MARINERS TAKE THE HONOURS IN FA CUP AWARDS

MARINE are the big winners this year of football’s FACTAs – the awards that specifically recognise the achievements of Non-League clubs in the FA Cup.

The Step 4 Mariners won through seven matches to reach the third round of the competition where they were drawn against Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, a match beamed live by the BBC cameras.

Neil Young’s side picked up three of the four FACTA awards available – only the second club to do so in the same season after Hereford in 2017/18.

The other award was claimed by National League North side Chorley, who flew the NonLeague flag alone in the fourth round on Friday night when they took on another Premier League side in Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The winners of each award are determined by a combination of votes from thousands of NonLeague fans and by experts Caroline Barker, Dave Anderson, Tim Fuell and NLP editor-at-large Matt Badcock.

The 2020/21 FACTA winners were as follows:

● FA Cup Special Team Award: Marine – for selling over 30,000 virtual tickets for their behind-closed-doors third round tie against Tottenham Hotspur

Surprise of the FA Cup: Marine – for winning through no fewer than seven ties (Barnoldswick Town, Frickley Athletic, Runcorn Linnets, Nantwich Town, Chester, Colchester United and Wigan Athletic), from the Preliminary Round to the Third Round Proper.

Performance of the FA Cup: Chorley – for their tremendous 2-1 come-from-behind win at high-flying League One side Peterborough United in the Second Round.

Team of the FA Cup: Marine – for being only the second club ever from the eighth tier of English football, after Chasetown in 2008, to reach the Third Round Proper.