• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Sport Football

Sutton United prove that magic of the FA Cup still exists

Sport News 24/7 By Richard de Winter – TLE Sports Columnist @rgdewinter  @TLE_Sport I am just about of the generation that still believes in the so-called ‘magic of the cup.’  In my extreme youth, Cup Final Day was an event, one of few live football matches on the TV.  I still remember the anticipation of the […]

David de Winter by David de Winter
2016-12-06 15:40
in Football, Sport
Sutton United - TLE

FA Cup trophy

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp
As featured on NewsNow: Sport NewsSport News 24/7

By Richard de Winter – TLE Sports Columnist

@rgdewinter  @TLE_Sport

I am just about of the generation that still believes in the so-called ‘magic of the cup.’  In my extreme youth, Cup Final Day was an event, one of few live football matches on the TV.  I still remember the anticipation of the build-up, the route to the final montages, and my bemusement at people crying during the singing of Abide With Me (it was only a hymn).

The concept of giant-killing excited me.  I was fed a diet of Ronnie Radford and Dickie Guy, Jim Montgomorey and Trevor Brooking.  One of my earliest match-going memories is of standing wedged in a corner of The Hawthorns surrounded by an increasingly disbelieving group of Woking fans as Tim Buzaglo shredded West Brom’s defence again and again, thrilled that I was part of a folkloric giant-killing event.

However, as we know, the FA Cup no longer holds such an eminent position in English football.  For managers in the upper divisions it is more an opportunity to rest players, so the team can concentrate on more important things, such as finishing 17th in the Premier League (I do particularly love the trophy for that).  I wanted to believe that the fabled magic of the cup wasn’t just a thing of the past, though, so, having a rare Saturday free, I ventured down to Sutton United’s Gander Green Lane, for their clash with Cheltenham Town.

Students of FA Cup history will have a giant-killing klaxon blaring in their heads at the very mention of Gander Green Lane, for it was here in 1989 that Sutton United defeated top division Coventry City 2-1, thanks to a winner from Matthew Hanlan (I didn’t even have to look any of that up), and I’ll admit I chose this particular tie as I was hoping to see something similar 27 seasons on, even if recently-promoted-to-League-Two Cheltenham aren’t exactly of the same status as Coventry were.

Gander Green Lane is similar to many other non-league grounds, in that it’s in the middle of a residential area, completely open to the elements, and absolutely freezing.  There’s that wonderful community feel that you get at smaller clubs, where you recognise the bloke in the club shop as being the same person who was selling programmes earlier, and intimate chats happen around you, with the conversants happily breaking off to hurl obscenities at the action on the pitch, before continuing as if nothing had happened.  I was rather disappointed to discover that the pitch, instead of being a boggy frozen mess, was in fact state of the art 3G astroturf, meaning that sliding tackles which last forever were sadly at a premium, but I bore it courageously.

The game started as though hoping to live up to another tradition of lower league football, in that it was crap.  Oodles of energy, tons of effort, more stray boots in the air than your average Alex Ferguson team-talk, but very little quality football, or even passes to a teammate for that matter.  Cheltenham were marginally the better team, with winger James Dayton buzzing around hopefully, but a goal seemed about as likely a Jose Mourinho admission of culpability.  Out of nowhere, and against all odds, striker Danny Wright cleverly touched in a deflected free-kick, and Cheltenham were in the lead and now looked like doubling their advantage whenever they came forward.

In the second half, however, Sutton were a totally different team – they equalised within 40 seconds of the restart, through journeyman striker Matt Tubbs’ emphatic finish, and started to play some neat football.  Former Charlton and Middlesbrough midfielder Nicky Bailey (definitely carrying a little extra timber now) put himself about, and a couple of ex-Arsenal trainees, Roarie (sic) Deacon and Craig Eastmond, displayed a few top-level touches.  Long-serving Sutton boss Paul Doswell had displayed a shocking lack of understanding of how managers should treat the FA Cup by resting several first-teamers for the midweek National League match against Dover Athletic (and getting hammered 6-0 for his temerity), which meant the non-leaguers didn’t tire as much as might have been expected.  Deacon missed a couple of good chances, Rob Dickie looped a header onto the bar for Cheltenham, before Deacon in the final minute of 6 (!) minutes of injury time conjured a yard of space on the edge of the area and shot low into the corner past an unsighted Russell Griffiths.

RelatedPosts

Trump Turnberry blacklisted by British Open Championship organisers

Watch: Heartwarming moment Kevin Sinfield lifts Rob Burrow over finishing line in Leeds Marathon

Wrexham players sing ‘f*** the Tories’ after winning National League title

Can Arsenal see off City to win Premier League

Cue bedlam.  People hugged furiously, teenagers ran up and down, not sure what to do with themselves.  The air was rife with unbroken voices screaming, the players celebrated in a supine huddle for an indecent amount of time, a lady in a wheelchair dropped her cup of tea, but didn’t seem to care.  It was impossible not to get caught up in the occasion, and I may have whooped and hollered a little.  Cheltenham barely had time to restart before the final whistle went, causing a further uproar of cheering.  Talk on the way out was of the 3rd round, and who Sutton might draw.  A couple of the older generation wanted Coventry City, for nostalgia’s sake (and the certain attendance of the BBC cameras), while younger fans talked happily of trips to Chelsea or Liverpool, although not Sunderland, as ‘it’s much too far away.’

I know it’s not fashionable, but rest assured, the magic of the cup does still exist.

Content Protection by DMCA.com

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: The Thing About Wrexham’s Cinderella Story

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

More from TLE

Tory MP says Russia report will be another attempt to “sabotage” Brexit

Coastguard launches search and rescue over small boat incident in the Channel

How To Make: Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)

Economic roundup – February 2019

Ministers back-pedal following ‘outrageous’ decision to scrap free remembrance services train travel

We’ve found the worst take on the Dover port chaos

Glove that lets you ‘feel’ virtual reality objects is set to revolutionise gaming

Sunday league footballers stunned when they were joined by Rivaldo in disguise

Benefit cuts don’t make sense if you want growth, says Iain Duncan Smith

Watch: Kevin Bridges joked about Queen’s death during gig last night and said: ‘She won’t be the only old woman to die this winter’

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.