MALDON AND TIPTREE’S team of scaffolders, teachers and work experience kids play the biggest game in the club’s history tonight aiming for a second FA Cup giant killing in the space of a month.
League Two Newport County travel to the 2,500 capacity Wallace Binder ground – the Jammers’ reward for an astonishing first round win at Leyton Orient earlier this month.
Maldon and Tiptree chairman Ed Garty (far left) celebrates their epic first round win at Leyton Orient with the squadCredit: Rex Features
Garty was swamped by his players after the biggest win in the club’s historyCredit: Rex Features
With an average wage of £200-a-week and squad littered with part timers, the eighth tier Essex club – in their first ever appearance in the first round proper – had no right to beat the crisis hit East Londoners.
As Ed Garty – retired builder and now club chairman put it: “Absolutely no way did I think we would beat them. Think about it, they’re four tiers above us, we shouldn’t have beaten them.”
Lance Atkins – a centre-half who came off the bench at Orient – is a scaffolder by trade while right-back Kojo Awotwi and striker Charlie Hughes are both teachers.
Full-backs Al Amin Kazeem and Billy Cracknell both featured at Orient and – aged just 17 – are on ‘work experience’ loans from Colchester United.
Just five years ago, Leyton Orient were 90 minutes from promotion to the Championship and the Essex minnows’ reward for beating the established Football League side is a Friday night FA Cup tie live on the BBC and a bumper pay day.
With annual running costs of £250,000 their historic Cup run has already bagged the club £150k with another £54k to come if they pull off the seemingly impossible and win tonight.
Maldon have had to reduce their capacity by 500 to accommodate the BBC cameras but that hasn’t worried Garty as the 2,000 sell-out crowd will be a far-cry from the 150 people he is used to seeing watch their Isthmian North league games.
Goals from Danny Parish and Jorome Slew saw the Jammers record a historic 2-1 win at Leyton Orient in front of 450 jubilant away fansCredit: Rex Features
Maldon fans invaded the pitch at Brisbane Road when the ref blew the final whistleCredit: Rex Features
Maldon and Tiptree are sleepy rural towns in deepest Essex, with a combined population of 74,000 and are most famous for producing sea salt and Buckingham Palace’s jam respectively.
But as Garty exclusively told SunSport, FA Cup fever has definitely gripped the locals.
He said: “The excitement and anticipation around the town has just been phenomenal.
“Everywhere I go, people I don’t know are all saying to me ‘good luck Friday’ and they don’t even know me.”
Newport beat Grimsby 2-0 in a replay to reach the second round and despite the gulf in league position and resources between Maldon and the Welsh side, there is a sense of quiet optimism among the Jammers.
Saturday’s 4-3 FA Trophy defeat at Enfield was the club’s first defeat in 20 competitive fixtures making them one of the most in form teams in the country.
A fact not lost on Garty who – when asked about his team’s chances – said: “We always have the chance to win, football is a funny game.
“But Newport are a strong physical side, they’re going to be knocking on the door of League Two promotion this season and they already have pedigree in the FA Cup.
“They’re giant killers themselves. They’re going to be a very different proposition to Leyton Orient.
“But you never know. If our guys go out there and work as hard as they did at Orient… A little bit of luck and who knows.
“The attitude of the lads is we can win this game. We’re not just turning up to make up the numbers.”
Maldon manager Wayne Brown has done a fantastic job with the Essex side since he took chargeCredit: Rex Features
Maldon players and staff feel they can pull off another giant killing against Newport CountyCredit: Rex Features
Garty is already so proud of his side and while he’d love manger Wayne Brown and assistant Paul Abrahams to mastermind an unfathomable route to the third round, his focus remains on providing a platform for his players to build from.
He said: “We’re a club that wants to produce players that are going to go on and play in the Football League.
“One day I want to be sitting in my house watching a Premier League game saying there’s a boy who used to play for us.”
Maldon have already had their share of FA Cup magic this season, and while Garty hopes the spell doesn’t fade any time soon, he has a clear message to any potential fans out there.
With a deep love for the club evident in his voice, he added: “Come and watch us. We have got quality footballers down at Maldon.
“When people sit and watch the Premier League they don’t realise just how good the football is down at our level.
“These boys deserve to be playing in front of more than 150 people.
“They are fantastic footballers and they deserve to be playing in front of bigger crowds.
“If people do come, they’d definitely come again.”
Maldon and Tiptree vs Newport County – FA Cup second round – Live on BBC TWO – Friday 29 November – Kick-off 7:55pm.
Maldon’s team includes scaffolders, teachers and work experience kidsCredit: Rex Features
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
