By Tom Sargent
Six friends from Oldham are planning on watching every round of the FA Cup live from the very first qualifying round right up to the final at Wembley in May.
Their epic journey began on September 3 when Ashton United hosted Nantwich Town and will see them watch 14 rounds of football in total.
Harry Kearney, 47, who works for the police service, and is one of the organisers of the trip, said: “We have had great welcomes from chairmen and club secretaries.”
He added: “The FA set a fixed price of £10 so far which is good for us.”
He also said how the standard of football was refreshing: “All the teams play or try to play nice football which is surprising.”
Danny Bacon, 23, who works in finance, is one of the other fans making the trip. He said: “I remember my dad telling me that when he was younger the FA Cup was the pinnacle but now you get big teams playing a second string team and only taking it seriously in the later stages.”
He said: “We have really enjoyed the qualifying rounds, visiting grounds we would not normally see. I am a bit worried as we get into the later rounds because if we draw Arsenal for example, it will take the gloss of it because I don’t want to follow a Premier League team.”
Their journey ends at Wembley on May 27, 2017.