Big game of the weekend!

There’s a massive game this weekend. No its not Chelsea versus United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, its Paulton Rovers vs Norwich City at lunchtime today.

Magic

Many people might be thinking my recent fever is getting to me but the reason why I say its a big game is because its a typical David vs Goliath clash. Its what the FA Cup is all about, all be it in the first round.

History

It will be Paulton Rovers first ever appearance on television. They are five divisions below their League One opponents Norwich and are expecting 2,500 fans after they erected temporary stands.

That crowd figure is ten times more than what Rovers usually get and is believed to be a club record which was previously 2,000 for a FA Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra in 1906. The club are 128 years old in their various guises and are from a former mining town just outside Bristol.

Amateurs

Like a lot of non-league sides the Paulton players work twice as hard as they also have to work full-time. Its a classic story of the carpenters, sale assistants and mechanics lining up against the professionals of a team that were strutting their stuff in the Premier League not so long ago.

According to Soccer A.M this morning Paulton midfielder Josh Jeffries thinks hes Roy Munson from Kingpin. I think he is taking the clubs new motto ‘live the dream’ a bit too far. They do have two professionals in their ranks striker Neikell Plummer and defender James Tyrell, who are on-loan from Bristol Rovers.

Shocks

The reason everybody likes watching these sorts of games is the fact that everybody loves an underdog and we are hoping for a shock, unless your team is playing the underdog of course! The Norwich squad will receive a shock when they see the facilities at Winterfield Road. Norwich wont be used to visiting places like this as they haven’t been so low in the football pyramid for along time, having been relegated to the third tier of English football last season.

They couldn’t swing a Canary never mind a cat in the dressing rooms and its exactly what the FA Cup is all about. The grass roots of English football in its rawest form. Players that play football for the love of the game not for the vast amount of money on offer. Its a different almost purer world. Its how football should be.

Win Win for Paulton

Whatever the outcome of their game against Norwich then Paulton have won. They will receive much needed funds from the fact that the game is televised and because of the size of the crowd. Its also a chance for some of their younger players to showcase their talents to league clubs.

The likes of 20 year-old goalkeeper Kyle Phillips has been linked with a move to local rivals Bristol Rovers. Young winger Ben Lacey is highly rated also. The pacey youngster has been attracting interest from league clubs and could still make it into the professional game.

Its a good chance for the club to raise its profile and maybe some of those fans attracted today for the big game will attend the games more regularly. The regular crowd of 250 people will surely increase after the tie with Norwich and that can only be good news for the Southern League Division One side.