Class of 92

Regardless if you are a United fan or just a football fan in general, it's great to see ex players involved with non league football! Salford City must be having a right northern knees up!

18 months ago it was first reported that a group of United legends headed up by none other than Gary Neville - were interested in making a cheeky purchase of Salford City F.C.

Salford, like most none league teams were just happy to be fielding 11 players each week followed by a swift pint and a pack of pork scratchings in the pub after. This was school boys own stuff! The kind of thing you dream about being a non league player.

Fast forward to present day and the amount of media (social and TV) that has been generated means Salford almost have as many followers as Jesus!

After a few impressive performances this season Salford find themselves up against the might of Notts County. This is the first time in the clubs history that they have reached this stage of the FA Cup and it's great to see the BBC have chosen to screen the match on the box! 

Obviously the United lads were over the moon, some people have reported seeing Ryan Giggs lifting his shirt up and running along the touch line, bringing back memories of that famous FA Cup goal against the Gunners! 

Phil Neville was a bit more reserved when interviewed "I'm sure it will be a packed crowd under the lights at Moor Lane" adding that 'anything can happen" Rumour has it Neville has been wearing his lucky pants to the matches and that he has had the pants since 92! 

So if like us you absolutely love football you need to either get yourself along to the match or tune into the BBC on Friday 6th November and watch the magic of the FA Cup unfold right in front of your eyes! After all this is the greatest cup competition in the history of the sport! 

Wombling free................?

This weekend sees the return of the FA Cup and while it may have lost some of it's magic it still has the ability to throw up the odd decent fixture.
Arguably the tie of this round is MK Dons vs AFC Wimbledon, I say AFC but that particular moniker seems to been dropped since they emerged into the football league proper though and there's no chance of getting the two teams confused.
As grudge matches go, it may not have the tradition of Celtic/Rangers, City/United or Arsenal/Spurs but a lot of footballing water has passed under the bridge and who'd have thought that a fan run team would ever get the chance to take on the exact same side that brought about their very meaning and existence? But as we all know Wimbledon have had their fair share of fairytales....

Back in the day Wimbledon may have had their fair share of critics, with the whole 'Crazy Gang' mentality, long ball game, and slightly heavy handed antics on the pitch but ultimately they were what grass roots old school football was all about.
Rising from the fourth to the first division in only four seasons (they were non league five seasons before that) and famously beating 'the culture club' of the Mighty Reds to win the FA Cup in 1988, they must have done something right, as players picked up for next to nothing went on to big money transfers and international honours.

Is there a hint of irony from those wanting to see Wimbledon get one over the MK Dons? Did those same people look down on the club during it's original rise and glory days of the late Eighties/early Nineties? Maybe, but the MK Dons - although a perfectly well run club with decent management and players came to represent the all that was going wrong about the game, with the possibilities of more American style franchised clubs feared to be on the horizon, once again grass roots old school football was proved to be the way forward.

So those who remember that David versus Goliath encounter in the FA Cup Final of '88 will be relishing this Sunday's game. But for the Wombles a victory if it comes may prove a hollow one, many fans are boycotting the game and still see MK's refusal to drop The Dons from their name as the ultimate betrayal.