Chasetown revel in glory day

Chasetown 1 Cardiff City 3

Chasetown won the FA Cup on Saturday, writes Tim Nash.

OK, they didn't lift the famous old trophy, but such was the euphoria at the Scholars Ground on Saturday night, they might as well have done.

Certainly, some of Chasetown's fans couldn't have been happier had they waltzed off with the silverware at Wembley.

And in a way, they would have deserved it , too. Win, lose or draw, there was only winner at the weekend.

How else do you account for a group of middle-aged Wolves fans giving up their season tickets for good and pledging to buy Chasetown ones instead?

That's the effect this little club has had on people.

For nowhere have the traditions of the world's oldest knockout competition been more upheld than at Church Street this season.

From the ladies serving soup to the Press in the hastily-erected Portakabins to Noel Sweeney and his boys from the blackstuff crew laying tarmac behind the goals, this was a magnificent effort by all concerned.

Suffice to say that the commitment by Charlie Blakemore and his staff and players on the pitch was matched by the painstaking operation off it.

So rabid is the pursuit of the millions in these days of the money-drenched Premier League, the real traditions of the Cup are forgotten; its importance devalued by teams 'saving' their players for the rigours of staying in the top flight.

At Chasetown too, profit was the order of the day, though not the club's as they missed out on a windfall when it was decided to take the live TV coverage elsewhere for reasons only accountants will understand.

But the clubs – Cardiff deserve a mention too for their co-operation – at least upheld the special values of the Cup to ensure such a memorable event took place at the Scholars Ground.

The big hope is that the players whose deeds have won the hearts of a nation one day realise the scale of their achievements and celebrate it like their ecstatic support.

Because their feats may never be achieved again.

The humility and modesty of the Chasetown players meant you were never quite convinced whether they realised the depth of their deeds, even though as they returned to work today, it had probably all sunk in.

Humility was in heavy supply on Saturday night, and none more so than in the Cardiff dressing room, where former Wolves boss Dave Jones invited the Chasetown players in to get their pick of souvenirs from his team's laundry.

Even Jones's coat went in the melee following a hopeful request from Scholars midfielder Mark Swann.

They may have left the ground with Cardiff shirts and shorts, but Chasetown's identity is now secure.

Everywhere in the country, people know about the Scholars, but if their place in the nation's folklore seems unlikely, it is at least deserved.

Through its players, manager and staff, the club is truly special.

It has its own character, typified by PA announcer Paul Burrell's message at the end of the game: "We play Leighton Town here next Saturday, and we hope to see you all back here for that one, 3pm kick off".

That was matched in the humour stakes by director Frank Carson's "Welcome to our country" pre-match quip to the Cardiff fans.

Delivered in a think Ulster brogue, the irony wasn't lost on the crowd and it went down a storm.

Chasetown have touched the hearts of so many and, in their quiet moments, you pray those who have helped make the dream possible realise the positive impact they have had.

This particular Cup tale will disappear from the national glare now as life returns to normality. But the Chasetown story hasn't been forgotten.

The club will hope this is just the start, that not only can they better it and reach the fourth round next season, but within a few years, have climbed a few more rungs of the ladder and be competing in the Blue Square Premier or the Football League.

That may sound fanciful for a club who were playing in front of 50 to 60 people five years ago, but no one should underestimate the ambition and determination of the staff at the club.

Goals have been set and there are enough people at this friendliest of football clubs hell-bent on achieving them that to dismiss their determination would be an insult.

To do that of course, they will have to keep boss Charlie Blakemore and most of the players who have performed such magical deeds.

I say most, because as Chris Slater returned to Maddox's yard on Chasetown High Street today in his job as a block paver, it can't be long before he wins a much-earned return to the professional game.

Slater once again stepped up to the plate, and for all the hype, Chasetown's early goal and the eventual result, one of the endearing memories is of the defender casually lobbing Cardiff striker Steven MacLean in the dying minutes and taking the ball in his stride. Amazing.

If Slater stood out as a professional in the making, then Ben Steane wasn't too far behind and the midfielder was again imperious on the big stage.

The customs officer engineered the "give and go" with Dean Perrow that stretched Cardiff's defence and proved the highlight of the first 45 minutes, his cross turned home by Kevin McNaughton to give the Scholars the 17th minute lead.

Steane's intuition was only matched in the second minute of first-half injury-time when Peter Whittingham curled home the equaliser after a one-two.

That spared Cardiff the biggest tongue lashing of all time from Jones, who still accused his players of taking the tie too lightly at the break.

But the goal crucially tipped the balance of things towards the full-timers.

And with the wind also in their favour, there was only one real outcome in the second-half.

That Chasetown weren't on the end of an embarrassing scoreline was a huge credit to the players, who gave every last ounce of energy.

But it wasn't enough and 17-year-old Aaron Ramsey – who definitely looks one for the future – headed the Bluebirds ahead on the hour before setting up Paul Parry to drill between Lee Evans's legs 13 minutes later.

It was the end of the dream. But as the players performed their lap of honour afterwards, Chasetown were the real FA Cup winners.