This is my personal journey as I follow one FA Cup route from the Extra Preliminary Round on the 17th August 2013, right through all 14 rounds until I reach the final on the 17th May 2014. I will pick one initial game and keep following the winner until I reach the final. Like the FA Cup itself, my route will be random - the goal is to go to the games and report upon the experience of the places, rather than just the football.
Before I start I’ve realised that the title ‘The Giant Killing Adventure’ maybe misleading for some people. If you’ve read it as the giant killing adventure and are expecting a Dexter-like account of mass murder then I apologise for the misleading title. Instead it is just good clean fun about building a River to Wembley. If anyone has stumbled upon our blog by mistake, you should still read on – you might enjoy it.
The 2013/14 football season sees the 133rd FA Cup competition. 737 teams have entered and via a process of knockout they will commence ‘battle’ with an Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday 17th August 2013. The aim of this blog is to follow this ‘war’ by picking one game in the beginning round and following the winner to each consecutive round until we reach the smooth ‘carpet’ surface of Wembley in May 2014. It’s kinda like following a river from source to sea – they’ll be plenty of twists and turns but without the oxbow lakes. This journey will take you through grass-roots football as we visit the villages, towns and cities of our great nation – all united in one goal... winning at football and moving one game closer to a possible MASSIVE game.
Before I start I’ve realised that the title ‘The Giant Killing Adventure’ maybe misleading for some people. If you’ve read it as the giant killing adventure and are expecting a Dexter-like account of mass murder then I apologise for the misleading title. Instead it is just good clean fun about building a River to Wembley. If anyone has stumbled upon our blog by mistake, you should still read on – you might enjoy it.
The 2013/14 football season sees the 133rd FA Cup competition. 737 teams have entered and via a process of knockout they will commence ‘battle’ with an Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday 17th August 2013. The aim of this blog is to follow this ‘war’ by picking one game in the beginning round and following the winner to each consecutive round until we reach the smooth ‘carpet’ surface of Wembley in May 2014. It’s kinda like following a river from source to sea – they’ll be plenty of twists and turns but without the oxbow lakes. This journey will take you through grass-roots football as we visit the villages, towns and cities of our great nation – all united in one goal... winning at football and moving one game closer to a possible MASSIVE game.
The FA Cup is pure magic – it’s the
oldest association football competition in the world and was first held in the
1871/72 football calendar - that season it was won by a London based club
called Wanderers FC. In the modern era it may have lost its position as a
competition of high importance due to the huge amounts of money and attention gained
from European competition. But to many teams (especially ones that
aren't owned by multi-billionaires) and most fans it is still a competition
that generates excitement at the prospect of knocking out a local rival or
playing a ‘massive’ club and hopefully, just hopefully becoming ‘this season's
giant-killers.’
Before we begin let’s have a quick recap on last year’s 2012/13 final:
Last season’s 2013 final was an example of how
a massive club can be pipped to the post in a one-off game. Manchester City was
a huge favourite to beat relegation strugglers Wigan. However the magic of the
FA Cup didn't listen to the pundits, the Bookmakers or the average fan on the
street – the FA Cup had other ideas.
Roberto Martinez’s men got their
tactics right... Callum
McManaman received the man of the match award and Ben Watson headed in the
winner in the 90th minute.
Wigan beat Manchester City
1-0. Wigan lifted the trophy and Wigan
Chairman Dave Whelan was delighted as his side truly became ‘last season’s ultimate giant-killer.’
A lot has happened since that fateful day and
Roberto Mancini paid the ultimate price for failing to win a trophy for Manchester City. It’s a world where success hungry
fans and owners aren’t happy with Premiership runner-up and FA Cup finalist
(that’s considered a bad season). Mancini had won the Premier league in 2012
and the FA Cup in 2011 – he was the first manager to win a major competition at
Manchester City for over 30 years but he was still sacked for his side's ‘poor’ season!
Wigan
didn’t avoid the relegation drop and manager Roberto Martinez has taken on a
new challenge as manager of Everton.
However, the fans and supporters of Wigan will never forget the day that
their side defied the odds and lifted the original and greatest club cup
trophy... the FA Cup.
As you can see from the image, Wigan (A) is in the North West of England, 200 miles away from Wembley Stadium (B). Join me tomorrow to see where our FA Cup journey begins...
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