Tottenham and Reading FC supporters will have had mutual FA Cup feeling | OneFootball

Tottenham and Reading fans will have been surprised to see former Brazil star Sandro playing for Harborough Town in the FA Cup on Sunday

The FA Cup is a unique spectacle season upon season which delivers the sort of results not witnessed in other competitions, so this year's second round was hotly anticipated.

It did not disappoint either, as Saturday night saw League Two play-off chasers AFC Wimbledon fall to a defeat at the hands of National League mid-table outfit Dagenham & Redbridge.

Sunday also witnessed an upset as National League newcomers Tamworth disposed of League One Burton Albion via a penalty shoot-out victory.

Although the absence of replays has taken the shine off the cup in the eyes of many lower league and non-league supporters, there have still been shocks to cherish this term, and that's before we get into round three, where Premier League clubs are susceptible to stumble.

However, seventh tier Harborough Town's luck was out on Sunday, as they twice held the lead away from home at League One Reading, but eventually fell to a 5-3 defeat following extra time.

But while the Royals' clash with Southern Premier opposition did not produce a surprise result, it did include a player many supporters will have been surprised to see, in the form of ex-Brazil international and former Tottenham midfielder Sandro, who made his debut for Harborough.

His appearance will have shocked both Royals and Spurs fans alike, as the 35-year-old had previously retired, and his last competitive appearance prior to Sunday's FA Cup outing came during the 2021/22 season, when he was plying his trade for Portugese side B-SAD.

Sandro played for Spurs during five Premier League seasons, after signing from Brazilian Serie A side Internacional in 2010, before leaving in favour of QPR in 2014.

In fact, his most recent appearance in English football, prior to his Harborough debut on Sunday, came when he was playing for the R's in the 2016/17 Championship season.

He is also a familiar face to fellow second tier outfit West Brom, where he spent the latter half of the 2015/16 Premier League season, while on loan from the R's.

But it is Tottenham and Reading fans who will have been most surprised by the midfielder's return to the English game, as he made four Champions League appearances for Spurs back in 2010/11, while his most recent outing saw him playing for a seventh tier side against the Royals in the FA Cup.

Frankly, supporters of either club could not be blamed if they had not realised that Sandro had returned to his playing days, and would be making a cup appearance in Berkshire on Sunday.

Sandro's surprise return to football came by chance

Following his previous retirement from football, the Brazilian works as a hospitality host at Spurs, which is where he met season ticket holder and Harborough boss Mitch Austin.

Sandro told the Daily Mail: "It’s a funny story.

"I work for Tottenham at home games, talking to the fans in hospitality.

"Mitch was in the restaurant and was saying 'Sandro, you look good, you should play for my team.'

"I said yeah, why not, man, let’s go.

"It was just like that."

Perhaps fittingly for a competition which has sparked so many unique tales up and down the country, it was in the FA Cup that Sandro's debut for the seventh tier side would arrive.

While Royals supporters will be best pleased by the fact that their side has progressed to round three, seeing a Premier League veteran plying his trade for their semi-pro opponents on Sunday will also have brought a smile to their faces.

Spurs fans, meanwhile, will be intrigued to see how their former midfield regular performs in the Southern Premier, but may be disappointed that Harborough did not progress with the Brazilian among their ranks.