Wembley......

Surprisingly the hottest tickets in town last weekend, were not to see Wales play France in the Six Nations decider.

No, try getting a Wembley Semi-Final ticket, for Barnsley v Cardiff City.

On March 20th, 1992, Ninian Park, Cardiff, was the setting for the last Football League match to be contested by Aldershot FC. The 2v0 defeat in front of 6006 spectators was followed by a generous ‘bucket collection’, to get the ‘boys’ home.

And then……the High Court Winding-Up Order on March 25th. The Shots were dead.

Well 16 years later Aldershot Town FC are alive and kicking, and sit proudly at the top of the Blue Square Premier, with a return to the Football League tantalisingly close.

But for Cardiff it has been nearly 81 years since a Ferguson goal, in the 74th minute, was enough to beat Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup Final at Wembley. A victory that gave Fred Keenor the responsibility to obtain the only export licence for the Cup, since the inception of the competition in 1871/2.

No doubt if Cardiff City go on to win the Cup in May, the club will expect to be entered for European competition, as every FA Cup winner has been since Wolves in 1960. Perhaps a reasonable position to take up, since Cardiff have always been considered an honorary English club, along with Swansea City, Wrexham, Newport County and Colwyn Bay.

But Cardiff should beware. Their history is littered with occasions when they have sought to distance themselves from England and the English.


For many years they were happy to be controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), giving them opportunity to enter the Welsh Cup and, more often than not, being rewarded with an easy ticket to Europe.

Then in 2002/03 the club reached the second division play-offs final, against QPR at the Millennium Stadium. Suffice to say the National Anthem was replaced by Men of Harlech, and for QPR…..Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag!

And this burning desire to represent England in Europe would certainly inspire a quizzical look from those visiting Ninian Park in January 2002, when Leeds United played an FA Cup tie.

The genuine support for Cardiff was, for many, whipped up into a nationalistic fervour that has no place in football.

The FA launched a joint investigation with the FAW….but as time drifted on it was left to the FAW to hand down a punishment that amounted to a pretty paltry £20,000 fine. The club claiming that the FAW acted under pressure from London.

And a statement from the club after the event read, ‘The events of January 6 will only serve to bring together the club and the Welsh people as they strive to take Welsh football forward’.

But now as the European ticket has been withdrawn by the FAW in favour of clubs playing in Wales, the FA Cup final may represent a great opportunity for the Bluebirds…….but wait.

How will the FAW respond to Cardiff representing England in Europe?

Well not too impressed I would think, given the row that is developing over the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) determination to field men’s and women’s teams at the 2012 London Olympics.

‘We will field a team’, BOA chief Simon Clegg proclaimed.

However, the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Associations have all opposed the idea.

‘Wales will not take part in such a team. We will not do anything that will jeopardise Wales’ status as an independent nation within Uefa and Fifa’, David Collins, Secretary General of the FAW responded, in a manner befitting his Savile Row tailored job title.

But David shouldn’t worry, as the time will surely come when Wales and Scotland are independent states within Europe. A situation delivered not by the SNP in Holyrood or Plaid in Cardiff Bay.

No, absolute devolution will be delivered by the awakening of middle England to the fact that there are a lot of Raith Rovers supporters in the Westminster government.

And this season's FA Trophy Final will be between Torquay United and Ebbsfleet United.

Aldershot Town drew 1v1 in the second leg of the Semi-Final, last Saturday, losing 4v2 on aggregate and missing out on a trip to Wembley……best wishes to both teams and sets of supporters. The experience will be brilliant.

So it’s back to league action on Saturday, and the visit of Altrincham. A team desperate for points, as they once again attempt to avoid relegation.

Aldershot Town are now left with a simple focus…..each game in turn…three points.

And at the end of 90mins, one less game to play…….ignore the rest.