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I first met Richard Green in the less than salubrious settings of a train edging out of Wembley Stadium station. Think that sounds grand because it has the word ‘Wembley’ in it and this is an FA Cup story?
Think again. The train was heading for Northolt Park Station, the nearest to Harrow Borough FC’s Earlsmead home ground.
Richard Green: “BB Bloody C are covering the little works team from Eltham!”
Photo: Dave Cumberbatch
Green is the press officer for Cray Valley Paper Mills, a club buried deep in the English FA pyramid system.
Their name suggest accurately that they are a former works team. That’s not too unusual either.
Sadly, like so may other clubs at that level and indeed those above, financial struggles took them away from their heartland of the Kentish market village of St Paul’s Cray after the paper mills closed in 1981 and and they now play their home games in Eltham.
Cray Valley had disposed of Burgess Hill Town at home in the first qualifying round.
The Millers’ match at Harrow Borough match was therefore in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup and the home side were favourites.
After all, Harrow played their non league football in the Southern League Premier Division South one tier above Cray Valley’s.
And they were at home.
To many people’s surprise, mostly the very generous and graceful home support, Cray Valley ran out 5-1 winners in what was one of the major shocks in the round, albeit one that didn’t attract much mainstream media attention at the time.
Cray Valley had already equalled their record ever run in the FA Cup. And they were heading for their third game.
“It isn’t a bad draw if you go and win it.”
Club captain, Andy Walker
Before he headed home, I asked Green who he wanted in the next round.
“Anyone at home and with the BBC cameras there.” he quipped defiantly.
We both laughed. Or at least I did.
How can people say romance is dead? Green even gave up his post match pint because of his anniversary. It wasn’t even an important one. (Anniversary that is, not win).
Green was awarded the more likely part of his wish. They were drawn at home to Aveley, who also adopted the nickname the Millers in 1952 when they moved to a stadium in Mill Road. Attempts to brand the tie El Millero did not really have the media come running.
Aveley are members of the Isthmian League North Division, a parallel league to the Millers’ South East Division, so it was less of a shock that they ran out 2-0 winners.
But their dreams of glory seemed to have come to an end with a very cruel draw in the 4th Qualification Round, their final game before the league teams come in.
Not only did Cray Valley not draw a home tie, but they were given neither a local derby nor a winnable game. Surely their record breaking cup run would end in Berkshire at National League Maidenhead United?
When the Millers went 2-0 down, most eyes looking for cup shocks would have already been glancing elsewhere. But the miracle did happen and a Francis Babalola goal in the 90th minute, turned 2-2 into a 3-2 win for the underdogs.
Surely it was time for at least a home draw or an easy one? But Grant Holt’s balls were not sympathetic.
They were drawn away again. Not to Middlesex or Berkshire this time, but to Hampshire to play Havant & Waterlooville, again a side above them in the pyramid.
Green’s reaction was more about what might have been, had one more ball come out before their own Number 61:
“After a weekend of uncontrollable emotion and anticipation befitting the world’s greatest tournament, I felt as totally deflated at the fact the next ball out was Sunderland.
“That initial reaction was followed by, in true Millers fashion, “we’re a step nearer a trip to one of the country’s top Premier League grounds”.”
But emotions are things that can evolve quickly.
Defender Danny Smith is a Scouser and a product of the Everton Academy as well as a big Toffees fan.
Danny Smith: The initial disappointment turned to excitement
Photo: Dave Cumberbatch
At 30, he’s obviously followed a few more cup draws than some of his younger colleagues, but he summed up well the squad’s initial thinking about the draw and how it then evolved:
“Initially when we as a group heard he draw, we were a bit disappointed. The reason for that was obvious. You get to this stage of the competition having played five games, and you’ve got the influx of League One and League Two clubs.
“Your attention turns to the League One table where you pick out teams in there that you’d like to play against. You’ve got some giants in there like Sunderland, Wigan, Bolton. They’re all teams that have been in the Premier League in the not too distant past.
“Now that we’ve had a bit of time to digest it over the last hour or so, now we think it’s a winnable game. With no disrespect to Havant & Waterlooville, and I mean that as I know next to nothing about them, they’re a league lower than the team we’ve just dumped out.
“They play on 4G. We like to play football. I don’t think we’ve got anything to be scared of in that respect.
“So initially disappointing, but probably now turned to some excitement, in that we’ve got an opportunity to get to the second round and create even more history for the club.
“It’s fantastic. We’re genuinely excited to go down there and play in a decent surface.
“We’re testing ourselves against higher opposition regardless of the fact they’re only National League South. That’s still two divisions above where we are now.”‘
Club captain and goalkeeper Andy Walker admitted to having “mixed emotions” about it, along with other members of the squad.
“I think first and foremost it’s winnable, similar to the Maidenhead tie really, and it isn’t a bad draw if you go and win it. The draw’s only as good or bad as your performance on the day when you play it.
“The boys would have wanted the biggest Club that they could get, and given that there will be no fans, you’d want them away. But it wasn’t to be so let’s go there and win and get that in the second round.
“As we’ve learned over the last few years, anything can happen and we’re still a part of it.”
Goalkeeping coach Craig Gibson added:
“I would also have preferred a tie against “a really big Club in ‘normal times’ ie fans allowed”. I agree with Andy that “it will be tough, but so was Maidenhead, and it was winnable.
“What I would say is that we have come this far in the competition yet actually not really achieved anything of substance. So that’s the incentive for the boys to go further.”
The club however was about to receive news that would overturn all their emotions. The cameras were coming.
#TheMillers @EmiratesFACup 1st Round tie @HWFCOfficial has been switched to Sunday 8 November, kick off 12.45pm to allow for live, @BBCSport coverage!
Supporters will be able to watch the match via the Red Button, iPlayer or the BBC Sport website.#COYM pic.twitter.com/Z2hpnFHNpL— Cray Valley PM FC (@CrayValleyPM) October 29, 2020
Richard Green’s wish had come true.
Cray Valley Paper Mills were going to be on the television for the first time. His reaction was as infectious as it was emotional:
“National T.V. coverage for the “little works team in Eltham”. The kind of stuff one could only dream of when we were playing Step 5 football just 18 months ago. BB bloody C !!!”
The match has been moved to 12.45 on Sunday and is one of a handful selected by the BBC for their Red Button coverage. The clubs covered receive £12,500 but that is less important to Green than the dream, once the subject of humour on the terraces at Harrow Borough, coming true.
As the more selfish of the Premier League clubs plot to exclude even their neighbours, such as Danny Smith’s Everton, from open competition, some things are well worth remembering .
The joy which Green, his fellow committee members, Cray Valley’s players and their supporters felt upon hearing the news, can never be equalled by one side of overpaid mercenaries beating another in a closed league with rigged rules.
With their game at Chichester postponed on Saturday, Cray Valley will head to Havant on 12 days rest.
H&W lost 2-1 at Dartford on Saturday but are spared a midweek game unlike the League One and Two sides, as well as Fylde and Concord Rangers facing tricky FA Cup ties.
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