Trafford FC director Pete McGrath found himself in an unexpected role on Saturday, swapping his usual social media duties for a shift behind the bar as a bumper crowd descended on Shawe View for the club's FA Cup third qualifying round tie against Atherton Collieries.
More than 1,000 people attended the match, more than double Trafford's average home attendance. McGrath, who typically updates the club's X feed, was pressed into emergency action as barman, missing most of the game.
A Chaotic Day at Shawe View
“I was taking paracetamol on Saturday night because I’d been opening so many cans of beer behind the bar,” McGrath told the Manchester Evening News. “I didn’t even see the game until the last 10 minutes and I only saw that because we had sold out of everything we had.”
“We have display cans on top of the fridge which are sat in the warm and people even bought them!” he added.
The 2-2 draw was only denied a place in the next round by a stoppage-time equaliser from Atherton Collieries, who play a level above Trafford. The replay takes place on Tuesday.
Financial Boost for the Club
The bumper crowd bolstered the club's coffers, and the FA Cup prize money has provided a welcome windfall for Trafford, who play in the North West Counties Premier League after relegation last season.
The victors in the replay will earn a trip to National League promotion chasers AFC Fylde in the next round and move within one win of the first round proper. They will also bank £5,625 from the prize pot, with Trafford having already taken home more than £8,000 in prize money alone, even if some of that cash has been spent on long-distance away trips.
“The prizemoney comes in very useful,” McGrath added. “It doesn’t sound a lot when you have Premier League players on £150,000 a week but it is a big chunk of our budget.”
Players' Dedication Praised
Trafford boss Tom Baker praised his players' efforts, highlighting the demands of juggling full-time jobs with a cup run that has included five games against teams from higher divisions.
“These lads work full time jobs, 40 hour weeks. It is always difficult for a non-league player, we went to Heaton Stannington on a Saturday, left at 8am and didn’t get back until 10.30pm. Then we had Barnoldswick away on the Tuesday night with lads leaving early from work and getting back at 11.30pm. I think not enough credit goes to non-league players for the time and effort they put in and the dedication needed,” Baker said.
Baker, a former midfielder, was in the Halifax Town team that reached the first round proper as a non-league club in 2011, earning a home tie with Charlton Athletic. Lining up alongside him that day was Jamie Vardy, a beacon of non-league fairy-tale stories.
“I have done this journey as a non league player and I know how exciting it is for players at this level,” he said. “It is dreams coming true and for the club it is huge from a publicity and financial point of view. Saturday was a great occasion and we have to try and get the job finished.”
Trafford have never before reached the fourth qualifying round, and Baker sees no downside to their progress. The club's supporters are expected to travel in decent numbers for Tuesday's replay, hoping for an historic night.
