HUISH PARK, Yeovil—The FA Cup has never been a great respecter of traditions, as veteran reporter John Lukins was reminded ahead of Yeovil Town’s meeting with Manchester United on Sunday.Lukins, who has reported on the Glovers for almost half-a-century, could not even get a spot in the press box for a third-round tie that had attracted representatives from all the national newspapers—despite the fact the press box at Huish Park carries his name.
Lukins was remarkably gracious about the snub, if that is what you might call it, but it was an indication of how drawing the most successful club in English football can create a number of logistical headaches for a club more used to operating in the more distant reaches of English football.
Yeovil boss Gary Johnson, the man hoping to take down United's reputation a peg or two, joked in the aftermath of his side's eventual 2-0 defeat that just three journalists had turned up for his previous post-match press conference, following the League One defeat to Leyton Orient. On this occasion there were over 100 credentialed media.That is not to say the whole experience was completely unprecedented for the Somerset club. Yeovil have been here before—11 years ago they hosted Liverpool at the same stage of the same competition—but United is a different proposition. It’s perhaps an indictment of modern football, or at least the dominating nature of the Premier League, that a sizeable section of Yeovil fans also class themselves as United fans, creating a bumper market for the now ubiquitous half-and-half scarves that were being sold outside the ground.
The two clubs have faced themselves in the FA Cup before: Back in 1949, United hosted the Glovers at Maine Road (Old Trafford was still be repaired after suffering damage in the war) in a fifth-round tie, an 8-0 win with an attendance of 81,565 that remains the second-highest ever for an FA Cup game outside Wembley.
“Typical Yeovil,” one fan noted. “Never quite good enough.”In general, however, the clubs operate in different footballing circles, with the clubs' differing trajectories since that Maine Road game allowing Yeovil citizens to follow both sides without ever suffering any real conflicts of interest. Yeovil pottered around in non-league for much of the 20th century, selling their old Huish ground to Tesco in 1989. A new ground, further outside the city, was financed by the supermarket, and the new Huish Park has helped see the Glovers defy their limitations as they rose into the Football League around the millennium, culminating in last season’s memorable (if ultimately bittersweet) Championship campaign.
A repeat of that 80,000 attendance was never going to be on the cards, but the club did what they could: A temporary stand was erected in the days before the match, allowing the club to sell another 100 tickets or so with restricted views. Those were snapped up in minutes, with the final attendance numbering 9,264.They came to watch a once-in-a-lifetime match, although few anticipated a shock to tell the grandchildren about. In one way, this tie came at the perfect time for the Glovers but, in another, it perhaps came a season or two too late.
The League One side made a loss of £464,000 last season, but the arrival of United for one afternoon is expected to inject over half-a-million pounds into the coffers, once television payments, ticket receipts and other revenues are taken into account. With relegation from the Championship in the summer bringing with it a significant loss in revenue, the tie will plug a financial gap at an important moment for the club.
But the excitement of such ties is found in the possibility of an upset, in the prospect of another giant-killing to join the competition’s brilliant history of them. On the surface of it, Yeovil manager Gary Johnson, a veteran of the Football Leagues, shares little in common with Louis van Gaal but he, like Van Gaal, is currently steering his side through a transitional phase, after his previous team was dismantled following relegation from the Championship last season.
Goalscoring midfielder Ed Upson departed for Millwall, as did uncompromising defender Byron Webster. Tidy full-back Luke Ayling made a lucrative move up the road to Bristol City, while goalkeeper Marek Stech returned home to his native Czech Republic to press his national-team ambitions.The tie may just be a turning point for Yeovil, a point where the pain of relegation—and the abrupt halting of what had been an impressive ascent through the football pyramid—was finally absorbed, accepted and moved beyond. Perhaps it will spark improved league form, something that could prove every bit as valuable as the money brought in by the tie.
United, too, remained focused on the league—with Van Gaal still insistent that the Premier League title is not beyond their reach. Over the festive period they have closed the gap to the top of the table by a point, evidence enough for the Dutchman that the dream is still alive in his first season in England.
“I repeat myself,” Van Gaal said, “but nine points is not so many—and eight points is less.”But the lack of any European football, and that early League Cup exit, means the FA Cup is the only other shot at a trophy for United this term, a club that lives by such milestones. United will be hoping their visit to Huish Park is just the start of a long run in the competition, one that—who knows?—might end at Wembley.
“I have heard from my fantastic assistant [Ryan Giggs] that United have not won the FA Cup for 10 years,” Van Gaal said. “Maybe we can win it this year, but that is a very long way away.”
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2319477-manchester-united-and-yeovil-divided-by-money-bonded-by-short-term-ambitions
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