FC United say goodbye to the FA Cup

There certainly is something brilliant about the early rounds of the FA Cup. An annual celebration of football where even the smallest part-time outfit have a chance of humbling the professionals, all played out in packed lower league grounds that are a lifetime away from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League.

Through the years, the world’s most famous cup competition has seen some infamous giantkillings, as at least one non-league club captures the imagination every year by making their way through the early rounds and raking in much-needed TV revenue, gate receipts and prize money along the way.

FC United of Manchester have been on such an adventure this season. The club was formed as a protest by disgruntled Old Trafford regulars against the take-over by American businessman, and Alf lookalike, Malcolm Glazier, and has gone from strength to strength.

The latest step in FC’s quest took place on a chilly Wednesday night, in a second round replay, against current League One leaders Brighton - a team more than a hundred places higher in the football ladder.

Sadly, all did not go to plan and despite the game being quite an even match, Brighton’s extra cutting edge proved to the difference and a result of 4-0 was more than unfair on FC. However, a trip to Gigg Lane is about more than just watching football.

A game at FC is always a carnival but for this match - arguably the biggest of their short lifetime - the atmosphere was truly electric. There is something strange about watching FC United; it’s a place where the normal is not the norm, where people are allowed to set off flares in the stands but are not allowed to smoke.

As a football fan more used to going to games in the higher leagues, a night at FC is a breath of fresh air. A wide-ranging fan base from families to groups of lads and an endless song book, which everyone gets involved with, makes a night at Gigg Lane something that everyone can enjoy.

I went with an Australian lad who is currently on a world tour watching football. He was at the World Cup Final and last week’s El Classico, yet on the way home he admitted that it was one of the best atmosphere’s he’d seen at a football match.

As the game came to an end, a chant of 'We are so proud of you' rang out around the ground - and that sums up FC United. The team was set up through a desire to have a club that was part of – and important to – its community.

They’re out of the FA Cup, but they are also a couple of hundred thousand pounds closer to a new stadium at Ten Acres Lane and now have the experience of beating, drawing and losing against professional clubs.

As the referee called an end to the game, and to an astonishing cup run, it felt more like the beginning of another chapter in the story of this remarkable club.