Long shot shoots for an English soccer upset
LONDON — Imagine a club tennis player taking on Roger Federer at Wimbledon or a pub brawler fighting Floyd Mayweather at Madison Square Garden.
That's the scale of the task facing semi-pro team Havant and Waterlooville when it plays five-time European champion Liverpool in the FA Cup at the Reds' famous Anfield stadium Saturday.
The assortment of plumbers, plasterers, trash collectors and taxi drivers are trying to achieve the biggest upset in the 136-year history of the tournament against the seven-time winners.
"It's like the World Cup final for us," captain Jamie Collins said.
Although the Reds are slumping and torn by a dispute between coach Rafa Benitez and American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., bookmakers rate Havant as 50-1 underdogs. The odds on Liverpool winning 6-0 are only 8-1.
"Anything is possible in football and I would never send a side out just to enjoy it," Havant manager Shaun Gale said. "It's the FA Cup and we will be going out to win like we do every game."
Saturday's game at 45,000-capacity Anfield will be a far cry from Havant's regular matches.
While Liverpool plays before sellout crowds, Havant's average home attendance is 606. Its biggest crowd was the 4,400 who watched the 3-1 third-round victory over League One leader Swansea.
While some of Liverpool's players earn close to $200,000 a week, the Havant players earn their living doing other jobs and play for the team in their spare time.
Gale, a full-time coach, is a journeyman defender. Benitez, his Liverpool counterpart, led Valencia to the UEFA Cup and Spanish league titles before guiding Liverpool to a Champions League title in 2005 and last season's final.
Havant paid $980,000 to bring its Westleigh Park stadium up to the standard required to get it up to the Conference division. Liverpool is to spend at least $490 million on a new stadium due to open in 2011.
Xabi Alonso, who moved to Liverpool from Spanish club Real Sociedad four seasons ago, said such a matchup would be impossible in Spain.
"You can only play teams up to two divisions below you," he said. "But this is all part of the glamour and the prestige that the FA Cup has. This is why it is so interesting."
It has not been an entirely smooth ride for Havant leading to the big game.
It rearranged a Blue Square South League match against Thurrock on Wednesday night so defender Justin Gregory could serve a suspension and be eligible to face Liverpool. But the floodlights at Thurrock kept failing and the game, watched by 19 visiting Havant fans, was abandoned in the first half. Gregory's ban stands.
"You have to put things in perspective," Gregory said. "Nobody died and it gives someone else the chance to play at Anfield."
Collins, the captain, is a 23-year-old school soccer coach.
"When you're in this league, the best you can hope for is the first round (of the FA Cup) and then maybe draw Leeds or Nottingham Forest," he said. "To get to the fourth round and play Liverpool is a dream come true. To walk out in front of 40,000 singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' — any player who hears that has the hairs of the back of their neck standing on end."
