Mike Floyd
Former Cardinal Langley pupil Jake Cotterell was the toast of Manchester on Friday after helping FC United to an exhilarating first-round FA Cup victory against Rochdale at Spotland.
The Rebels’ 3-2 win represented an historic giant-killing act for the Evo-Stik League minnows.
And Cotterell capped off a memorable evening by scoring FC’s second goal, an absolutely stunning 25-yard strike that rocketed into the top corner of Dale keeper Josh Lillis’ net.
Though Rochdale cancelled out FC United’s two-goal lead, Michael Norton handed the underdogs victory with a controversial stoppage time winner, kicking the ball from Lillis’ grasp before sliding home the decisive strike.
It meant FC United progressed to the second round and a tie against either Brighton or Woking.
There to witness the exploits was Danny Dyson, manager of Heywood St James where young Cotterell started out his career. He was delighted with what he saw.
He said: "It was a cracking match. To be honest I didn’t know who to support so I stayed neutral. But it was superb that Jake scored. It gave me a buzz. I felt proud they had both played for Jimmies."
Dyson, though, was bemused by the television pundits, who seemed to think that Cotterell was using his ‘swinger’ when he scored his goal, an opinion shared by FC United manager Karl Marginson.
He added: "It amused me that they said on the television that Jake had no left foot. When he played for us he was all left foot and played on the left of midfield."
Posts
