Countdown to day of glory
Chasetown are into the FA Cup second round for the first time in their history. Tim Nash spent the weekend with manager Charlie Blakemore and his giantkillers. He gives the exclusive lowdown on how a historic day unfolded.
Chasetown are into the FA Cup second round for the first time in their history. Tim Nash spent the weekend with manager Charlie Blakemore and his giantkillers. He gives the exclusive lowdown on how a historic day unfolded.
Friday: 3.40pm
Meet up with the squad at Chasetown's Church Street ground. It's a cold, grey day and rain is falling steadily, but that hasn't dampened spirits as everyone huddles for a squad photo before the bus leaves.
Young reserve keeper Matt Sargeant sets himself up for some merciless stick as he's last to arrive – dropped off by his mum.
With everyone else having parked in a secure gated area, wing-back John Branch is in another after leaving his yellow Renault Megane on the unguarded club car park.
Twelve-goal top scorer Dean Perrow is in confident mood – he climbs aboard brandishing a pair of bright red boots to match the red change kit which Chasetown will wear tomorrow.
4pm: The coach finally pulls away. En route assistant manager Paul Jones, who played for Wolves and Walsall, is reduced to tea boy, using clever footwork to fill everyone's order without spilling a drop as the coach rattles through the rush hour traffic.
5.40pm: Pick up coach Kevin Sweeney and players Lee Evans, Vaughan Thomas, Joe Williams, Ben Steane and Paul Spacey at Droitwich.
We were supposed to be there for 4pm and Sweeney insists he will never pay a 'late' fine again after waiting an hour and 40 minutes.
Steane, who has an orange glow about him after freshly topping his tan up on the sunbed, gets a few catcalls and wolf whistles.
It emerges Steane – nicknamed Rod Stewart for his longer, highlighted hair – is the team's resident DJ and it's not long before sounds are pumping from the stereo.
We get to choose from the four-course menu before Blakemore rings ahead to tell the hotel so our meals will be ready when we arrive.
7.30pm: Finally arrive at the four-star Menzies Hotel. It's a welcoming and impressive sight, set inside its own grounds which include a lake. But it's pitch black and with 20 hungry players to feed, there's no time for sight-seeing.
8pm: After collecting our room keys and dumping our bags, it's down to eat. We're in our own conference room, everyone sitting around four large tables.
I'm sitting with Chris Slater, Craig Holland, Steane and Spacey among others, including the poor coach driver, who has to wait an age before his meal finally arrives.
Wing-back Spacey, who's been feeling sick, doesn't eat much.
The lights are dipped low before a cake, complete with candles, arrives for Williams, who is celebrating his 29th birthday.
9.30pm: After finishing our meals and a quick freshen-up, the players – minus Spacey, who has gone to bed – return to the conference room to be given a half-hour debrief on Team Bath.
First Blakemore talks, emphasising in no uncertain terms Chasetown's strengths and how Team Bath can be beaten.
Then player-coach Andy Turner, who was once the Premier League's youngest scorer with Tottenham, takes over.
Now a schoolteacher, Turner looks the part in front of the flipchart, and proceeds to go through each Team Bath player in detail, mainly focusing on their weaknesses.
At the end, players and staff are handed brand new blue T-shirts to wear, emblazoned with FA Cup first round Team Bath v Chasetown.
10pm: The players are packed off to bed and myself, the manager, his backroom staff and the players who aren't involved – injured midfielder Mark Swann and cup-tied striker Nathan Lamey, retire to the bar.
1am: After a long day, a few beers and a lot of laughs, we retire to bed for some much-needed sleep.
Saturday 8am:
Most players have breakfast, and a sumptuous affair it is too.
Defender Thomas, known as "Laid-back Lionel" by the team, is one of the last to arrive, followed by Steane, who reports Spacey is still asleep.
9.30am: We depart by coach for a 10-minute ride to Team Bath's university headquarters for a light training session.
There are a few cries of "tax dodgers" as we skirt the impressive grounds set high on the Claverdon Down above Bath.
It's a tense time for defender Slater, who is very much 'touch and go' after tweaking knee ligaments in Tuesday's FA Trophy replay at Radcliffe. He trains on his own with the physios.
Training is light for all but Swann and Lamey, who are run into the ground by Turner. Despite the previous night's excesses, they put themselves through the gruelling session eagerly.
Blakemore conducts a team talk in a huddle before 'Jonah', who has recently been on a coaching course, gets plenty of ribbing as he tells the players: "No static warm-ups", meaning they have to keep jogging all the time while warming up.
Spirits are high and there's more fun element to the training as Blakemore takes them through the circle with the ball before the players stretch off.
In a huge boost to the team, Slater declares himself fit.
11.45am: After returning to the hotel, we're back in the conference room for a pre-match meal of beans on toast or scrambled egg on toast – or for some players, both, while they watch football on TV.
Blakemore tells the players to pick up a poppy in reception before leaving.
1pm: Arrive at the ground as Steane's sounds hit full volume. The banter is good with the players taking the mickey out of the backroom staff's instructions of "don't leave empty-handed" wth skips to unpack from the coach. All the players muck in however.
2.15pm: Blakemore's moment of glory as the manager's 15-minute team talk leaves his players walking 10-feet tall.
A huge roar goes up as he asks his players whether they have the beating of Team Bath. Listening to the team talk, I feel as if I could go out there and beat the students, let alone the players.
3pm: Chasetown carry out Blakemore's instructions to the letter, charging into the students from the first whistle.
They look fitter, with more desire and after Thomas and Holland score, the game is pretty much over as a contest.
5pm: The final whistle arrives and Chasetown's players and fans merge as one seething blue and red mass at the end where many of the 1,500 or so Scholars are massed.
6.30pm: As we drink beer and scoff pasta in the club, news filters through that Blakemore has gone to hospital to be with his mother-in-law Sue Turner, who collapsed at the game.
The news tempers the celebrations, but spirits are lifted as the players lump crates of cider and beer onto the coach for the journey back.
9pm: Arrive back at Chasetown amid cries of "Que-sera". All the players are heading to Bar Sport in Cannock to continue the celebrations. It sounds like it's going to be a long night, so as I'm driving, I head home after one of the best weekends ever.
