SOUL OF SPORT: The magic of the FA Cup returned with Slough taking on Grimsby in the first round proper. ANDY HOOPER was at Arbour Park to snap the action as the non-League outfit held their opposition to a draw<\/h1>\n

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• Slough secured a new attendance record at Arbour Park, with the game sold out against league opposition<\/strong><\/li>\n
• They earned a draw and thus a replay, with player-manager Scott Davies giving them the lead in the first half<\/strong><\/li>\n
• Danny Rose equalised for Grimsby 15 minutes from time but the home fans continued to show their support<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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  Welcome back to the Soul of Sport. For our latest episode of the series, ANDY HOOPER was at Arbour Park for the first round proper of the FA Cup.<\/p>\n

  Slough Town hosted Grimsby Town at Arbour Park, with the non-League side hoping to cause a shock against a team 48 places and two divisions above them in the football pyramid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

  The upset was very much on the cards for a large period in the game, with the hosts going ahead through Scott Davies giving Slough – who are at risk of relegation from the National League South, currently 21st in the league table – the lead after just before the half-hour mark.<\/p>\n

  But Danny Rose spared Grimsby’s blushed, netting an equaliser 15 minutes from time to ensure there would be a replay back at Blundell Park for a spot in the second round.<\/p>\n

  Our man captured the best moments inside and outside the ground as the magic of the FA Cup returned in Slough on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

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  Could he do it on a dark, cold, windy afternoon in Slough? Grimsby centre back Niall Maher certainly gave it his best<\/p>\n

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  There was euphoria for Slough when 35-year-old Scott Davies, who has played for 20 different sides and is now player-manager of the club, gave them the lead<\/p>\n

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  It was a curling free kick that gave the underdogs a deserved lead – too good for\u00a0Harvey Cartwright, 14 years Davies’ junior<\/p>\n

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  Supporters weren’t afraid to show their passion, either – even if they were unable to get a ticket for Sunday’s big game<\/p>\n

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  It’s good to see that old fashioned football programmes still have a place in the game – one fan here took in Rebels Review<\/p>\n

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  For others, the reading material of choice was slightly different… on this occasion, Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club<\/p>\n

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  When the FA Cup comes to down, the Emirates advertising boards must follow. At full time, they were put away with league action to return – it’s Truro at home on Tuesday<\/p>\n

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  Friends and family were in the ground to watch the Slough players’ big day – here, one partner was thanked for their backing<\/p>\n

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  Supporters were willing to do whatever it took to get a glimpse of the action and provide their support to their team<\/p>\n

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  Members of the next generation kept themselves entertained as they waited for kick off in a very non-league-esque manner<\/p>\n

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  The older generation adopted the perhaps more traditional approach of watching the players warm up in the game’s build-up<\/p>\n

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  A number of grounds, even lower down the pyramid, are card-only these days, so it was nice to see more tradition on show<\/p>\n

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  Paper tickets, too! The match was sold out, with\u00a02,205 fans attending to watch proceedings at Arbour Park – a new club record<\/p>\n

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  Davies’ team-mates – players and coaching staff – ran to mob him after he scored his goal. The jubilation again clear to see<\/p>\n

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  The mascots for the day were shown a few tunes prior to walking out for the the pre-match antics – they left it to the professional for the performance<\/p>\n

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  A positive day for non-League overall, with one of their clubs earning a draw against a league side. The winner of the replay will face Oxford United away from home<\/p>\n

  Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  SOUL OF SPORT: The magic of the FA Cup returned with Slough taking on Grimsby in the first round proper. ANDY HOOPER was at Arbour Park to snap the action as the non-League outfit held their opposition to a draw Slough secured a new attendance record at Arbour Park, with the game sold out against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n