Having completed every round of the FA Cup in 2013-14, groundhopper and Charity fundraiser, Alan Oliver and his footballing friend, Calvin Wade decided for the 2014-15 season they would move on to the FA Trophy. They would pick a tie in the Preliminary Round and follow the winners of each game thereafter on to the following round, irrespective of where in the country it would take them.
Both men were unsure whether the FA Trophy would hit the same emotional highs as the FA Cup. The FA Trophy did not attract the same crowds as the FA Cup, nor grab anywhere near the same media attention. No non-League club would be lucky enough to draw a Premier League club and the financial rewards were far more limited. The competition did, however, provide a rare opportunity for non-League clubs to play at England's national stadium, Wembley.
What happened during Alan and Calvin's ten round adventure proved all their doubts were unfounded. In a land of Premier League football that is beamed all around the world, sometimes the stories of the smaller clubs go untold. As Alan and Calvin travelled thousands of miles, up and down the country, their love and passion for the non-League game grew and grew. They witnessed managerial outbursts, an abandoned game, an excellent female referee, a man who made his debut twice and this was all before in the Third Qualifying Round they crossed paths with a special football club, situated in a village of less than 4000 people, called North Ferriby United.
Alan and Calvin would be taken on a journey by the players, officials and supporters of North Ferriby United, that would seem far fetched if it was witnessed in a Hollywood movie. It is a tale of a team whose spirit, determination and resilience seemed to know no bounds. Could this side, that looked at first glance like an unspectacular bunch of part-timers, upset the odds and create unforgettable memories for everyone involved with the club? Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
** 50p from the sale of every copy of this book/ebook will be donated to Alan Oliver's fundraising campaign for 'The Christie' (a specialist cancer hospital in Manchester). **
Both men were unsure whether the FA Trophy would hit the same emotional highs as the FA Cup. The FA Trophy did not attract the same crowds as the FA Cup, nor grab anywhere near the same media attention. No non-League club would be lucky enough to draw a Premier League club and the financial rewards were far more limited. The competition did, however, provide a rare opportunity for non-League clubs to play at England's national stadium, Wembley.
What happened during Alan and Calvin's ten round adventure proved all their doubts were unfounded. In a land of Premier League football that is beamed all around the world, sometimes the stories of the smaller clubs go untold. As Alan and Calvin travelled thousands of miles, up and down the country, their love and passion for the non-League game grew and grew. They witnessed managerial outbursts, an abandoned game, an excellent female referee, a man who made his debut twice and this was all before in the Third Qualifying Round they crossed paths with a special football club, situated in a village of less than 4000 people, called North Ferriby United.
Alan and Calvin would be taken on a journey by the players, officials and supporters of North Ferriby United, that would seem far fetched if it was witnessed in a Hollywood movie. It is a tale of a team whose spirit, determination and resilience seemed to know no bounds. Could this side, that looked at first glance like an unspectacular bunch of part-timers, upset the odds and create unforgettable memories for everyone involved with the club? Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
** 50p from the sale of every copy of this book/ebook will be donated to Alan Oliver's fundraising campaign for 'The Christie' (a specialist cancer hospital in Manchester). **
