One 30,000th of a Trophy is Mine!

By: Ian Rose | May 10th, 2008

As I wait by the mailbox for my 0.003% of a trophy to arrive, it’s my pleasure to announce that Ebbsfleet United has won the FA Trophy, the other other cup in English football. For those that aren’t aware that such a thing exists, the FA Trophy, technically the Johnstone Paint Trophy for sponsorship purposes, is the cup competition for the four levels of English football directly below the football league, including the Conference, the Southern League, etc. Ebbsfleet, formerly Gravesend and Northfleet, went to Wembley for the first time ever today and dispatched Torquay United 1-0. As one of the 30,000 people that sent in their cash in exchange for the right to tell a perfectly good manager what to do, I now have my first football silverware … kind of.

The goal was courtesy of former Torquay man Chris McPhee, a little additional salt in the wound for the Gulls. McPhee had a rollercoaster of a day at Wembley, first having a weak penalty saved by Torquay keeper Martin Rice, then making up for it with his goal. There was plenty of back and forth, with good chances for each side. Torquay probably had their clearest chance in the second half, when a Tim Sills header was cleared off of the line by Ebbsfleet defender Stacy Long. The Fleet-dominated crowd was already wild long before the whistle blew, and went absolutely mad after it, as the trophy goes to a Kent side for the first time in its 39-year history.

I suppose that since the trophy itself has been around over a hundred years, originally meant for an international competition that never got off of the ground, I shouldn’t really want to see it ripped into 30,000 parts and distributed among us internet owners. I’ll settle for visiting it next time I’m in Kent. Still, a trophy for the team is one hell of a return on my £35 Myfootballclub membership investment, and not a bad start for the concept of internet ownership.

Category: England, World Football

Tags: Ebbsfleet United, England, FA Trophy, Johnstones Paint Trophy, MyFootballClub, Torquay United, World Football

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• Matt |  May 10th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  
  
  

  I’ve got one of the other 30,000ths of that trophy. All Hail Ebbsfleet!

  Posted from United States

  

• areallaticfromthesouth |  May 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

  
  
  

  So have I

  Posted from United States

  

• Grant |  May 10th, 2008 at 6:23 pm

  
  
  

  You’re wrong about the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy being the official name. That’s the Football LEAGUE Trophy, which is for the teams from League One and League Two as well as some of the Top teams from the Conference National. The Football ASSOCIATION Trophy is sponsored by Carlsberg, but like the FA Cup doesn’t get called the “Carlsberg Trophy,” but is the “FA Trophy presented by Carlsberg” or something similar and is for the four levels under the football league, like you mentioned. So technically it is really the other, other, OTHER English Trophy. Just thought I’d point out the error

  Posted from United States

  

• Grant |  May 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm

  
  
  

  The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy was won by MK Dons this year, btw.

  Posted from United States

  

• Grant |  May 10th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

  
  
  

  The history about the trophy being for a competition between the US, Canada, and England, is also about the Football League Trophy not the FA Trophy.

  Posted from United States

  

• Ian Rose |  May 10th, 2008 at 6:43 pm

  
  
  

  Yikes. I should have done better on my fact checking. Thanks, Grant.

  Posted from United States

  

• Alan |  May 10th, 2008 at 7:09 pm

  
  
  

  I’m a member, too. Very exciting. If you told me a year ago I would be following the fortunes of Blue Square Premier team, I wouldn’t have known what that was.

  Posted from United States

  

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