How Chorley could repeat the past to create FA Cup history 🖤 | OneFootball

Four wins. That’s all Chorley need if they are to complete the FA Cup’s most astonishing story and reach the final at Wembley.

It would be an unprecedented feat, something never before seen in the cup’s 150-year history.

Let’s be honest, though, Chorley are unlikely to make it to Wembley in May. There is, however, one man from the club who definitely will be there: groundsman Ben Kay.

After freezing and torrential conditions put their third round tie against Derby in doubt earlier this month, Kay produced a superhuman effort to get the game on against the Championship heavyweights.

Sleeping overnight at Victory Park, Kay woke up every hour to ensure that the pitch wasn’t getting waterlogged or frozen over.

“On Friday we had the snowfall which put things back and the temperature dropped,” he told the BBC.

“At 10:00 GMT on Friday our generator decided to break down. The engineer was, unbelievably, in Derby. He made it here within two hours. Rumour has it he was a Nottingham Forest fan so he needed to get the game on so we could beat Derby.

“We were back up and running at around 14:00 but I would say until 05:00 on Saturday, I was pretty confident the game was going to be called off.”

That wasn’t the case, as the game went ahead as planned with Derby having to field an XI comprised entirely of youth players following a COVID outbreak at the club.

You might be thinking that fortune had favoured Chorley leading up to their first ever appearance in the third round.

But there was nothing lucky about the absolute clinic they put on against the Rams that freezing lunchtime. Chorley were exceptional and totally played their Football League opponents off the park.

The game ended 2-0, with Connor Hall and Mike Calveley scoring the goals, but in truth it could have been five or six.

The performance was a testament to their manager Jamie Vermiglio — a primary school head teacher by day — and to the dedication of groundsman Kay.

And after their heroic third round win, Kay got a special invitation to the tournament’s showpiece event later in the season.

“To top a great weekend off, Karl Stanley, the head groundsman at Wembley, has invited me to go and work as part of his ground staff on the FA Cup final,” Kay told Radio Lancashire.

“For me, our national stadium Wembley is probably the best pitch in the world with one of the greatest grounds and the most respected people in our industry.

“I messaged back saying it would be an honour. He just needs Jamie to let me have the day off!”

The National League North side (that’s the sixth tier of English football) had already gone through five rounds before beating Derby and now must face another Midlands powerhouse.

Wolves are their opponents on Friday evening hoping to become the first non-league side since Blyth Spartans in 1978 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

And who would possibly bet against the Magpies? Especially with some notable FA Cup history on their side.

This is a reunion of sorts, with Chorley taking on Wolves for the first time since they played each other since one of the tournament’s most notable giant-killings back in 1986.

35 years ago, the once mighty Wolves were languishing in the Fourth Division but fancied they could beat Northern Division Chorley and make the second round.

The Old Gold were taken to two replays, in the days before extra time and penalties, and Chorley won at the third time of asking.

The Evening Mail carried the banner, “Once proud Wolves buried by non-leaguers” and “Proper Chorlies”, and Leon Hickman’s Molineux Requiem ran: “The once great Wolves climbed unprotestingly into their coffin last night.”

It was a new nadir for a side that had once been champions of England, and although they’re not quite at that level just yet, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are in something of a funk right now.

After getting to the Europa League quarter-finals last season, Wolves are now languishing in 14th place having not won a game in the Premier League since 15 December.

If there has ever been a time to take on the Molineux giants in the recent past, perhaps now is it.