Non League Marine - a breath of fresh air but dumped out of FA Cup by Spurs.

 Non-League Marine- a breath of fresh air but dumped out of FA Cup by Spurs.

Shortly before breakfast time, a small corner of Lancashire readied itself for the game of their lives. It would be a Sunday afternoon quite unlike any they were likely to experience again and by lunchtime they were probably pinching themselves hoping that they were dreaming but still aware of the epic magnitude of the occasion. It was FA Cup third round day and little non-League Marine from the ninth tier of English football were taking on high flying Premier League Spurs with no illusions and seemingly no hope whatsoever. But you know what the FA Cup is like. It can creep up on you and take you by surprise.

Sadly, by late tea time as darkness fell over Crosby, a Merseyside suburb a world away from the seething cauldron of Anfield and Goodison Park, it was time to reflect on the inevitability of this result. Reality came crowding in on tiny Marine and swamped them with a vengeance. It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry but judging by some of the few voices that could be heard around the ground, you'd be inclined to think that it was just a jolly good day out for those who were hardy enough to brave the cold. 

So here's what happened on a freezing evening in the footballing backwater of Marine, North West England near the Mersey. A week beforehand Liverpool had lost one of its favourite sons, that 1960s pop icon Gerry Marsden who had done so much to enliven the proceedings at Liverpool's Anfield for so many decades with rousing renditions of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Now Marine, who could only have fantasised about playing their neighbouring Premier League giants Liverpool, were left all at sea by Premier League pace-setters Spurs. 

After a hearty full English breakfast with toast and a healthy bowl of cereal, mums and dads, uncles and aunties, cousins and nephews were accompanied by the kind of Marine supporters who had followed their team from the cot. Friends and neighbours then polished off a Sunday lunchtime roast fairly swiftly before rummaging through cupboards for old whistles and klaxon horns, venturing out onto their patio and garden and then settling down for the most unforgettable match they would ever witness. 

They then headed towards their fences and whitewashed walls, let out a series of uplifting cheers and whoops. Courageous souls then climbed onto their sheds heroically and sat down on what looked like corrugated iron. It was a day that epitomised the romance of the FA Cup but you did feel sorry for them, denied the pleasure of a properly luxurious seat in their own ground. The boys on the shed seemed to be enjoying themselves hugely, casually surveying the night sky and wishing that maybe just maybe this could be their finest footballing night of all-time in Marine. Their worst fears were realised. 

Then at the far end of Marine's quaint home from home, a group of girls emerged from their home drinking thin glasses of Prosseco, an alcoholic delight that fizzed away quietly while their Marine were trying to turn the footballing world upside down. This was though a fruitless quest but it was a fitting metaphor for the occasion. You can still celebrate the exploits of your local footballing team even though nobody gives you a chance.

Then there were the good citizens of Marine, hidden away in the row of houses that so picturesquely dotted their sweet little ground in the middle of nowhere. The bedroom windows were twitching and the greenhouses that backed directly onto the pitch were trembling with understandable anxiety. At tea time somebody got out the toasted marshmallows, arranged an impromptu winter barbecue and then knocked back a small quantity of lager or wine just to add an extra flavour and spice to FA Cup third round day. 

And that's where we leave this domestic idyll because Spurs were no in mood to hand out any favours, no sign of the charitable Christmas spirit and just a single-minded determination not to let anybody get in their way. Of course football leaves no room for sentiment and Spurs knuckled down to their task with immense professionalism and a ruthless conscientiousness. There would be no messing about for Spurs and once their minds were focused, Marine would be yesterday's chip paper. 

It could not have escaped the notice for the more observant and superstitious football fans that this is the year that ends with a one and of course Tottenham invariably win some trophy. They'd swaggered towards the Double of League Championship and FA Cup in 1961, they'd won the Cup in 1901, 1921, the League Cup in 1971 and the FA Cup again in 1981. So why should 2021 be any different? And of course Spurs must be sensing something in the air even though May is some way off and January is no time for crystal ball gazing. 

Still, after a nervous and jittery opening for Spurs, normal service was restored for the visitors. When Marine youngster Neil Keningi found room for a shot he didn't spurn the opportunity. Keningi didn't hesitate as he jockeyed for position and range before cracking a ferocious drive that floated over helpless Spurs keeper Joe Hart and rattled the crossbar. Spurs were probably hoping that this was just a timely reminder that even the big boys can be fallible and caught out cold.

It was now that the outstanding Spurs midfield player Dele Alli came into his own. Alli has had more than his fair share of critics after an impressive World Cup for England three years ago. Alli does have an annoying tendency to blow hot and cold but there could be no denying that here is a wonderfully cultured player who can influence a game with the most refined of touches on the ball, gleefully exploiting the acres of space in front of him with a truly delicious through ball guided over the tops of retreating defenders.

For the first twenty minutes Tottenham were measuring the temperature with a precise exhibition of passes strung together like a cat's cradle. Marine must have thought they'd gatecrashed a knitting session as Spurs moved the ball round the centre of the pitch almost spontaneously as if this was a training session. The ball travelled from side to side, up and down, over and across with the one specific purpose of gingerly picking their way through a shell shocked Marine. At times you felt tempted to take out a calculator since this would be the only way of establishing the passing count. 

With roughly 20 minutes gone Spurs broke the deadlock, the man of the match Dele Alli scurrying into space and after the most intricate of one twos, the ball eventually came into the penalty area where the Brazilian Carlos Vinicius, deputising for England striker Harry Kane, rounded the keeper and then slammed the ball into the net on the goal-line. The floodgates would now open for a rampant Spurs. 

By now Matt Doherty, the immaculate Toby Alderweireld, the precociously secure Ben Davies and Joe Rodon had bedded down at the back and were never likely to be troubled at all by any vague Marine attacking threat. Moussa Sissoko and the wet behind the ears young Harvey White, a product of Spurs now thriving academy looked unfazed by the FA Cup hype and just stroked the ball around with an effortless authority. 

Then Gedson Fernandes, oozing prim and proper assurance and imperturbability, carried the ball across the pitch as if in complete command of the ball at all times, never panicking when out of possession and a player of instinctive knowledge.  Fernandes was always in the thick of the action, prompting, intercepting, nudging the ball shrewdly towards one of his colleagues and then dribbling with a lovely intelligence. 

For the second goal Dele Alli barely had to be out of second gear with an almost identical second goal to the first. Latching onto the ball in roughly the same position, Alli guided the ball beautifully diagonally over the now gasping Marine defence where Matt Docherty, up from the back for Spurs, helped the ball onto the Brazilian Vinicius who simply blasted the ball into the net as if he could have carried out the same act blindfolded. 

At this point the plucky non-Leaguers were clinging onto dear life. Then a needless free kick conceded just outside their own penalty area was cruelly punished. Another Brazilian striker of whom there seem to be a multitude and genetically related to Pele, Lucas Moura eyed up the angles and possibilities, curling a sumptuous free-kick over the wall and high into the net for Spurs third goal.

Just before half time Spurs rubbed salt into bleeding Marine wounds. Vinicius who was having the kind of game that all strikers can only be deeply grateful for, struck again. When you're playing a hapless non League team in the third round of the FA Cup oysters and worlds were somehow meant for each other. Lurking on the edge of Marine's penalty area after another bewildering blizzard of Spurs passes, Vinicius chose his spot and arrowed a neatly directed shot through a gap and once again high into the roof of the net for Spurs rubber-stamping fourth.

The second half had become nothing more than a numbing formality for Spurs. The game was up for Marine and the romantic connotations that have curiously attached themselves to the FA Cup ended up as just a one-off flirtation. The girls with their glasses of Prosecco giggled light-heartedly and the man with the Jurgen Klopp cut out was now packing away his supposedly lucky mascot and then just giving up. 

Then a 16-year-old by the name of Alfie Devine, who should have been concentrating on his school homework, came out to play. Tottenham were always renowned for starting them young although even the likes of Glen Hoddle would have been a tad jealous. Following some stunning approach work and quick-witted, slick one-twos with Lucas Moura, Devine cut back inside his defender, tricking and scheming into position before drilling the ball home for Spurs final fifth. 

And then the late-night January air had bitten into the hearts of every Marine supporter. No, this would not be their night of nights. The FA Cup had brought us with its customary back stories of what might have been and what was never likely to happen. Non-League Chorley had created one moment of giant killing with their merciless dismissal of Premier League Leeds. Football still finds itself on an emotional tightrope but when non-League Marine can still warm the cockles of the heart against the professionals of Spurs you can be sure that the game can still offer us something very life- affirming. How comforting to know.