IT HAS been Adele of an FA Cup journey for Chorley so far.
And tomorrow the National League North giant-killers are targeting ‘Someone Like Roo’ at their Victory Park home.
Chorley are hoping for another FA Cup upset against DerbyCredit: Rex Features
The National League side belt out Adele after a win
The Magpies have seen off League One sides Wigan and Peterborough — as well as York and Gateshead — to get to the third round.
And their traditional celebration for a big win involves belting out the Adele smash hit ‘Someone Like You’ in the dressing room afterwards.
Jamie Vermiglio’s men could be singing it again, particularly with Derby boss Wayne Rooney and many of his first-teamers absent due to Covid.
Andy Preece, director of football and assistant manager of Chorley, said: “We just needed a song that was special to us that everybody knew. It happened to be that Adele song.
“Everybody knows the words to it, there’s a little bit in the middle where you can really get into it.
“It’s just great to share something like that at the end of the game, great for camaraderie. You need that togetherness if you’re going to win big games.
“When we got promoted, had big cups wins, it’s always been that one.”
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We are just missing that shout-out from Adele. Maybe if we had the fans in and they were all singing it then it might have had a bit more prominence
Preece believes it might even have caught the attention of the superstar singer if the fans had been joining in.
He said: “We are just missing that shout-out from Adele. Maybe if we had the fans in and they were all singing it then it might have had a bit more prominence.”
After battling through two qualifying rounds, Chorley were given a bye into the first round.
They are used to over-turning the odds to get through but Preece insists they have come this far on merit.
Wayne Rooney’s Derby have been hit with a Covid outbreakCredit: Alamy Live News
He said: “We’ve been the underdogs right through — we got York, Gateshead, Wigan, Peterborough and Derby.
“The only one we were favourites for is the round when we got a bye!
“But the wins we had over Wigan and Peter- borough weren’t flukes — we fully deserved those.”
Preece himself is no stranger to the magic of the FA Cup, having experienced it as both player and manager.
As a striker, he got the winner when lowly Stockport bundled Premier League QPR out in 1994 and helped Crystal Palace to the semis a year later.
He was in charge of Northwich when they put a Charlton side containing Jonjo Shelvey and Darren Randolph out in 2009.
Preece said: “I tell them about those games and hopefully it makes them realise that it can happen and does — and that it gives them a bit of belief.”
Chorley’s assistant Andy Preece wants a shoutout from AdeleCredit: Refer to Caption
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
