Geez Wayne, who ate all the pies?
The real hero of Sutton United’s fifth-round FA Cup tie with football giant Arsenal never took to the field.
But reserve goalkeeper Wayne Shaw lived up to his cult-like image as the English non-league side went down to the glamour London club 2-0 yesterday.
He was there early, running the vacuum cleaner over the dugouts where he would spend the game on the Sutton bench.
At halftime he ducked into the clubrooms to enjoy a beer with punters. And when he returned to the bench for the second half, he filled his hunger by eating a pie as the match wore on.
The 46-year-old boasts a generous-sized tummy and a larger-than-life personality.
In the leadup to the game he revealed an unusual request as his profile grew to match his 127kg frame.
‘‘A publication asked if they can photograph me naked. Like, everything off, except a pair of goalie gloves, apparently,’’ he told ESPN football. ‘‘Not sure what I’ll say to them.’’ As a youngster, Shaw was a promising talent, playing as a striker alongside Alan Shearer in Southampton schoolboy teams.
Shearer, who went on to fame as one of the best modern strikers in England colours, confirmed that as Sutton’s game against Arsenal drew increasing headlines.
‘‘He did [play in the same team as me], absolutely. When we were 14 or 15,’’ Shearer said. ’’I followed my dreams to the Premier League, and he followed his to the burger van, I think.’’
In the match itself, Sutton’s chances of emulating Lincoln’s sensational win at Premier League Burnley on Sunday were effectively extinguished once Arsenal’s Spanish striker Lucas broke the deadlock in the 26th minute with a left-foot curler.
Theo Walcott killed the tie with a slickly worked team goal in the 55th minute but Sutton refused to bow out quietly, creating several good chances.