Some people may scoff at the term 'the magic of the FA Cup' and tell you there's no such thing anymore.
Alright, so the Premier League's elite may have a pretty firm grip on the latter stages of the competition, but that's not so say that stories of lower league minnows advancing through to the early rounds of the FA Cup are any less magical.
This season's fairytale has been provided to us by Marine AFC, a Merseyside-based club currently plying their trade (or not plying their trade as we'll come to shortly) in Division One North West of the Northern Premier League.
The Merseysiders have been handed a glittering third round tie against current Premier League leaders Tottenham, with the fixture set to take place on the weekend of 8-11 January.
Now, if you're sat there feeling slightly ashamed at having absolutely no idea what Division One North West of the Northern Premier League is or who Marine are, never fear. Here's your rundown of everything you need to know about Marine AFC.
1. Longest-Serving Post-War Manager in English Football
Great image of #LFC legends alongside some Marine players and their long term manager Roly Howard, who was also Kenny Dalglish's window cleaner. pic.twitter.com/dTOCxZHtDW
— Carl Clemente (@clemente_carl) July 23, 2019
Roly Howard's first game in charge of Marine took place on 12 August 1972 and he remained at the helm until 2005.
No other manager post-war can lay claim to having held the reigns at an English club for longer. In his 33 seasons at Marine, Howard amassed an incredible 15 cup successes, five league titles and was in the dugout for 1,975 matches.
2. Second Ever Eighth Tier Team to Make the FA Cup Third Round
Having already played seven games in order to reach this stage of the competition, Marine are only the second ever eighth tier team to make it into the FA Cup third round.
A 1-0 win over National League South's Havant & Waterlooville secured their place in the hat alongside the Premier League big boys, with Niall Cummins notching the all important winner after the ball cannoned off his shoulder into the net.
3. They've Not Kicked a Ball in the League Since October
Marine's FA Cup fairytale is all the more incredible when you discover they've not played a league game since October.
Due to the national lockdown, the Merseyside club have had to seek special dispensation from the FA to train ahead of their cup clashes.
With the Northern Premier League suspended, Marine have actually played more games in the cup (seven) than they have in the league (five) this season.
4. Kenny Dalglish is a Club Patron
Based on Merseyside, naturally many of the club's hierarchy like to keep a keen eye on the fortunes of Liverpool and Everton. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Reds legend Kenny Dalglish is the club's patron.
Dalglish has a regular involvement with the club when it comes to charity events, with the Scotsman enlisting the help of former Liverpool stars such as Alan Hansen for the occasions.
5. This Isn't Their First Time in the FA Cup Third Round
Since being founded in 1894, Marine have made it as far as the third round of the FA Cup once before, however, they were dumped out by fourth tier side Crewe Alexandra in the1992/93 edition of the competition.
If they're to progress one step further this time they'll need to overcome Premier League leaders Tottenham, although - restrictions permitting - they will be able to call upon the services of up to 2,000 fans permitted to enter their 3,200 capacity ground Rossett Park, as Liverpool is in Tier 2 in the new coronavirus restrictions.
That means the tie will hopefully feel almost normal.
Source: 90min
