NON-LEAGUE Alvechurch captain Jamie Willets had tickets to watch England’s World Cup group match against USA in Qatar… but had to skip it to play in the FA Cup.
Lowest-ranked Alvechurch earned a shock spot in this weekend’s round of FA Cup action after beating Cheltenham in the first round.
But while Alvechurch captain Willets would have been delighted to have his side progress, it meant he couldn’t go to Qatar.
Willets even had tickets secured for England’s Middle East dust-up with USA, according to BBC’s Betty Glover.
Instead, he was in action against League One Forest Green – and unfortunately staying at home came to nothing as Alvechurch’s cup ran came to an end on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat.
However, considering the boring 0-0 draw that England played out in Qatar, Willet might have been happy he stayed at home.
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After the defeat, Alvechurch tweeted: “We are out of the FA Cup. A truly remarkable cup run from a small village team.
“The boys have done everyone proud, what a team we have.
“Thank you to all the fans that have supported us, your support has not gone unnoticed. WE ARE THE CHURCH.”
At the World Cup, Gareth Southgate’s men went into the World Cup group fixture with the USA off the back of a 6-2 win over Iran.
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However, despite controlling the majority of the ball, the Three Lions only managed to register three shots on target.
Midfielder Mason Mount went closest for Southgate’s side.
His snapshot on the edge of the USA penalty area was saved by Arsenal’s Matt Turner.
Captain Harry Kane also had a good chance, but he sent a headed effort wide late on in the second half.
England will need to win the Battle of Britain against Wales next week to finish top of Group B.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
