Mark Carruthers: The FA Cup is still the greatest club cup competition in the world

Forget the Champions League, cast aside the Premier League, bin off the FIFA Club World Cup – the FA Cup is the greatest club cup competition in the world.

I won’t accept any other suggestions or waiver in what is the firmest of stances.

If you’re reading this, I’d imagine you’re a Non-League fan first and foremost, and you’ll be all too aware that the FA Cup has increasingly become about our clubs – rather than their more illustrious counterparts at the other end of football’s food chain.

The ‘riches’ on offer may well be sniffed at by those at the top end of the game and shunned in favour of what are perceived to be more glamorous competitions – but for our clubs at Non-League level, the FA Cup can provide a game-changing influx of cash.

WATCH NON-LEAGUE PAPER GOALMOUTH HERE

Non-League in the FA Cup

I am aware that I have gone down the very modern route of focusing on finance and shunning the romance provided by Non-League clubs – but as any of you who have seen the latest NLP ‘Goalmouth’ podcasts will know, I am very much a football romantic at heart.

It would be fair to concede there are exceptions at the top end, and who could fail but feel warm-hearted over Crystal Palace’s historic win over Manchester City in May or previous final wins for the likes of Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic.

But back to Non-League and back to where such love stories begin in a summer sun of August, rather than the icy blast of early January.

I cut my journalism teeth at Blyth Spartans, a club absolutely bathed in FA Cup history and one where you can’t turn a corner without getting a reminder of the glories of days gone by.

From Terry Johnson to Ged Dalton and on to Jarrett Rivers and Stephen Turnbull, Spartans are one of the most well-known giant killers and simply revel in such a tag.

I was working at the club under the expert tutelage of media manager Phil Castiaux when Spartans saw off the likes of Darlington, Altrincham and Hartlepool United before succumbing to a third-round defeat against Birmingham City after taking a two-goal half-time lead thanks to the heroics of club legend Robbie Dale.

Magic of the Cup

Spartans are far from alone in claiming a tag of well-known giant-killers with the likes of Sutton United, Yeovil Town, Altrincham and Hereford United all writing their own chapters in one of world football’s most long-running tales.

I think we are all fully aware that the stories of postmen, teachers and builders playing major roles in humbling professional clubs can be a little bit patronising when they are reported by what we can consider to be the mainstream media.

And we all know that many of the players we watch week-in, week-out have, at some point, been to professional clubs earlier in their careers and haven’t been able to make the big breakthrough for one reason or another.

Despite that, they still work as hard as any professional, they are still massively talented individuals, and they are still able to produce moments of magic that will go down in folklore.

The FA Cup gets back underway this weekend, and many players will already be dreaming of writing their own names in the headlines and helping their clubs produce yet more chapters in world football’s most romantic love story.

READ MORE: Mark Carruthers – The Story of Dunston UTS – A club built on hard work and dedication