley stadium will undoubtedly be a "grand day out" for the Tykes.

Club #9

Wembley is so close you can almost smell it. Not that the new national stadium gives off an unpleasant odour, but it really is only around the corner. Are we there yet? Actually, not far now. The quarter-finals will be held on the weekend of 8th and 9th of March and for all clubs concerned a little matter of two ties away from the final. The excitement amongst the fans of the remaining clubs is palpable.

On a run that has seen me start at Chertsey Town and visit Camberley Town and Cambridge United, I now move onto Cardiff City. Spot another trend? The Ws and the Cs certainly have it so far.

So the Bluebirds will be team number nine for me:

1. Chertsey Town
2. Sittingbourne
3. Dartford
4. Bromley
5. Eastbourne Borough
6. Weymouth
7. Cambridge United
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers
9. Cardiff City

I have now had more time for the draw to sink in. And I'm still happy with the outcome. The distance to travel is the biggest negative, although Sheffield and Middlesbrough are not exactly the other side of the planet. Chertsey to Sheffield is only 169 miles whilst to Middlesbrough it is 261 miles. Whatever happens a week tonight in the replay between those two teams, I will be spending a good part of the Sixth Round day on the M1.

With the travelling in mind a bit of good news yesterday. All four quarter-final games will be shown live on TV; BBC will cover our game which means that it will move to a 1310 kick-off on Sunday 9th March. In the middle of the day, it will call for an early start but will ensure a reasonable return time. It could have been much worse. The two other BBC games have kick-off times of 1730 (Saturday) and 1800 (Sunday).

Game number fourteen next but I am still to be convinced that I will make it all the way to the final in May. Although as each day, each game and each round passes, I am enjoying this adventure more and more. In the same way that my mouth starts to water whenever I get a whiff of Marmite, the smell of Wembley is having the same effect.

Game 13: Cardiff City 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

5th Round Proper
Saturday February 16th 2008

Kick Off 3:00pm

Attendance: 15,339
Weather: Cold and very sunny

Distance travelled: 308 miles

Two quick-fire goals in the first eleven minutes of this game settled the tie for the team from Wales against a very poor Wolves side. Any club that belts out Stone Roses in the build up to kick-off gets my nod of approval and with the appropriate "This Is The One" still hanging on the cold Cardiff air as the game started, one could sense from the home team and home support that this was indeed the one they had waited for.

On a gloriously bright day, Cardiff effectively killed off the Wolves bright and early and the men from the Midlands failed to recover.

My day had started a little frantically. I once again travelled with my good mates PB and Mackem (and to later meet at the ground Captain Beaky and Fenlander, the latter returning to the FA Cup fray after a short absence). I went on air on talkSPORT radio just before departure for the 150 mile trip to South Wales. I don't know how many of you heard my three minutes of fame, and I haven't heard the piece yet myself, but I think I failed in my shameless attempt to lay claim to Mike Parry's FA Cup final ticket. I don't think he was too impressed.

The journey down to Cardiff went without hitch. I even managed to lob the £5.30 in loose change into the coin bin at the Severn Bridge without embarrassingly missing. I wonder how many drivers have failed to hit the target and realised that, rolling off down towards the Severn with their last pound coin, was their only chance of getting into Wales? Probably quite funny to watch as well. They should erect spectator galleries.

The ground itself was easy to find and parking was quite straightforward. There is an awful lot of construction work south and west of Ninian Park; this is where the old Cardiff Athletics Stadium is making way for the new Cardiff ground and work is well underway. As you drop down off the M4 at junction 33 and drive towards the ground on Leckwith Road you get a great view of Ninian Park with the Millenium Stadium as a backdrop. The old and the new.

And without being too critical of Ninian Park, it has an old feel to it, which isn't a bad thing. We sat in the Grandstand which sits astride one length of the pitch, with the Spar Family Stand to the left ("So near, so Spar") and the Bob Bank opposite. Our seats were of the dated wooden variety and the place had a whiff of olden days feel to it. This is what gives Ninian Park it's character.

That and the great atmosphere generated by the passionate home fans. It is no exaggeration to say that this was the noisiest game I have been to on this cup run, the atmospheres at Wolves and Watford in previous rounds were tame in comparison. The home fans were vocal from all four sides of the pitch and the great start to the game resulted in the old Ninian Park roof being almost lifted from the stands. The Wolves fans, before the game started, also played their part in raising the volume level.

Wolves were poor. Mick McCarthy summed up his team's display with a single word. "Hopeless". Wolves arrived in South Wales with four cup-tied players, their influential Michael Kightly injured and another key player, Darren Ward, awaiting the arrival of his child. Michael Gray, who had played so poorly in the 3rd Round game with Cambridge United and was absent in the marvellous Wolves performance at Watford, was back in the team. A coincidence that Wolves played poorly yet again with Gray in the team? Perhaps. To be brutally honest, the whole of the Wolves rearguard failed to play well, with Gary Breen looking especially out of his depth.

As for Cardiff, they started like a runaway train and simply could not be caught. The first goal came after only two minutes. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink slid the ball through a wandering Wolves defence into the path of Peter Whittingham. As Hasselbaink made the pass he was taken out with a late challenge; all credit to referee Rob Styles who played the advantage when many would have blown up.

Whittingham had acres of time and space to calmly slot home beyond the advancing Wayne Hennessey. The place erupted. 1-0 to Cardiff City.

The old ground was positively rocking after eleven minutes. Hasselbaink began and finished off a move that resulted in a goal to grace any game. This was a quality goal, and is certainly a contender for my own goal of this Road to Wembley journey. Hasselbaink once again found the ball at his feet in the centre circle. With the Wolves back four all over the place, Hasselbaink was able to pick out Paul Parry on the left wing. The subsequent cross over the back-peddling Wolves defence was a bit too heavy but the ball eventually made it's way back to Hasselbaink on the edge of the box. With one shoulder drop and a touch inside his marker, Hasselbaink unleashed a dipping left footed shot into the top corner. Fantastic. To a man, the Cardiff crowd rose to salute a great goal. This really was gripping stuff and Cardiff were on their way.

After that, Wolves struggled to produce anything really meaningful for the remainder of the half even though they did manage to regain some of the possession. The introduction of Freddy Eastwood before the half-time oranges failed to spark Wolves into life. The Wolves support were subdued and the "we want our money back" chants summed up their mood.

In the second half the away team emerged with a little more purpose. Not long after the restart, Kevin Kyle found himself with only the Cardiff stopper Peter Enckelman to beat. Kyle froze and then fluffed and any remaining danger was averted when the Cardiff defender Loovens cleared off the line. With that chance one could sense the life drain from the Wolves team and heads once again went down throughout the side.

Cardiff continued to apply pressure of their own and on two separate occasions Paul Parry had head-to-head contests with the Wolves keeper but on both occasions Hennessey came out on top. The Cardiff midfield then shut up shop for the rest of the game and two excellent performances from Stephen McPhail and Gavin Rae prevented any more opportunities for the away side.

The game drifted to the expected conclusion and Cardiff were through, eighty one years after their last appearance in the quarter finals. In a week when the appeal of the FA Cup has once again been questioned, a Cardiff fan seated behind me commented that he would take mid-table obscurity (rather than promotion to the Premier League) in exchange for an FA Cup final appearance anytime. Believe me, this competition still appeals.

This was a very good game and one that the majority of the 15,339 crowd were happy with. It must have been a long journey back for the travelling support - I wish Wolves well for the rest of the season, I have enjoyed the short cup run with them. To see Wolves exit the competition without much of a fight was a disappointment for me, but I dare say all those associated with the Black and Gold must be feeling ten times worse.

And so the baton passes to Cardiff City. Based on yesterday's tidy performance Cardiff deserve their place in the next round. As we walked away from the ground engulfed in the cacophony of celebration from the Cardiff fans, I found myself still humming along to the Stone Roses. This Is The One. This is the one the fans had been waiting for. And boy, I bet it was well worth the wait.

And I bet they can't wait for Monday's draw.

Incognito

A rather strange thing happened to me this evening. I popped into the local "24-7" store, the one that is not actually open 24 hours a day, nor 7 days week. I bought two pints of milk (green), one last minute Valentine's card (no expense spared, don't tell my wife) and a copy of the Surrey Herald (Chertsey, Addlestone, Byfleet and Woking edition). I don't always buy the Surrey Herald, but there, on the front page, was yours truly. I knew I would be in today's edition, so was not surprised. Alongside my mug shot (that same mug that is best suited for radio) was the headline:

"Fan-tastic! What starts in Chertsey and ends at Wembley Stadium? Find out on page 5".

Would that make you want to turn to page 5?

But the strange thing that happened in the shop was that the young Bulgarian girl (or is she Polish?) behind the counter smiled and pointed in the general direction of my picture on the front page of the newspaper and smiled again before she whipped a £20 note from my fingers. At least I think she did, it all happened so quickly.

Good grief. Have I been recognised? In this sleepy Surrey backwater, someone in my local shop associated me with the newspaper article? No, surely not.

When I started this blog, I deliberately wanted to keep my identity hidden, mainly because I realise how sad and inane all of this is. My real name is not Sniffer 72; I know my parents have a warped sense of humour, but not that much. I am not really 93. I do not have a photo of me on this site.

I have had my ramblings appear in a couple of magazines, in a number of football programmes. But no photos of me. My picture did appear on the back page of the Birmingham Mail (and within) two weeks ago but as I rarely visit Birmingham that blip in the revelation of my identity would hardly register. The South Wales Echo is due to call; if they do a piece I will send in a picture of someone else. Some "friends" would suggest Bruce Forsyth.

There are a number of reasons people choose to go incognito. But this weekend, at Cardiff, the Wolves fans are going to stick out like sore thumbs. For reasons of safety and for reasons of policing, this game at Cardiff will, as I have previously mentioned, be a bubble game for the Wolves supporters. They will travel from Wolverhampton on designated coaches. They will be met away from the ground by the police who will hand out tickets. They will be escorted down the motorway (all exits blocked) and rushed through Cardiff, ignoring all the red lights as they are waved through. They will be paraded to the ground in an envelope of blue flashing lights which will announce "We're Here!". Their arrival at the ground will be heralded by barking police dogs and on-edge policemen and policewomen barking instructions.

I have been made aware of the dilemma that a number of Wolves fans face. Not allowed to travel independently, those who do not live in Wolverhampton have a tough decision to make. Is it worth travelling up to Wolverhampton to then travel by coach to Cardiff? For two Wolves fans in particular, one who actually lives in Cardiff, another in Bristol, the answer is "no", it is not worth it. And that is a shame.

Some Wolves fans will have bought tickets through Cardiff, probably online to conceal their identity. So some Wolves fans will be sitting or standing in amongst the Cardiff fans. Is this what the South Wales Police had in mind when these travelling restrictions were set? Is this going to make it safe for all concerned? Those few Wolves fans in the home ends may chose to remain incognito.

One thing is for sure. I'll remain unrecognised in Cardiff despite the fact that I may have been spied in a local shop in Chertsey. Did I really get recognised in the shop? Perhaps not, I probably just imagined it. Then when I got back from the "24-7" - just before it closed - I realised my friend behind the counter had short-changed me.

Now that's why she was smiling.

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?

1927...and some other stuff...

The kick off time for the Fifth Round tie at Cardiff City has been finalised; it will go ahead at 3pm as planned. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday and if I get in there quick it should be all systems go for game number thirteen. I'll set my alarm for early Saturday morning...

As I mentioned in a previous post, this will be my first visit to Ninian Park. By way of an introduction to Cardiff City FC, here are a few facts about the club. Some you probably already know and others you probably know as well.

What's in a name? > Cardiff City started out in life (1899) as Riverside AFC with the newly formed team providing a winter activity for the local cricket club. In 1908 they became Cardiff City. Their name was very nearly changed in 2000 when Sam Hamman took over ownership of the club. He wanted to change the name to "The Cardiff Celts" but was persuaded otherwise by players and fans alike. Cardiff City Association Football Club in Welsh is Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd. The club's nickname is The Bluebirds.

The FA Cup > 1927. The year that Cardiff City won the FA Cup. Upon beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final, Cardiff City became the only non-English side to win the famous competition. The quizmaster's cliché. The single goal was an unfortunate fumble from the Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis after a speculative shot from Ferguson. Lewis was a Welsh international. 1927, a year that will forever be associated with the club from the Welsh capital. They say that if you find a credit card at Ninian Park you would have a good chance of guessing the PIN number.

Silverware > Cardiff City (as I write this) sit in 9th position in the Championship, a couple of points outside of the play-off zone and equal on points with Wolves. Their highest league finish was in 1923-24 when they were pipped to the First Division title by Huddersfield Town on the last day of the season, losing out on a goal average of 0.024, the narrowest ever margin between first and second places in the top flight. Cardiff won the Division Three title in 1947 (then the Division Three South) and in 1993. They were Division Four runners-up in 1988 and were Division Two play-off winners in 2003. They have lifted the Welsh FA Cup an impressive twenty two times, most recently in 1993.

European nights > The Welsh FA Cup winners used to have a route into Europe, although in recent times UEFA have closed the door on this particular entrance. Having been so successful in the Welsh Cup, Cardiff City regularly qualified for the old European Cup Winner's Cup. They qualified a record five times between 1967-68 and 1971-72. Their best season in Europe came in 1968 when they reached the semi final. Cardiff shocked the footballing world by knocking out Shamrock Rovers, NAC Breda and Moscow Torpedo on route to the last four. Hamburg put paid to Cardiff's dreams winning 3-2 at Ninian Park after Cardiff had earned a magnificent 1-1 draw in Germany in the first leg. But Cardiff's biggest European night occurred in March 1971 when, in front of over 47,000 at Ninian Park, Cardiff City beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the quarter final. The Spanish giants won the return leg 2-0 at the Bernabeu.

Home from home > Cardiff City currently play at Ninian Park which has a capacity of a little over 22,000. Stanley Matthews made his England international debut at Ninian Park in 1934; the record attendance for the ground was in 1959 when Wales played England in front of a 62,634 crowd. The early homes for Cardiff City were Riverside, Sophia Gardens and Old Park before the move to Ninian Park in 1910. However, Ninian Park will not be Cardiff's home for much longer; a new 25,000 seater stadium is currently being built on the site of the old Cardiff Athletics Stadium. Completion is planned for December 2008.

Players > Famous players to have turned out for The Bluebirds include John Charles, Len Davies (most goals for the club, 128), Phil Dwyer (most league appearances, 471) Jason Koumas, Russell Osman, Kevin Ratcliffe and John Toshack. Big names in the current squad include Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Managers > Dave Jones took charge of Cardiff in 2005 after leaving Wolves. Former notable managers include Fred Stewart, Jimmy Scoular, Eddie May (twice), Terry Yorath, Frank Burrows (twice), Russell Osman and Bobby Gould.

And one final morsel. When Cardiff City won the FA Cup in 1927, their route to Wembley took them via Molineux where the semi final was played. I'm sure The Bluebirds would relish a long awaited return to Wembley and what are the odds of the Fifth Round tie having to be settled in a replay at Molineux?

And the last time Cardiff City progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup?

1927.

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

The kick-off time for the Cardiff City v Wolves game in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup has still not been set. All the other non-televised FA Cup ties on Saturday 16th February will kick-off at 3pm. There is a belief, in some quarters, that the police will have a say in the start time; a 1pm kick-off is expected, although not yet confirmed by Cardiff City FC.

And I'm pretty confident that the police will have their say as the potential for crowd trouble at this game, the potential for the game to attract the hooligan element, is high. It saddens me to feel obliged to mention the subject in this blog, but it is an issue that I have been unable to ignore since the draw was made.

There is a history between Cardiff City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. There is a history between the "fans" from both clubs. Fighting between rival fans at games between the two teams, over the years, has not been uncommon. Events off the pitch came to a head in January last year when Wolves banned Cardiff City fans from attending a league game at Molineux. Cardiff City fans (i.e. the majority genuine support) felt aggrieved at that decision. There has been a call from some quarters that the Wolves fans should be banned from this cup game at Cardiff, but I don't believe FA rules will allow that.

There is also debate about the amount of tickets Wolves fans will be allocated for the game. FA Cup rules state that away teams must be offered 15% of the ground capacity, which would mean that Wolves will be offered 3000 tickets. If Wolves decide to accept this amount, there are big questions about which part of Ninian Park will be used to safely house the away contingent. There are concerns that the end that traditionally houses the home fans will be used for the away support instead, which may in turn reduce the ground's capacity.

But there is more. There is a belief that this will be a "bubble" game. And this is the bit that saddens me most. A bubble game is effectively a police measure to control away travelling support and comes in many guises. But the principles are always the same. A common example of a bubble game is this: away fans are only allowed to travel on designated club coaches. These coaches are met some distance away from the ground by police, normally at a motorway service station. Here, the police hand out tickets for the match in exchange for pre-paid vouchers. The coaches are then escorted straight to the away fans turnstiles at the ground. After the game, the away fans stay in the ground for a lengthy period (half an hour to an hour or even longer) and then are marched in a heavy police cordon back to the coaches. The coaches are then given a police escort out of the vicinity.

A huge police operation, no freedom for the fans, no independent travel allowed. Watching football in a police bubble.

I have attended games in a bubble before. It is not nice. A regularly used police control measure from the 1970s and 1980s, I was quite shocked to discover that this still happens nowadays at football matches in England. And it seems to happen often to Cardiff City fans who have become almost accustomed to bubble games on journeys outside of Wales.

So this, our FA Cup game in a couple of week’s time, could be a bubble game for Wolves fans. A far cry from the mixed terraces of Dartford, Bromley and Eastbourne Borough.

Very sad. Is this what some football fans still have to endure simply to watch ninety minutes of football? Is it really worth it?

But there is a more important question. This is a situation that the hooligan minority, still present at many clubs, are responsible for creating. Is this something that they are proud of?

Do they really care? I’m afraid that the answer is probably “no".

Déjà vu

I've kind of had a feeling, a premonition if you like, that I would end up going to Cardiff City. Don't ask me why, but the thought has been ricocheting around my vacuous skull ever since I started this journey back in August.

This may well be a trick of the imagination, a slight of the mind. A bit like déjà vu, when you get that unerring sense that you have done this before, or have had that exact same conversation before. That strong sensation of familiarity. The brain is a complex thing. Of course I may well have thought about the prospect of visiting every single league club at some point in the last six months. Maybe I would be writing this this no matter which team had come out of the plastic bowl on Monday. But for some reason, I get that feeling now that Cardiff City was bound to happen. It's all a bit spooky really.

So I wasn't at all surprised with the draw, you could say I expected it. It is a good one for me because I have never been to a game at Ninian Park, home of the Bluebirds. Another ground to tick off the (imaginary) list that I have hidden in some dark recess of that same vacuous skull.

After the initial adrenalin rush that normally follows a draw for the next round, when the "things I now need to do" part of my brain goes into meltdown, the fog is now beginning to clear.

The journey should be easy enough; only a couple of hours off down the M4. Finding the ground should not pose any problems either as directions appear straight forward.

As for the getting my hands on tickets, I'm in a positive frame of mind thanks to valuable advice already proffered by some very helpful Cardiff fans. First indications are that this game may not be a sell out. Once again, the game will be effectively "all-ticket" for the away fans. Wolves operate a loyalty points scheme so making that particular route to a ticket a non-starter for me. It is unlikely to be all-ticket for home fans. Even if it was, I should be able to buy tickets through the Cardiff City ticket office as the likelihood of a mass stampede to the ticket office window is slim. A couple of Cardiff supporters have stepped up to the plate to offer their help with tickets should my own efforts go pear shaped; more selfless generosity from people I don't know, only a matter of days after the draw.

The televised games were announced today and, shock of all shocks, three of the four ties selected for television involve a Premiership team. No surprise that the BBC plumped for the big one involving Manchester United and Arsenal. Cardiff City and Wolves have been politely ignored, like a bad smell in a lift.

Talking of TV coverage, I noticed this statement from the BBC website that made me smile. This wording appeared at the top of the page listing the eight Fifth Round games, before any of the television coverage had been decided:

"Please note: Fixtures are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made."

Er, sorry? Are not the BBC, once they have pointed their collective broadcasting finger at an FA Cup fixture, responsible for that fixture consequently changing? I wonder if the BBC are oblivious to the irony in that statement? Probably.

Back to our game, Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, to be played on Saturday 16th February. It will be game number thirteen for me. It has not been chosen to be beamed into millions of homes around the world. Another all-Championship cup tie that will be spared the limelight that the cameras bring but instead will be served up in the flesh only to a select few thousand who choose to push turnstile.

I've a strange feeling that has happened before on this FA Cup run. A case of déjà vu?

Croeso i Cymru

I'm off to Wales.

The draw for the Fifth Round Proper of the FA Cup was made today. It looks very much like this:

Bristol Rovers v Southampton
Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Barnsley
Manchester United v Arsenal
Preston North End v Portsmouth
Coventry City v West Bromwich Albion
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town

For the first time since 1957, all sixteen ties in the Fourth Round were resolved at the first attempt, no replays. Of the sixteen clubs left in the competition, there are only two that I have never visited before. One is Middlesbrough.

The other is Cardiff City.

So off across the bridge and through the £5.30 toll, a trip I am extremely familiar with; my sister lives in Carmarthen, South Wales. I'll be able to set the car to auto-pilot and then just remember to exit the M4 at Cardiff.

Croeso i Cymru.

Game 12: Watford 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 4

4th Round Proper
Saturday January 26th 2008

Kick Off 3:00pm

Attendance: 12,719
Weather: Cold and sunny

Distance travelled: 58 miles

I have been watching some of the Africa Cup of Nations in the last few days. There have been entertaining games, plenty of goals and colourful crowds. In fact, some very colourful crowds. The fans at this tournament, and in all previous tournaments, are extolled for their vivid, vibrant attire - a kaleidoscopic of lush colour. Each game I have seen has had one thing in common; the passion of the supporters. The non-stop singing and chanting and the sheer exuberance in the way each goal is celebrated. Each goal, each corner, each free kick. But it is more than that; it is the constant noise from both sets of supporters irrespective of the performance of the team on the pitch. Unconditional support. It has been a breath of fresh air to watch.

Driving the short distance up the M25 to Watford, I was thinking about the colour that would be on show for this Fourth Round encounter. The yellow, black and red of Watford and the black and gold of Wolves. And that turned out to be the case. The interior of Vicarage Road, as one would expect, is all yellow and red. It was another "kids for a quid" day and the children were decked out in their colourful Watford replica shirts and scarves, some donned brightly coloured wigs. The Wolves fans added their own club colours to the canvas. Even the players joined in with an array of coloured football boots; blues, oranges and reds. On a bright sunny day the contrasts seemed all the more intense.

Lots of colour. But no passion. From the home fans at any rate. I can't recall going to a ground where the home support has been so muted. The Wolves fans were in a buoyant, party mood and more of that later, but the support from the Hertfordshire faithful was rather hushed.

Maybe this was justified. If I'm honest, I was surprised by this result. To be brutally honest, Wolves thoroughly deserved it and Watford's performance was disappointingly poor. In this context, one could excuse the reticence of the home support. The attendance (12,719) was low by Watford's standard; this didn't help matters.

Both teams ran out to the theme tune of the "Z-Cars" - Everton were the first club to use this (mid sixties) but other clubs, including Watford, adopted the tune. And it wasn't long after the start that a bit of smash and grab occurred. Wolves took the lead on five minutes when Andy Keogh calmly chipped Richard Lee in the Watford goal. Some Watford fans were still making their way to the seats but the Wolves following, approximately 2000, were celebrating wildly and keeping the stewards, between them and the pitch, well occupied.

Watford's first real chance came after ten minutes when Jobi McAnuff shot wide from range, but the Wolves game plan became evident early on. Happy to sit back and soak up Watford pressure, they relied on Keogh and Boothroyd getting behind the Watford back line with Matt Jarvis supporting quickly from midfield whenever they won the ball.

Watford were unfortunate not to equalise after fifteen minutes when a well taken free kick from the edge of the area by Ellington cannoned off the post with the Wolves goalkeeper well beaten. This turned out to be a pivotal point in the game; an equaliser for Watford there may have changed the course of events.

The remainder of the first half saw equal possession from both sides and a number of corners from both teams; control of the game see-sawed from one team to another. In this period, the Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd was patently not happy and he could be seen berating his side after several chances had fallen to Wolves, one of which forced a good save out of Richard Lee.

The Watford fans had little to cheer. The biggest excitement in our section of the stand was the news coming through from Anfield of Havant & Waterlooville's fantastic achievement - taking an early lead and then leading for a second time against Liverpool. Magnificent. The half-time whistle went and the teams departed to the Wolves cheers and Watford jeers.

Watford were caught napping at the back when, within minutes of the restart, Keogh was put through into acres of space but, with only the goalie to beat, his effort was tame.

This sparked an injection of urgency from Watford who were also spurred on after a likely earful from Boothroyd in the dressing room and the home team started to turn the screw; first a shot from the angle into the side netting and then a couple of corners in quick succession. The Watford fans responded to this and the noise levels increased; Watford continued to press. But one could sense that the next goal would go a long way to determining the outcome of the match.

And, slightly against the run of play, it went to the away team on fifty eight minutes when Elliott was set up by Keogh after good work from Jarvis. The Wolves support once again erupted and the afternoon's first rendition of "Wembeeerleeey, Wembeeerleeey..." filled the ground.

Ten minutes later, the game was effectively over. Keogh and Jarvis combined well once again and this time Boothroyd applied the finish. 3-0 to Wolves and cue a big exodus from the home fans and more manic scenes in the Wolves end.

Many of those that left would have missed an almost immediate response when, after a scramble in the penalty area, John-Joe O'Toole (what a great name) stabbed in from close range. Watford refused to lie down and managed another spell of pressure but failed to make it count. The final nail in Watford's coffin arrived on full time with a crisp strike from Keogh. And I might have been hearing things, but I could have sworn that there were chants of "there's only one Mick McCarthy" from the Wolves faithful.

I enjoyed the game and despite the scoreline it was quite an end to end encounter. The big difference was that Wolves found more space on the break and the Wolves' players seemed to have an edge over Watford's; they looked sharper and quicker in the key areas and made the most of the counter attack. For me, Andy Keogh was man of the match but he was pushed close by Matt Jarvis. Wolverhampton Wanderers march convincingly into the Fifth Round and will (like me) eagerly await Monday's draw.

I was joined on this trip once again by cup stalwarts PB and Mackem, and Captain Beaky who was suffering with a heady mix of night-before Guinness and pre-match Balti pies (plural). He wasn't the only one to suffer the effects and we were all thankful for only a short car journey home.

Reports on the way back mentioned that Mick McCarthy had his Sat Nav stolen from his car. If his players continue to perform like this in the FA Cup, he might well need a replacement for directions to Wembley.

As for Watford, they were distinctly off colour.

Laugh? I nearly started

My wife makes me laugh, so much at times it makes me cry.

Between mid September and mid October last year I saw Dartford play five times in the FA Cup. And in the days prior to every one of those matches my wife would ask where am I going next. "Is it Watford?" she would enquire. And each time I would need to remind her that it is Dartford, not Watford. I would hear her on the phone to family or friends "yeah, he's off to Watford again this weekend". No matter how many times I corrected her, she still mixed the two places up. They say that men don't listen. It became a bit of a joke.

Then, lo and behold, fate sends me off to Watford for tomorrow's Fourth Round match. You can see where this is going, can't you? At the beginning of the week she asked me whether I had got "the Dartford tickets yet". On Wednesday my brother-in-law came over to watch the Arsenal game; to complicate matters he explained that he is working in Dartford this week, at which point my wife pipes up "that's where Wolves are playing on Saturday". Even my son joined in "can I come to Dartford with you on Saturday". I've given up now, there's no point. The icing on the cake was when my brother-in-law left after the Arsenal drubbing, my wife shouted after him "hope the work in Watford goes OK".

Good grief.

Anyway, tomorrow's game. I'm looking forward to it, I think it will be a close affair. The bookies can't separate the two teams and this is the only tie that ensures a Championship team will reach the next round. I have mentioned in previous posts that there has been a smattering of ambivalence amongst the Watford and Wolves fans about the game. I was a perhaps somewhat harsh; I have since been contacted by a number of fans from both clubs who are looking forward to the game simply because it is an FA Cup game. The FA Cup still holds it's old magic to some supporters; we are now getting into the business end of the competition and there are only four ties to negotiate before a trip to Wembley beckons.

To go and watch your team play at Wembley is still a dream for many fans. I heard the utter disappointment in the Everton fan's voices after they lost midweek to Chelsea, one step away from a trip down the M6 and the M1 to the new national stadium. Many Everton fans felt confident of disposing of Chelsea in the semi-final of the Carling Cup, and some of those fans described the defeat as "heartbreaking".

And look at how the Tottenham fans reacted to their mauling of Arsenal. The place was rocking, my TV almost fell off it's stand. Admittedly, a victory over Arsenal, for the first time since 1999, would send any Spurs fan berserk, but I know that the thought of day out at Wembley in February played a part in the celebrations of both the Spurs fans and the Spurs players.

And in the FA Cup tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday, players and fans will start to dream of a Wembley appearance. Maybe not so much to some of the smaller teams still in the competition - Havant & Waterlooville have reached their "Wembley" already and I'm thrilled for the club - but certainly for clubs like Watford and Wolves, with a good wind an a kind draw, the prospect of a Wembley visit may start to become more conceivable.

There are some great games to watch out for this weekend. The match at Anfield is the pick of the bunch for me (and surprise, surprise, it is not being televised). But other games are equally intriguing. Peterborough United host West Bromwich Albion in what should be a good game, with both team banging in the goals this season. A possible shock on the cards there? Barnet v Bristol Rovers also appeals with both teams beating higher placed opposition in replays this week. That tie guarantees a team outside of the top two leagues in the Fifth Round Proper. Other attractive games include Mansfield against Middlesborough and the battle of the roses between Oldham Athletic and Huddersfield Town. And even Arsenal against Newcastle offers plenty for two teams that have been in the news so much recently.

If you are off to an FA Cup game this weekend, I hope you get to see some entertaining football.

And finally, back to something else that made me laugh this week. Another cracking looking fixture tomorrow is the FA Cup tie between Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle, two teams with an abundance of passionate support. On the radio this morning I heard that Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth manager, has offered an unusual incentive to Benjani Mwaruwari, the Pompey striker. If he scores a hat-rick in tomorrow's game, Harry Redkanpp will provide Benjani with Fish & Chips for the rest of the season.

I think I'll have Fish & Chips tonight; that will set me up nicely for my trip to Dartford. Sorry, Watford.

Times they are a changing

I have got tickets for the game. I contacted Watford FC at the beginning of the week and spoke to a very helpful lady in the ticket office and I was able to buy over the phone. What's more, they arrived this evening. So it's all systems go for Saturday.

I must thank all the Watford and Wolves fans who have kindly contacted me with offers of help to get me a ticket should I fail by the usual means. This from complete strangers. I must also thank the Wolves press officer (Paul B) who also offered to help. I am genuinely grateful for everyone's support; you all know who you are.

So, I have the tickets. I am now on "the database" at Watford FC. I am now the proud owner of fan identification number. I was able to pay over the phone with a (well used) piece of plastic.

This is all a far cry from how it used to be when I was lad growing up watching football. To turn up at the turnstile with a 50p coin was usually all it took. Sometimes a jump over a poorly maintained fence would do the trick. Nowadays it isn't quite so simple. Fan id numbers, membership schemes, automatic turnstiles, hologram embossed and security coded tickets. All-seater stadiums. Carefully controlled access into and inside grounds. Health & Safety. No smoking. No drinks in the stands. £5 for a prawn sandwich.

Times certainly are a changing. In fact, times have already changed.

This puts me in mind of a story I read a couple of weeks ago. It relates to a different sport (cricket) but the message is still the same.

The story was about a retired clergyman who goes by the name of Dennis Hibbert. Mr. Hibbert was a very keen cricketer and he was an active member of his local cricket club near Nottingham. Mr. Hibbert has, in early January of this year, had a ban lifted, a ban that saw him excluded from going onto the premises of his cricket club. The thing is, this ban was handed to Mr. Hibbert seventy years ago. Seventy years of exclusion. It must have been something pretty serious, way back in 1938, that led to an almost life-time ban? His crime? He called a fellow player "a big fat fool".

In this day and age, if a participant in any sport - cricket, rugby and least of all football - questioned a fellow player's body size or mental acumen in such a turn of phrase, barely an eyelid would be batted.

Times certainly have changed, and watch any football game nowadays and it is plain for all to see. Long gone are the halcyon days of players respecting players, fans respecting fans, referee's getting the respect they deserve. When did it all start to change? When did that respect disappear from the game? When did players start to verbally abuse referees, fans start to fight? This erosion of respect started at some point in our history. It then grew into disrespect which, way down the line, manifested itself into hooliganism. Years of festering disrespect somehow evolved into street battles between opposing supporters. Football grounds became grounds of war. Train stations and motorway services became no-go zones. Hooligan firms were formed. And then Heysel happened. This tragic event was swiftly followed by the (non-hooligan related) Bradford City fire and the awful scenes that unfolded at Hillsborough.

And out of those dark years the Government had no choice but to take radical action. And this is where we find ourselves today. All-seater stadiums. Membership schemes. Controlled segregation.

And databases with fan identification numbers.

Maybe it all started to change when Mr. Hibbert called his team mate a "big fat fool"? But that is an awfully heavy burden to lay on one man's shoulders, and totally unjustified. So I won't even go there.

Now, where did I put those tickets...?

The dream had become reality

"The dream had become reality".

These are the words of Havant & Waterlooville manager Shaun Gale after watching his side's sensational 4-2 victory over Swansea City in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.

I don't think "sensational" is too strong a word to use. Up for grabs was not only a nice tidy sum of prize money but a trip to Liverpool in the Fourth Round. Swansea would have wanted that reward just as much as Havant & Waterlooville. When I wrote the post on Wednesday evening I honestly thought Swansea City would be too strong for the non-league side and this was a game too far. They proved me wrong. Fantastic.

I believe that Havant & Waterlooville's progress to the next round means that this is the first time that a team from the sixth level of the English game has reached the Fourth Round Proper since Woking in 1991. We have had to wait seventeen years for this.

The planning down in Hampshire has already started, and questions are already being asked about the amount of travelling support that "The Hawks" will take up to Merseyside. The FA have already offered the Havant & Waterlooville team the use of the England coach; one assumes Brian Barwick was referring to the bus rather than Fabio Capello.

The amount of support than non-league clubs get for the bigger cup games has, as long as I care to remember, been a topic that stirs strong feelings in some quarters. It is something I have come across many times, and has also surfaced several times in my FA Cup exploits this season. And it annoys me somewhat.

I've lost count of the number of times I have heard or read complaints about the larger attendances that the small clubs suddenly get when a bigger team comes into town. The phrase "glory hunters" is often banded around in reference to the additional "floating" support that swell the gates. If I had one pound for every time I have heard someone moaning at a cup game that "most of these fans won't be here next week" or "all these glory hunters come out of the woodwork now, don't they", I'd be a reasonably rich man.

It happened at the Staines Town v Stockport County game that I attended in the First Round this season, back in November. On what was a fantastic evening for Staines, with a league club scalped and a ground full to bursting, there was one grouchy old soak stood in front of me who was complaining about the size of the crowd and that all these "extras" who are not the hard core Staines support should stay away. Really. I had to bite my lip.

A very small part of me sympathises. 179 fans one week for a match against North Geenford United and then just under 2,900 turn up to watch Stockport County. The regulars, who watch the team week in, week out, are bound to wonder where the additional two thousand plus fans come from. It is only natural. But if you follow through their argument, are these people really suggesting that the floating fans stay away from the big games? Do they really want an empty ground for what is such a special, rare event? No matter how much I think on this, I simply cannot fathom the argument.

Surely, this is what it is all about. The swollen gates, the first time visitors and the fans from other clubs in the area. This is a key ingredient that has made the FA Cup one of the best football competitions in the world. How often can a smaller team such as Staines Town, Chasetown, Horsham or Havant & Waterlooville get the opportunity to meet (and beat) league opposition? It comes around infrequently for the majority of non-league clubs. For some, never. And it is exactly the rarity of such occasions that makes them so appealing when they do occur.

It is something different, unique, out of the ordinary, special, exciting. It is a change from the norm. It is something that just does not happen every day.

A good cup run raises the profile of a club, locals get interested, the town wakes up and takes notice. True, many will only ever come to these attractive games. The vast majority won't be rearranging their Saturday plans to return for a league game against Chelmsford City the following week. But a few might. Or if not then, perhaps later in the season.

If the grounds of non-league clubs were not filled to the rafters for these big cup games, it would be even more surprising. Imagine the scenario. Staines Town v Stockport. Only regulars allowed in. Attendance 170. No TV cameras. No local interest. No floating support. And therefore, no different from North Greenford United. Just another game. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to get excited about. No cracking cup atmosphere. The season, and all future seasons, would become rather boring and rather tame. It simply would not happen.

There is a distinct lack of interest in the Watford v Wolves tie that I will be going to, simply because these clubs play in the same league and actually meet the week after the cup game. It is nothing special for many supporters and it has not fired the imagination of either set of fans. Now, if either were playing Liverpool, different story.

A natural instinct for us humans is to crave change, to look for something different, something that will appeal, something out of the ordinary, something that raises our excitement levels. If we didn't have this, if we lived life on a constant, unchanging level, with no peaks and highs, what kind of life would that be?

Without the lows, one cannot appreciate the highs. And every now and then along comes an FA Cup fixture that jumps out and screams at you "Hey, this is great, this is an exception, how often do you see something like this? Once in a lifetime, if you're lucky! Bloody hell, give me some of that!".

The Staines Town v Stockport fixture did exactly this for many people, including me. So did Horsham v Swansea City. And Chasetown v Port Vale. Liverpool v Havant & Waterlooville certainly will. Try telling Havant & Waterlooville that they should only take regular supporters (a few hundred?) to Anfield, and no more. What a load of tosh.

Six thousand Luton Town fans travelled to Liverpool for their replay on Wednesday, and they were a credit to the club. Despite losing 5-0 they sang their hearts out for ninety minutes and thoroughly enjoyed what was a massive occasion. It is something special that will live with those that made that trip (on a horribly wet and windy Wednesday) for a long, long time. Imagine what it would have been like if they had got a result.

So to those of you who moan about the "floating" support, I'm sorry, I just don't get it.

Now, please excuse me, I must go; I have to give an interview for "The Birmingham Mail". Now that is something that doesn't happen every day.

Watford FC by numbers

Wick. Then Weymouth. Now Wolves. Off to Watford next. Spot a trend? What are the chances of fate sending me to watch Walsall, Wigan or West Ham next?

Anyway, a long way to go before that. In the meantime, time for a quick look at Watford FC, my destination on Saturday 26th January 2008. It's a numbers game:

1881 The year that Watford were founded. They first played at Cassio Road before eventually moving to Vicarage Road in 1922, where they have remained.

4 The number of times that Watford have met Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup, most recently in 1992-93 when Wolves ran out 4-1 victors at Watford.

1 The number of times Watford have beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup. Back in 1979-80 it finished Wolves 0, Watford 3 in the Fifth Round.

4 The number of times Watford have reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.

1 The number of times Watford have won an FA Cup semi-final tie. In 1984 they knocked out Plymouth Argyle in the semi before going on to meet Everton at Wembley, losing 2-0. Much to the pleasure of Watford fans, their cup run that year started with a victory over local rivals Luton Town, winning 4-3 after extra time in a replay at Vicarage Road.

26 The number of managers Watford have had. Len Goulden and Neil McBain have both had two spells in charge. Graham Taylor has done it three times (1977-1987, 1996 and 1997 to 2001). The current incumbent is Aidy Boothroyd who took over tenure in March 2005. Other famous names at the helm have included Dave Bassett (hasn't he managed every single club?), Steve Perryman, Glen Roeder and Gianluca Vialli, the latter being Watford's only ever non-British boss.

31 Number of England appearances by the most capped Watford player. That honour goes to John Barnes. And I promise not to mention that goal against Brazil.

415 Number of league appearance by a Watford legend Luther Blissett between 1976 and 1992. He turned out 503 times in all competitions and is the club's highest goalscorer with 186 goals. Blissett had three separate spells at Watford and also played for Bournemouth and AC Milan. In football circles, he was last spotted managing Chesham United.

48 Record number of goals scored in one season by Cliff Holton. That was in season 1959-60.

2000 The year that Harry the Hornet won the "Mascot Grand National" at Huntingdon Racecourse. Watford are nicknamed "The Hornets", presumably because of their yellow and black clubs colours. On 28 August 1998 Harry the Hornet got married to Harriet the Hornet before a game against Wolves. Spot the tenuous link? The best man that day was Wolfie, the Wolves mascot.

2 The highest league position attained by the club. Under Graham Taylor's guidance, Watford finished second behind Liverpool in their first ever season in the First Division (1982-83). More recently, Watford were relegated from the Premiership at the end of last season. They currently occupy one of the automatic promotion slots in the Championship, level on points with West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City.

1 The number of times Watford have ventured into Europe. They competed in the UEFA cup in 1983. In the first round they scored a famous victory over Kaiserslautern winning the home leg 3-0 after losing in Germany 3-1 in the first leg. They went on to beat Levski Spartak before succumbing to Sparta Prague in the Third Round.

250,000,000+ The number of albums sold by Reginald Kenneth Dwight. And over 100 million singles. Elton John to you and me. He is Watford's life long president and probably one of the most famous faces down at Vicarage Road. He can sing a bit as well. You might have heard of him.

And one final FA Cup fact about Watford. Their heaviest ever defeat was in the FA Cup in 1912, losing 10-0. Their opponents? Wolverhampton Wanderers.

I'm guessing that the game in a couple of weeks will be a lot closer, but then what do I know? What do you think the result will be? I have put up another poll (just under the FA Cup picture, above right). The result will give me some more numbers to digest...

Club #8

So it is goodbye to Cambridge United. What's more, for me, it is goodbye to non-league football in this season's competition, short of a miracle involving Havant & Waterlooville getting into the next round at the expense of first Swansea City and then either Luton Town or Liverpool. The chord to the non-league scene, born on that cool summer's evening back in August down at the end of my lane, has finally been severed. After 11 games and 138 days and 1350 miles of tarmacadam.

731 clubs registered to take part in this season's FA Cup, and come the weekend of the 25th and 26th January for the Fourth Round Proper this number will have been whittled down to just thirty two. Looking at that list of original entries, it starts with Abbey Hey and ends with Yorkshire Amateur. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Watford are snugly positioned toward the end of the list amongst teams such as Wick and Weymouth (seen them), Whitehawk and Wootton Blue Cross (wish I had seen them) and Wembley (hoping to see it).

We are now down to the last sixteen ties.

Wolverhampton Wanders, after their 2-1 victory on Saturday, now take up the torch in my FA Cup marathon. Out of those 731 teams, Wolverhampton Wanderers will be my eighth team. The chain of teams that has guided me through the competition so far looks like this:

1. Chertsey Town
2. Sittingbourne
3. Dartford
4. Bromley
5. Eastbourne Borough
6. Weymouth
7. Cambridge United
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers

The jump from Blue Square Conference to Championship was quite a significant one, in all senses of the word. Bigger ground, larger fan base, bigger expectations. And a different view of the FA Cup.

A sojourn to Watford next then in the Fourth Round. More about Watford later...

The reaction to this draw? On a personal note, not bad. On the one hand, I would have liked to dwell a while in the lower reaches of the league. This may yet be possible, with Leagues One and Two still represented; the likes of Mansfield, Barnet, Bristol Rovers, Bury or Swindon offer glimmers of possibility. But in terms of distance to travel (a mere thirty one miles from my front door) and chances of getting a ticket (high) the draw has done me no harm.

As for the fans of Wolves and Watford? Disappointment is the (polite) word that best sums up their reaction. The two sides meet one week after the cup game, same venue, in a Championship game and the feeling I get from both sets of fans is that the league game is the more important. Sure, some would like to advance to the Fifth Round Proper and go on a decent cup run or cash in on a windfall promised by a Premier league team. But many would prefer the three points that the league game offers in the quest to reach the promised land of top-flight football in England. The greedy want both.

In the meantime, the likes of Chertsey Town, Dartford and Eastbourne Borough play out their seasons with the bread and butter games in front of small, but loyal, followings. If any of those clubs were still in this season's FA Cup, I wouldn't need to question their reaction to the draw.