A classic cup tale

First another look at a book IAN ASPINALL takes of time… still standing the test published in 1975, but

umphs abound. The novel succeeds by making the extraordinary seem almost ordinary. The reader is almost convinced that getting to an FA Cup final is an everyday occurrence.

There is sense that what may be fiction could one day become fact.When Steeple Sinderby reach the first round proper, the information is relayed in the FA’s press release.

“So when the draw was announced, imagine hard-pressed Sports Editors finding this foreign name, Sinderby, on the FA’s press release. Yeovil, they knew,Wigan Athletic, Dulwich Hamlet, Bishop Auckland and Norton Woodseats they knew. Every odd year or so, all these glimmered faintly before being snuffed out. But Steeple Sinderby...?”

To the modern reader of this passage, the irony is reinforced by the fact that the former NonLeague side Wigan Athletic shocked the football world by winning the FA Cup in 2013. There are plenty of quotes from newspaper reports and committee minutes to reinforce the credibility of the narrative. There are plenty of digs at many of the bugbears of the 1970s, eg. politicians, local and national government, big business corporations and the nationalised industries. There are some amusing quotes from the pompous chairman Fangfoss. When talking about managerial efficiency, he comments:“It is because I am not an expert. Experts invent themselves.Whereas I was born with my mind made up.” Strangely, the team’s progress in the FA Cup skips a few rounds before they face Manchester. The team’s progress is always categorised as of Homeric proportions. There is even an outbreak of hooliganism after the Manchester cup-tie. This was one of the preoccupations of 1970s football and its presence is perhaps only to be expected. But it is told in a comic style more reminiscent of Dad’s Army than the hardcore aggression of the West Ham or Millwall Inter City firms of the time. When Steeple Sinderby reach the semi-final, their opponents Aston Villa are characterized as once being a Sunday School team managed by a Sunday School teacher. The matter of fact approach is demonstrated when the victory over Aston Villa is not even reported upon as the other village issues are more pressing. This may be a football fairytale but we want to find out how the underdog succeeded. Steeple Sinderby’s success is an unparalleled moment in history and we are encouraged to believe that the impossible can become possible. Against all the odds, something incredible can happen. Just like Wigan Athletic winning the FA Cup in 2013 and Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016.