First up, sad news. The team we adopted last week, largely courtesy of Andy Hudson, Hebburn Town, have gone. Going away to local Blue Square Bet Premier side Gateshead proved too large a task. Despite holding out for nearly an hour, they lost 3-0 and you can read about the build up, features and interviews here, no fewer than seven recent pieces! Also, match action here.

Elsewhere, the minnows fared little better. Hebburn’s fellow Northern League survivors Ashington got hammered 5-0 by Grimsby, as did Gainsborough Trinity by AFC Telford.  Kidsgrove got dumped out by Bradford Park Avenue 2-0 and Solihull Moors got edged out 1-0 by FC Halifax.  Kings Lynn Town put up quite fight against the mighty Tamworth but still succumbed, the Lambs sneaking through 2-1. Finally, Southend Manor of the Essex Senior League put up a valiant effort against Kettering Town, after holding them to 1-1 at half time – the second half proved more tricky and they lost 3-1.

There were some high points though, Hinckley Town held Darlington 1-1, Redbridge stunned BSB Premier side Ebbsfleet 2-0, East Thurrock United won 2-1 away at Eastbourne Borough, Arlesey Town beat Forest Green Rovers 2-1. Elsewhere, Natalia Bradford saw Mansfield 1-1 Fleetwood.

Topping off the round, friend of and contributor to therealfacup, Graham Yapp, went to Totton to watch them progress to the First Round for the first time ever – AFC Totton 3-2 Hanworth Villa – while 200% have, as usual, collated some of the best bits of video from the round. And, talking of video, here’s the latest installment of the Bromley chaps video blog, for their 2-1 win over Dartford.

As you can see from our links, the local media have a vital place in the FA Cup but if you’ve come across any blogs about any of the games, let us know and we’ll add them here.

There’s a few replays to sort but the draw was made yesterday – it is on the FA website. The pick of our area’s ties is without doubt Redbridge v Oxford City. The chance for either to get to Round Two is astonishing! Bromley’s trip to Leyton Orient stands out too, it’s quite a task but one Bromley aren’t incapable of.

Thanks to all people keeping us up to date with games on Twitter. Apologies if we don’t reply or RT everything, we were away this weekend, so please keep on keeping on … and good luck to Blyth, Alfreton, Hinckley and Leatherhead in the replays!

And, finally, welcome to the mainstream media – putting so much back in to football by turning up half way through a competition. Well done …

The Real FA Cup Awards Part 3.

Our surprisingly successful poll (3,000 votes!) earlier in the year decided FC United of Manchester were the people’s choice for the most impressive team of the season in the early rounds of the Cup. Hythe Town came a fractional and deserved second. We spoke to people from both clubs as the first two parts of our season’s review and here’s the final instalment, our highlights of the year and our First Choice XI team of the year.

The Best Quintessentially English Day Out:
Carshalton v Chelmsford in the 4th Qualifying Round. Our new favourite pub replete with Lord Nelson ephemera, a beer festival, antique bar billiards and florins (old 10p pieces). This is how pre-match drinking should be. What followed was a cracking cup tie with a (mostly) jolly atmosphere, a bit of passion, an exciting finish, a very tall man and all imbued with the evocatively long shadows of autumnal sunshine. A rammed and happy post-match pub topped it off.

The Real FA Cup Award For Cockle Warming: Jonathan Haggart
This will come as no surprise for those of you who follow us on Twitter, we’ve mentioned this guy a lot. This is the tale of frustrated, not-quite-footballer and club secretary Jonathan Haggart. Presented with an empty sub slot on Glossop North End’s official FA team sheet due to lack of bodies, Jonathan cunningly filled that slot with his own name, entering into the club’s history as an unused substitute in an FA Cup match! Not jealous, much.

Best Lino: Paul John
Watching the officials warm up pre-match at Arundel we wondered why Father Jack was running around the pitch. Sorry, Paul, we mean no ill but the hair and the painstakingly accrued beer festival waist accessory was reminiscent of everyone’s favourite priest. When we saw him stride out with a flag in his hand, we raised a collective eyebrow. But he ran the line, and ran, and ran, and as far as we could tell had a flawless game with firmness, certainty, no fuss and great humour. We subsequently found out he is one of the most cherished and respected officials in the Sussex League, which speaks volumes. If Carlsberg made linos …

Best Pub: The Hope
Obviously The Hope in Carshalton with a nod to the Bank in Sutton where we not only had a fine beer but it was also where therealfacup met the actual FA Cup, Geoff Thomas, Tony Rains and, begorra, ONLY RAY BLOODY STUBBS!

Best Fans: Kingstonian
Picture the scene, a 4,722 capacity stadium with 312 people in it. A phrase including the words ‘wizards sleeve’ might spring to mind. Echo, echo, echo, echo … Kingsmeadow! We’d only ever seen Kingstonian away and they’d made a decent effort of spurring on their team at Margate’s Dreamland but that didn’t prepare us, or indeed Margate ‘keeper Jamie Turner, for what was about to occur. If you can’t get enough fans to fill a stand, you shrink the stand to fit the fans. Huddled together like iron filings behind the magnet of the goal, the pocket of 100 or so K’s fans sang throughout the game with a breadth of songs that would put most German teams to shame. They bantered with and appreciated the Margate keeper, sucked in the pelanties in the shoot out and energised a dreary, grey South West London night. A toot of the realfacup vuvuzela to anyone who was there that night! Good work lads.

Late notable mention to Harlow Town fans for their joyful shenanigans in the Ryman 1 North play-off semi finals.

Best New Ground: Woking
Hmmmm … Cray Wanderers was a joy in the late summer sun, as was seeing my (Damon) bike on telly chained to a football stand, but a rammed Kingfield Stadium on a cold misty evening as Woking took on League 1 pace setters Brighton was a corker. Not quite the Berlin derby but a very FA Cup-ish close second. This is why replays should NEVER, EVER be done away with, this is why the FA would be fools to deny the plucky underdog their payday at a big club. A cold, damp evening in an old-school non-league stadium as neutrals await a shock is an integral part of the Cup’s charm. Get rid of that and a key vestige of ‘magic’ disappears forever.

Best Team Performance: Cray Wanderers
Cray Wanderers v South Park. Plucky underdogs they may have been but South Park were a man to the good for 75 minutes of this match, which really evened it up. Yet, in the second half, Cray’s 10 men could and perhaps should have run out more than the 1-0 winners they finally did. A never surrender attitude and fantastically gung-ho approach to being down to ten men, 4-3-2, is the way forward – as Swansea showed in the Play Offs.

Best Goal: Julian Ashby
This one probably goes to Julian Ashby of Redbridge in their qualifying game against London Colney. We may have benefitted from a good sightline but, jinking past a few players, he cut into the box from the touch line, played a swift one-two and then slotted a deft little shot with slight curl across the keeper and into the corner. A peach.

Best Individual Performance: Jamie Turner
Jamie Turner of Margate .v. Kingstonian (FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round). How many finger tip saves can a goalie make in one game? The answer is 74*. Add the blocked shots, claimed crosses and routine saves and Jamie Turner touched the ball more times than Xavi does in a whole season. *That might be slight Skyperbole but he was immense. Then saved two penalties in the shoot out and still lost!!

Meeting the FA Cup! Might have had a little tap when the bouncer, yes, the FA Cup has a bouncer, wasn’t looking. I won’t post the pictures, it was cheesy, well I was.

Worst Food: —-
Often on the road at lunchtime we didn’t frequently eat inside football grounds but there was some shocking fayre on offer around them or on the way to them. The pick of the heart attacks was Simon’s deep fried grease fest from the kebab shop outside Kingstonian’s Kingsmeadow ground, a place we’d never have gone near if Fat Boy’s Caff had been open but needs must and this unnamed place needs condemning.

Most Half Hearted Cup Exit: Sutton United
We’re most supportive of and sympathetic towards Sutton United usually but when not one but two of their own fans suggest it, we have to agree. Sutton United 1 Alton Town 2. Meek. Surrender.

Biggest SHOCK!
If we don’t pick FCUM’s hearty triumph over League 1’s Rochdale we’ll get lynched. So we will. After all, there was five divisions between them. However, special mentions also to Dover for beating Gillingham, a massive one in the eye for Scally. MASSIVE. And also to Hythe Town who beat Staines 2-0. 2009/10′s Giant Killers Killed.

Top Mascots: Jenny & The Gator
Non-League is not a hot spot for mascots but Haydon The Womble and York’s Yorkie The Lion were both nominated by their fellow furry friends, as were Jenny The Giraffe, and Howie the Hornet We only actually saw two this season so it’s a tie between the … errr … ‘gator from Margate, ‘Margator’ and Sutton United’s Jenny the Giraffe

The Graham Yapp Award For The Most Significant Hatrick Scored By Someone Whose Name Includes A Romantic Poet:
Byron Harrison – Carshalton 3 East Thurrock 2

Ludicrous Goal Scoring Exploits: Leyton Orient
You’ve been through 90 minutes of sheer hell, as some rapper once said in an ad for an energy drink, and you’ve taken a League One side to the limit. 2-2. 30 minutes of actual hell later and you’ve shipped six in extra time. Doh to Droylsden, 8-2 to Orient.

The Always Be Prepared Award:
Wembley FC spent the whole final training session in the lead up to the Cup opener learning some zonal marking moves to defend set pieces. 2 minutes into their tie with Witham, 1-0 down. Lost 3-0.

Best Flares:
Woking & Brighton get it for size, Harlow Town get runners up for ingenuity.

Thanks to everyone who’s contributed to the site this season, it’s been a joy, we’ll no doubt be back again next year going to some random grounds around the south east of England and, who knows, maybe further. To round this all off, here’s the best eleven players we’ve seen this year, not necessarily in the FA Cup mind. And to top it all off the newly created and highly prestigious <drum roll> ‘Player Of The Season’.

The Real FA Cup First XI:

GK: Jamie Turner (Margate) First name on the team sheet for keeping Kingstonian at bay with more saves than Robert Green made all season.

RB: Inigo Calderon (Brighton) Nullified Watford and yet still managed to start off Brighton’s good moves and get forward at will.
LB: Taricco (Brighton) Ahhhh, little Mo, out of retirement after 6 years, sets up a goal then gets sent off. Then scores the following week.
CB: Francis Duku (Dulwich Hamlet) Count Duku, immense (if a little erratic) at times but so good all defenders should be measured in Dukus.
CB: Rob Grove (Arundel) Libero of the Sussex League!! Who’d have thought?

RM: Paul Robinson (Whitley Bay) Well, he had to get in didn’t he? We interviewed him you know. Oh and he won a trinket again.
LM: Julian Ashby (Redbridge) Mazy run, tidy one-two, curled into the corner, picture postcard FA Cup dreams.
CM: Matt Gray (Kingstonian) The Boss. The non-league Glenn Hoddle. You need a defence splitting pass? Send for Matt! Although even he couldn’t find a way past Jamie Turner.

F: Jacob Walcott (Staines) Better than Theo, doesn;t have legs made of biscuit.
F: Paul Chow (Whitley Bay) This man knows where the goal is. By our reckoning another 30 goal season, scored in every round of the FA Vase, more goals at Wembley … what next?
F: Harrison (Carshalton) The Chelmsford defence didn’t even know where he was for most of the game at Colston Avenue.

therealfacup PLAYER OF THE SEASON – JAMIE TURNER (MARGATE)

FA Vase Semi Final 1st Leg – Poole Town 1 Whitley Bay 2

Days like today reaffirm my belief in football. A piece of grass, very little in the way of stadium but, nevertheless, 1500 locals and 200 away fans turned up to participate in some grass roots action. And Fabio Capello was there to run his eye over some potential new talent, which was odd as apparently he should have been in Cardiff watching England play a third division international side. Sorry to the Welshmen of the World.

The FA Vase is, nominally, only the third most prestigious FA tournament but, for me, there’s something about it that elevates it above the Trophy. You’ll probably know successful Vase teams as places but not as football clubs. Apart from Whitley Bay, of course, who currently have their mitts welded to it. The Wembley final certain helps, even Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury admits to jealousy at the chances of Poole making it there this year. Dolphins manager Tom Killick won the Vase with Wimborne in 1992.

Before the game, much had been made of the dictat of segregation but, other than the intended separate entrances for ticket holders and a small fence amusingly placed half way down the side of the burger van, the club, stewards and Police took an appropriate hands-off stance towards keeping fans apart. It wasn’t necessary anyway and the apparent ban for Whitley fans going in the ‘clubhouse’ appeared ill-regulated at best.

Sermon over.

Football hasn’t been kind to Poole in the last 15 years and it has to be said their local council isn’t exactly walking over hot coals for them in their pursuit of a permanent home. The school, on whose land they currently have a temporary home, have been thoroughly accommodating, although some local residents have been, perhaps understandably, less comfortable with the influx of hundreds of people into their locale.

The club bar is a portacabin, the burger bar is half a portacabin and the Directors’ lounge a big gazebo. Not ideal but it does work, well, it probably does when there are 500 people around. The burger ladies told me it was a nightmare when 1000 turned up for the Hayes & Yeading FA Cup game earlier in the season and they were wary of the mooted 2000 turning up today. I offered my services for £10 an hour and was pointedly reminded they did it for nothing. Yep, nothing, this MUST NOT be forgotten. I raise my glass to the burger ladies of this world.

By now I was busting for the loo and, searching for them, I ‘accidentally’ found myself first in the away dressing room and then the home dressing room. 1-1. Having walked blithely past a Policeman to get to the team area, I went back and asked where I should be.

Wandering round the ground I was cajoled into buying 10 pieces of A4 stapled together. This, I was told, was a match programme. I’d seen one before, I’d just never seen one so thin for 2/3rds of a pint. Actually, that’s a lie, it was a behemoth of value compared to the folded piece of A4 we got in Corinth last year. Spirits were revived by the folk duo singing songs about cider (is this cider country?) and a lad sitting on a goalpost. It was also the first time in MANY years I’ve seen a bloke carrying a crate into a footy ground. If you don’t know what this means, you are probably under the age of 30 or are an armchair football fan, although the latter would probably mean you aren’t reading this.

For 89 minutes of this game, Poole retained possession well and looked to utilise the firepower they undoubtedly have. Why they kept top-scorer Steve Smith on the bench is a question only manager Tom Killick can answer, and it’s certainly a question the Poole fans we spoke to after the game wanted an answer to. Smith has scored over 30 goals this season so their bafflement is probably justified. It was 83 minutes before he arrived to try and get the second goal the Dolphins possession might have deserved but their guile in the final third certainly didn’t.

Instead, Whitley who, by the Bell End Choir’s own admission, had been woeful for 89 minutes suddenly burst into life and their clinical finishing saw them equalise and then snatch victory with a superb free kick from Kerr. The slight sense of burglary riddled the post match discussion. Ian, who had introduced me to various members of Whitley’s famous Choir, was almost embarrassed as we pre-ambled about the result with some locals before getting the skinny on Poole’s ground woes.

So, what is now 3 years and umpteen games, Whitley Bay’s unbeaten record in the FA Vase marches on but this was as close as they’ve come to losing it – and they deserved to do so.

At the risk of being twee (again), today was quite emotional. The fans know the players and this, for me, is what is missing higher up the pyramid. It increases the sense of community, that you’re all in it together. You won’t often hear a non-league fan accuse players of not trying because they actually know the (majority of) players want to be playing for them. It makes a ‘club’ more than multi million pound strikers, pre-match cordon-bleu restaurants, comfortable seats or even brilliant sight lines.

We retired to the Poole Labour Club, next to Mammy’s Baps cafe and had a chinwag about ground irrigation with the Poole groundsman, Chris, and spun a few yarns with their long serving physio Dick Thomas. Poole need a new ground to progress, let’s hope the Council can pull their fingers out to help the club benefit the community even more than they do now.

Having said all that … the best bit of the day was the ‘young man’ who was ticked off by the fuzz for stealing daffodils. Cue “we’ve got your daffodils” song for much of the first half. Ironic then that we found this Whitley Bay flyer in the Labour Club …

Visit therealfacup youtube page for our fortuitous capturing of the winning goal and subsequent mayhem.

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Thanks to Ian for allowing me to tag along with the Whitley fans and John at Poole who was so helpful prior to the game. And also to Fabio and Friend, otherwise known as Poole fans Nigel and Paul.

Sparing us a few personal, honest and thought-provoking words on FC United and his relationship with the FA Cup is Ed Barrett. As a founding member of FC United, Ed has an equal share in the club and an equal say in running it, just as it should be.

Commercial or “modern” football are easy targets for criticism from matchgoing fans for all number of reasons; some more legitimate than others. One such criticism, and one where I must also hold myself accountable, is the decline in value of the FA Cup. For a brief period at the turn of the millennium, the almost impossible task of a British club progressing in the European Cup, meant I pined for matches versus the likes of Del Piero and Sammer and the FA Cup fell by the wayside. 1994 was the last time winning in the final for me held some all consuming importance. 1996 was just because of Cantona and the schadenfreude associated with effectively Ian Rush’s last touch in a Liverpool shirt being to divert the ball to Eric.

By the time the FA had persuaded MUFC to skip the FA Cup and head for Brazil, Id lost pretty much all interest. However with the creation of FC United, it gave me a new perspective on the football pyramid. Whilst our own participation in the cup was generally limited, bar a fine replay win versus Stalybridge, it re-awoke my love affair with the competition as a neutral, particularly the early rounds with its fine old grounds and unlikely match-ups.

This year, we progressed a little further. By now I was living in Germany, and my access to “FC” was limited to twitter (the celebration of beating Barrow took place in the car back from Amsterdam), FCUM Radio (the Norton and Stockton Ancients and the Brighton game) or luxurious illegal live streams through my home projector (the Brighton replay). But for one of our most defining moments as a club, I was there, and it was delivered by the FA Cup.

The top sides aren’t allowed access to the “romance of the cup”. They are used to expensive ticket prices to watch their team play some minnow, and are used to seeing their club in the papers in general. As soon as I touched down in the UK, the paper I picked up had a story on FC and it was a thrill. We were the underdogs, and bar the odd occasion, a team that doesn’t get much coverage in comparison to professional sides. Pre-2005 it would’ve seemed ludicrous to keep the clippings!

As a club we seek to represent the community that Manchester’s two premier sides have largely forgotten, yet often, outside of the odd gig or real ale festival where more kindred spirits are likely to congregate, you can be fairly anonymous as an FC fan in Manchester. The Rochdale game changed that. Walking through the streets and people approached me to wish me well, because of my scarf. They’d seen the coverage and knew that it wasn’t just a United scarf, but an FC one. After the match, the reaction was the same. Congratulations from strangers as we marched en masse through town having returned from Rochdale. Even the manager of a local bar, popular as a post-match/pre-night out hangout for FC fans, told us excitedly how much the other drinkers had celebrated as the final goal went in. The FA Cup had won us new fans and brought us a brief bit of fame.

Of course there were 4000 fans in that flare filled stand at Spotlands and now we are back down to the usual 2000 or so, but as other cup heroes might also be able to claim, one or two extras stick around. Then of course there is the money. Now we are back to the commercial gripes, uncomfortable territory. However those turnstiles clacking around and the prize money we gained, will be responsible for a few of the bricks laid when we get our own ground. And once that ground is there, we can work with and represent Manchester and our new neighbourhood for the long-term, not just for a few glorious days in November. Although if there is any chance of a repeat…

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You can read more of Ed’s thoughts via his TeddyFCUM Twitter feed and tumblr blog FCUM.AD featuring FC and St Pauli.

Photo courtesy of Andy Barker

Thanks also to Andy Hudson of Gannin’ Away who organised these words for us.

Hythe Town Football Club were the first Kent League club in 54 years to reach the First Round Proper of the FA Cup, winning six games starting way back in August before losing in November 5-1 away to League Two’s Hereford United, who play five steps above minnow Hythe.  These games including a well deserved 2-0 home result against Blue Square South club Staines Town.

Hythe Town Chairman Paul Markland recounts the club’s FA Cup adventure.

“You often hear about the magic of the FA Cup but until you’re truly involved you can’t appreciate just how amazing the experience is for a small football club like Hythe Town.  The further we progressed the more surreal and exciting it became.

We played our sixth FA Cup 20110/11game in October against Staines Town.  They arrived with over 200 supporters in club colours complete with drum and club songs and I knew our usual small crowd would never make themselves heard.  But the turnstiles kept clicking until over 500 locals were in the ground supporting us, the underdogs; that’s the drawing power of the FA Cup.  The atmosphere was superb and the euphoria afterward, courtesy of an unexpected and classy 2-0 win, was tremendous – we even had a pitch invasion!

The media attention after being paired with the full time professionals of Hereford United was unprecedented – and really enjoyable!  The FA Cup itself even made an appearance at our ground on the Sunday before the Hereford game courtesy of The Sun; who would ever have thought that would happen at little Hythe Town?

The whole town was so excited about the Hereford game and we took over 300 there – and they out-sang the Hereford crowd, a friendly bunch I must say.  We even met with FA Cup legend Ronnie Radford.  We stayed over afterwards and to see the players celebrate you would have thought we’d won at Wembley not lost at Edgar Road!

Because of this cup run the profile of Hythe Town Football Club has gone up and we are now known for our current achievements, pleasingly on my watch, rather than those of our predecessors.

Financially the cup run has taken the pressure off during this economic downturn.  We have always been debt free and operated within our limited income but there was never any spare money for the ‘nice to haves’.  Courtesy of the FA Cup winnings we have finally been able to give our club house a long overdue refurbishment – a lasting legacy of this cup fun.  This is one of the ways money from the top level can cascade down to the grassroots of football where comparatively small amounts can do a lot of good.

Recently we heard about your poll and I am delighted with the response we’ve had locally, even though the Kent vote has been split between us and our nearby friends Dover Athletic, who have many times our support.  I know your poll is only a bit of fun but to compete so closely with a well known and well supported big city club like FC United of Manchester is a tribute to all our supporters, friends and players; it’s humbling to realise that tiny Hythe Town seems to such have a fund of goodwill out there.

Everyone involved with Hythe Town Football Club has had a tremendous once-in-a-lifetime experience in this year’s FA Cup and we all have many memories to treasure; truly the FA Cup is magical.  Next year it will be someone else’s turn and we’ll understand how exciting it will be for them too.”

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Hythe Town are currently lying 2nd in the Kent Premier League, two points behind Herne Bay with a game in hand. Ryman League look out.

Craven Cottage – Fulham v Swindon – FA Cup

While Simon was away gadding about the nether regions of the world, Damon continued to keep it real by … errrr … starting the year at a Premier League Ground! Tsk! We usually want the underdog to win but, having no real connection to Swindon, this time we had half an eye on the underdog getting their noses rubbed in it. Swindon surprised us with some good footy and we changed our minds. Nice branded plastic pints in an SS style at the Cottage!

Alwyns Lane – Chertsey v Whitley Bay – FA Vase

Back to reality and a ball gets blasted in to Tree Z. Our first proper foray into the FA Vase. Moneybags Chertsey couldn’t stretch to a special get-a-ball-out-of-a-tree-stick so someone resorted to using a thingamyjig. The natives sang songs about the north being a strange place, which upset Whitley Bay native Adele’s first non-league experience. It was tiresome after the first twenty minutes.

?????? – Ryman League

Great PA Systems of our time – a realfacup badge to anyone who can name the ground we visited on this derby day in February? And if you can name the PA then do get in touch! It was a sunny/rainy/windy/warm/cold day in winter/spring/summer. I fell over in the club bar and tipped beverage all over the shop. Missed the start of the second half, not for the last time this year. No link this time, you’ll have to find it for yourself! Mind you, we went to the reverse fixture on New Year’s Day, like just now.

Wembley – Cardiff v Blackpool – Championship Play Off Final

A sea of orange as we watched a bigger-than-usual underdog steamroller their way in to the Premier League. We played this one in classic realfacup style by joining the Tangerines for a few pre-match liveners in the sun. Cracking game topped off by the unforgettable sight of 30,000 baffled fans struggled to come to terms with what had just happened and what the win meant. Top class day out. We didn’t bother with a report for some reason but previewed here and also see the Mysterious Tangerine’s Postcard From The Premier League

Mill Road – Arundel v Hailsham – FA Cup

Sussex lino legend and Father Jack lookalike, Paul John, gets much love from therealfacup and local footy clubs. On another cool but sunny but wet but warm and wasp-riddled day, non-league tactics were ramped up a notch with the deployment of a libero. Worked a treat as well as Arundel marched through. Lots of wasps.

Gander Green Lane – Sutton v Staines – Pre-Season Friendly

Match sponsor? Boys footy bible for posters, Match Magazine! St Johns ambulance, thrilled with Sutton v Staines. Is it just us or does one of them look like Matt Lucas?

Cobham – The Running Mare – Pre-FA Cup

Ahh, the glory of metaphor. The rainbow signifies the proverbial pot of gold, of course. But what lies at the end of this rainbow? Why, it’s Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, of course. Perfect and poetic. Our destination? Just yards away at Mole Valley’s rudimentary but homely ground. Two worlds collide.

King George’s Field – Corinthian-Casuals v Lingfield – FA Cup

Non League in a nut shell at Corinthian-Casuals. One man? Check. His dog? Check. Any paying customers? Errr … just about. As well as four realfacupsters there were 56 others. How on earth do Corinthian Casuals survive?

Champion Hill – Dulwich Hamlet v Tonbridge – FA Cup.

The Wall lured Damon in at this game but it was a nervy affair for the Hamley faithful. Youth teamers tried to get in the photo. Beer by the touchline? I’ll have a cheeky pint please. Not the best afternoon for Dulwich.

The Bank Pub – Sutton

Ray Stubbs talks to inanimate objects. The FA Cup ponders a while. Errr, I don’t know where this is going. The Actual FA Cup meets therealfacup.

Hayes Lane – Cray Wanderers v South Park – FA Cup

therealfacup gets the death stare from the Cray Wanderers bench.Eek! We were a little perturbed. But we’re still here and there was only a small fence separating us from certain death. And it were on’t telly!

Imperial Fields – Tooting & Mitcham v Staines – FA Cup

It’s not a great time to be a Tooting fan but … this chap takes isolation to new levels. Did he smell? Santa chilling out? Nice rolly up troozaz. Smashing.

Margate – Margate v Kingstonian – FA Cup

Sunny Margate in September. This Kingstonian sub is messing with the head of a subbed team mate. Flick that window shut. Wait for it to be opened again. Flick window shut. Giggle.

Kingsmeadow – Kingstonian v Margate – FA Cup Replay

Oh my!  Tubby keeper + Burger hut can only mean one thing. Unkind photo composition. Margate’s nearly-hero Jamie Turner needs a thought cloud round that. Jamie had a blinder. He took some good-natured stick off the K’s fans then couldn’t quite keep out the required number of penalties. Although his team mates could have helped by actually scoring some.

Church Road – Hayes & Yeading v Wycombe – FA Cup

The thin lime green lime, I mean line. Hayes & Yeading get a crowd for the first time this season. Wycombe Wanderers turn up mob handed and old bill shows force.

Earlsmead – Harrow Boro v Chesterfield – FA Cup

Television glamour comes to therealfacup. Red-ish carpet! Actually a plastic mat. Ken Charlery deserved better. We deserved access to the VIP lounge, as did our cohorts for the day from twofootedtackle and lastseatontheplane. Tish.

Kingfield Stadium – Woking v Brighton – FA Cup Replay

Ahhh, now there are memories. Flares on the pitch. Lighting up the foggy evening sky. Woking v Brighton. And little Mo Taricco gets his first run out in some years. And sets up a goal. And got sent off. Thoroughly entertaining fayre.

Woking 2 Brighton 2 AET – Brighton win on pens.

Gander Green Lane – Sutton v Wealdstone – Ryman League

Ever wanted to see a Mascot in the crowd? Here’s Jenny The Giraffe at Sutton v Wealdstone. Oh – and we missed another goal!

See more of therealfacup’s pictures on our Facebook Page and our Picasa Page.

From bumbling along to some games in the Extra Preliminary Rounds of the FA Cup we all of a sudden found ourselves writing itv.com’s FA Cup previews and reviews and appearing on the BBC Non League Football Show. A most odd turn of events.

Given the shambolic way we plan things and the sometimes erratic length of time we spend getting things up on the site, a huge amount of what’s happened this year can be put down to other people so we’d like to be both self-indulgent and say thanks. This is going to sound like a Mariah Carey acceptance speech for a bauble we didn’t win, so imagine us weeping while you read this.

Firstly, a huge thanks to those non-league sides who have thoroughly entertained us this year. Secondly, an even bigger thanks to those people who have contributed match reports and comment, most notably:

Graham Yapp of the superb blog Modus Hopper Random for his Sheffield match report;

Richard Knowles a kindred spirit who not only wrote about Runcorn Linnets but also helped spread the word via the medium of Twitter;

Simon Head of the Football Pubcast who not only had the miserable task of reporting his team Gillingham getting giant killed by Dover but also asked us to contribute a nomination for the Pubcast’s Man of 2010 Award;

Sam Ross who provided us a match report of Fleetwood Town v Walsall;

Simon Field whose relocation led to his search for a new team to support;

The Elusive Tangerine who has written two (and failed to deliver a third) Postcard from The Premier League from a Blackpool fan’s perspective; and

Matthew Craven, whose illustrations we love and whose copy from the Greenwich Borough v South Park game we have shamefully yet to use thanks to the firm hand of our legal team.

We’d also like to thank Mark Segal, James Appell and Luke McLaughlin at ITV, Caroline Barker at the Non League Show and the accommodating football clubs we’ve watched or spoken to, not least Gary Brigden at Mole Valley SCR, Ian Feeley at Sheffield FC, Adam Dennehy at Redbridge FC, Matt Lawrence at Gillingham and Gerard Mills at Sutton United

As well as our usual stuff we have drifted off piste and away from the FA Cup. The drift started during the World Cup with our tentative and erratic first podcasts when we got in Andy, Bruno, Ryan from The Half-Time Whistle, Nick from Last Seat On The Plane and Kiwi Jiff to ramble on about the lesser lights in the World Cup.

Simon has reported from Argentina and we’ve viewed a Benetton-like game among some lads on the playing fields of New Zealand. We tried to go to Spain to watch a game for the award winning EFW but the game was moved. Thanks also to the brilliant websites that have allowed us to contribute pieces, Equaliser, the72, the Football Pubcast Ipswich fanzine TWTD, a couple of appearances on the Two Footed Tackle podcast and several pieces in the Evening Star by Phil Ham. Not bad for a couple of blokes just going to football.

Last but by no means least, thanks to Dulwich Hamlet for kicking this all off. Visiting Champion Hill inspired therealfacup to begin and that non-league ethos was summed up by this season’s Non League Day. The football bible that is 200% listed us as one of the essential non-league websites to visit on that day and Damon finished his year off by actually playing a proper game with a proper ref at the home of football, Champion Hill, in a blizzard and won 4-3 but was clearly at fault for one of the goals. Oh well.

We’ve met some thoroughly decent chaps from other blogs, too many to mention, although we have bumped into Stu from theballisround and friend of all bloggers Jamie Cutteridge at A LOT of games. What a lovely place the football blogging community is.

Happy New Year to all of the above and everyone who’s had a peek at the blog.