A Cup half full
GAME HAS TO CHANGE
THERE is a West Pennine town buzzing after becoming famous again for something other than cakes.
Thanks to the success of the football team in the FA Cup, Chorley is back on the map and loving the limelight in these otherwise dark and difficult times.
Virtual tickets for Friday’s visit of Premier League Wolves in the fourth round have been selling fast and the club’s run in the competition is expected to net them more than £500,000 in revenue.
For the time being, life feels good again and the club deserve their moment in the sun.
Boss Jamie Vermiglio said: “Chorley is on the map now and for us it’s a boost. We could possibly get up to £500,000 now and for a club like us, not only does it save us, it enables us to grow.”
Vermiglio’s optimism is great to see, but is it justified?
The non-league outfit have been here before – and while not much has changed for them in the intervening years since Wolves last came to town in 1986, the opposition in question have gone on to inhabit a totally different world.
Back then Wolves were in the old Third Division and following their 3-0 defeat to Chorley in a second replay, went on to get relegated.
Fast forward to 2021 and Wolves now rub shoulders with the richest clubs in the land and compete in Europe with a team of international stars, while Nuno Espirito Santo has just been given £50million to spend on new signings in the current transfer window.
If Chorley beating Wolves 35 years ago was considered an upset, where would a similar result this week rank in the long list of FA Cup shocks?
But whatever happens, the chances are Chorley will remain in the lower leagues of the football pyramid once their world returns to normal and the sport turns its back on them again.
The money raised will be used to pay off debts incurred during the pandemic, not to build a new stand or fund a better standard of player. Just imagine where
Chorley would be if they hadn’t been on a giantkilling run.
The FA Cup has never felt more important than it does now, providing clubs like Chorley, Marine and Crawley with a small chance to move forward.
But while the pandemic continues to ravage our national sport, those at the top also continue to be obsessed with self-interest and their own preservation.
Those who run football don’t do enough to help the Chorleys of this world – and until this changes then little down there in the backwaters ever will.
Chorley shouldn’t have to rely on the FA Cup to survive. And all their achievements have shown is the entire game needs overhauling – and fast.