Borat vs. Chelsea

By: Bob | January 5th, 2007

Unless you are a fan of a lower level team, it is pretty easy to forget about the players who are scraping by at obscure clubs, playing to put food on their tables, while not having to worry about which color to select for their next Ferrari purchase. Every year the English FA Cup offers a brief moment where the media attention is focused away from the household names and onto the minnows whose stories are often fascinating. This week’s media darlings are the plucky lads from Macclesfield, a team best known around these parts for their ghosts and their pranks.

The most common word being used to describe the English League Two side in the press is ‘lowly’, perhaps rightfully so given their horrendous start to the year and current position in the relegation zone. On Saturday, the lowly side will take on a team that you probably know a thing or two about, Chelsea. A win will net Macclesfield something in the neighborhood of one million pounds, significant money for a club fighting lower level relegation.

The game is about more than money for the players, of course. This is there opportunity to play against the best in the world. For many, this will be the highest level of competition they will ever face.

One of the players who will probably have a hard time sleeping tonight is striker Matty McNeil. The non-league journeyman was out of football nine months ago, earning a paycheck as a fruit and vegetable deliveryman. Now the man known to fans and teammates alike as Borat, will get his shot at glory. His thoughts on facing Chelsea:

“In the past a big game for me was when Hyde United played Manchester City reserves and because Bradley Wright-Phillips was in the side, his brother Shaun came to watch.

“I was made up just thinking that a player like Shaun Wright-Phillips was watching me. Now I may get to play against him.”

“Don’t get me wrong I am really proud of my achievements at non-league level. I have won a whole chest of silverware but now I might even play against Chelsea, I can’t believe it.

“When the draw was made I was sitting at home and when each team like Salisbury or Chester or Bury was drawn, I kept on saying please don’t be Macc.

“So when Chelsea came out and number 50 was drawn as Macc, I just couldn’t stop jumping about the room.”

McNeil’s strategy against Chelsea will apparently include cracking a few jokes during the match to distract his opponents. I freakin’ love these FA Cup stories.