Tanganga’s FA Cup memories

For Japhet Tanganga, the FA Cup is very special.

An east London boy, the young defender grew up watching the world’s oldest cup competition and was always stirred by its unpredictable nature.

The tournament’s make-up sees it invariably produce ties where lower league sides are pitted against those in the higher echelons of the footballing pyramid, usually creating David versus Goliath scenarios. But the results of those meetings are often as surprising as that famous biblical tale. Any team, no matter their position or situation, can run out victorious. That is ‘the magic of the cup’.

And, even with the growth of the Premier League and Champions League in recent years, Japhet doesn’t feel the FA Cup has lost any of its fabled shine, with it remaining as acclaimed as ever.

“Yes, 100 per cent it’s a special competition," the 20-year old admitted. “It’s a very prestigious trophy in English football.

“A lot of underdog sides beating big teams, that’s what I remember about it from growing up and watching it. Maybe like on Saturday at lunchtime, 12pm, perhaps with not the best of pitch but then the underdogs beating one of the bigger sides, that’s my memory of it. The thought that anything can happen.

“Like last year, Newport County, they went quite far and then Lincoln City did as well a few years ago. A lot of surprises happen. That’s what I really like about the FA Cup and of course, we want to win it this season.

“Obviously it’s a big competition for us and if we beat Norwich tonight, we have the opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals. That takes us three games away from potentially winning the trophy, so it’s massive for us.”