The FA Cup third round rarely fails to deliver.
Despite the glaring absence of fans at all grounds around the country, the magic of the cup was well and truly alive during a weekend which included memorable shocks, spectacular goals and one unprecedented mismatch.
There were big wins for non-league Chorley, League Two Crawley and League One Blackpool, though eighth-tier Marine were ultimately unable to threaten a colossal upset against Tottenham Hotspur.
From the Herculean behind-the-scenes efforts to unlikely debuts and emergency signings, here are a few things you might have missed over an eventful few days.
A rough night’s sleep
National League North side Chorley will be hoping for a fourth-round glamour tie after overcoming a Derby County side decimated by a coronavirus outbreak – a result which justified groundsman Ben Kay’s heroic efforts to ensure Saturday’s match could go ahead.
With temperatures threatening to freeze the pitch at Victory Park, Kay camped out under a tent on the playing surface on Friday night to keep a careful eye on the situation.
It was far from a straightforward night as a generator keeping the tent up stopped working for four hours and staff were even pouring hot water on to the grass as kick-off approached.
“I FaceTimed him [Kay] at 2am knowing he was staying at the stadium and he wasn’t positive. One of the heaters had blown and he was worried we wouldn’t get the tie on,” manager Jamie Vermiglio said.
“I FaceTimed him again at 6am and someone else answered the phone and showed him fast asleep in the middle of the pitch. He’d slept here to make sure we got it on – it’s incredible really.”
The kids are all right
An Aston Villa starting XI composed of seven under-23 and four under-18 players fought valiantly against Premier League champions Liverpool on Friday after a coronavirus outbreak at the club’s training ground meant none of the first-team squad could feature.
A huge upset appeared a possibility for 60 minutes following 17-year-old Louie Barry’s equaliser against a Reds side containing the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson, before three goals in a five-minute spell abruptly ended their challenge.
And what better way for the youngsters to unwind after all their hard work than pizzas for all on the minibus home?
A dream come true
It was so comfortable for Crawley Town against Premier League opponents Leeds United that TV personality Mark Wright was given a late cameo at the end of the League Two side’s 3-0 win.
Yet, rather than a publicity stunt, 33-year-old Wright – a Tottenham youth-team captain as a teenager who also had stints with the West Ham United and Arsenal academies – wants another shot at professional football.
And what an occasion it was for him to make his dream a reality, as John Yems’ side tore apart Marcelo Bielsa’s visitors on Sunday to reach the fourth round.
Morecambe remember Mbulu
Morecambe were unable to produce a stunning upset of their own, as the Shrimps lost 4-0 to top-flight Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
And on a huge day for the League Two club, they paid tribute to their former defender Christian Mbulu – who died, aged 23, in May 2020 – by displaying a framed picture of him on the substitutes’ bench.
It was a touching gesture for a player described as an “extremely popular member of the squad”.
Marine’s last-gasp signing
It wasn’t to be for minnows Marine, who undoubtedly would have had to produce the greatest FA Cup shock to beat Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham on Sunday.
The Northern Premier League Division One North West outfit, a competition-record 160 places below Spurs in the football pyramid, signed up a last-minute reinforcement one day before the tie. They agreed a loan deal with neighbours Clitheroe for player-manager David Lynch – purely for the cup game.
Clitheroe agreed to release Lynch for 14 days to allow him the “tremendous opportunity”. Unfortunately, he never got his chance to face the likes of Gareth Bale and remained an unused substitute as the eighth-tier club’s extraordinary FA Cup adventure ended with a 5-0 defeat.
It was, of course, not the only example of the football community pulling together for this tie, as a remarkable effort by Tottenham fans helped Marine sell over 30,000 virtual tickets for the match at the 3,185-capacity Marine Travel Arena.
