FA Cup: English sixth division beats second division - and celebrates with Adele-Song

Icon: enlarge

Chorley FC are among the last 32 teams in the FA Cup

Photo: 

Paul Thompson / imago images / Pro Sports Images

The English FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, and hardly any other national cup is so legendary.

One of the reasons for this is that a total of 736 English teams take part, compared to 64 teams in the German DFB Cup.

The 14 rounds of the FA Cup, including qualification, create enough space for special stories.

Like that of the sixth division team Chorley FC.

With a 2-0 (1-0) third round win against the second division Derby County, Chorley secured for the first time in the club's 138-year history the entry into the last 32 teams.

The team celebrated the success, which brought the club the equivalent of more than 220,000 euros, in the catacombs with a song by the British singer Adele.

As seen on a Twitter video from the club, the players in the dressing room are hugging each other and singing the number one hit "Someone Like You."

The song is gradually becoming an evergreen in Chorley, in north-west England.

After the first round against Wigan Athletic and the second round against Peterborough United, the Chorley players had smashed "Someone Like You".

Adele as the club anthem

What this is all about, Chorley's Scott Leather revealed after the win against Wigan, which had already been considered the surprise of the first round.

The song is a bit like the club anthem, Leather told the local portal »LancsLive«.

Icon: enlarge

Spectators were not allowed in Victory Park at Chorley, but that didn't stop some fans from watching the game

Photo: Russell Hart / imago images / Focus Images

"It's not the usual number teams sing about wins," admitted Leather.

"But to be fair, it's a catchy tune, isn't it?" A catchy tune that is currently going viral on social media.

And for the mood in the actual ballad, which is about the breakup of a long relationship, the hammering on tables and against walls provides.

"It just makes it a little peppy," Leather said.

Derby with corona cases

Part of the history of the Chorley's four-round draw is that Derby County came up with a better youth team.

Due to Corona cases in the team, Derby was missing the entire first team, interim coach Wayne Rooney was also in quarantine.

Conor Hall (10th minute) and Mike Calveley (84th) scored for the underdog, who was no longer due to the circumstances.

To celebrate the day, goalscorer Hall gave an encore live on the BBC, with a beer in hand he was asked about a solo by a reporter.

After a moment he said, "Yes, why not?" Raised his hands in the air and sang.

Chorley's journey through the world's oldest competition continues on January 23rd.

However, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that they will sing "Someone Like You" again.

Although there are still a few lower-class clubs in the fourth round, Chorley are now threatened by opponents such as Liverpool, Chelsea or Tottenham.

Icon: The mirror

hba / AP