The Bootiful Game Issue 2 The Bootiful Game Issue 2 | Page 44

moment of glory that they must
have been dreaming of when
attempting to stop an onslaught
from the favourites arrived in the
44th minute. According to the
Boston United reporter Ken Fox,
good build up play led to a cross
from the right hand side which
hit the penalty spot. Simon
Roach was lurking in and
around the penalty area waiting
for the ball to drop… and he
pounced after a nervous
clearance.
" Roach was clearly a thorn in
Boston’s side that day and he
was involved in a sending off in
the second half after he was
chopped down by a United
defender when racing through
on goal. With ten men Boston
couldn’t break down the
determined Brigg defence and
they held out for a historic tie
with Tranmere Rovers.
" Back in the early 2000’s
Tranmere were a team that
knew a thing or two about cup
runs. At the start of the decade
they were the beaten finalists in
the Football League Cup Final
having lost out to Leicester City.
That year Tranmere had also
showed that they could more
than handle
an F.A. Cup
run and were
one of the
stories of that
year’s
competition
after
comfortably
beating
Everton 3-0 at
Goodison
Park, then
Southampton
4-3, coming
from 3-0 down
to claim the
victory before
they
eventually
bowed out to
Liverpool in the Quarter Finals.
" Joe Murphy who started for
Tranmere in the Football League
Cup Final was in the first eleven
that played against Brigg, as
were defenders Clint Hill and
Gareth Roberts and midfielder
Nick Henry.
" Unfortunately “The Zebras”
were unable to recreate the
heroics that saw them progress
beyond the 4th Qualifying
Round but the Guardian’s
Stephen Bierley summed
up Brigg’s performances
beautifully.
“What’s black and white
and red all over? Not
these Zebras. They
were never
embarrassed.
Ultimately Brigg
were, as was to
be expected,
well beaten. Yet
they never
stopped playing
a brand of
precise, intelligent
football that
recalled Derby
County and
Nottingham Forest sides
under Brian Clough. This may
sound fanciful, but it was a joy to
see players from this level of
football always looking to pass
to feet, to create space and use
their brains.
" They finished almost on their
knees, such was the effort they
had expended, but their spirit
was never quenched. Indeed,
had Simon Roach managed to
equalise Alan Navarro's first-half
free-kick, Brigg might - just
might - have given last year's
quarter-finalists a much closer
run.”
" The first team to
complete the feat
formerly mentioned
were Spennymoor
United. They
reached the third
round of the F.A.
Cup during the
1936/1937
season and
played West
Bromwich Albion
in front of 23,000
supporters.
Unfortunately for
United the Hawthorns
witnessed a 7-1
thrashing.