The Coasters bravely bowed out of the Emirates FA Cup at the hands of quarter-finalists Wigan Athletic back in December, however one AFC Fylde man will play a starring role at Saturday’s Wembley Final!
Fylde star Danny Rowe will see his name printed on the FA Cup final ball as Manchester United take on fellow Premier League giants Chelsea this weekend in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.
Positioned between Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose and David Forbes of Nantwich Town, Rowe is one of 137 goalscorers from this season’s competition on the Nike Ordem V Cup Final ball to be used at the 137th edition of the showpiece fixture.
The ‘Ball For All’ celebrates players from Step 6 of the National League system through to the Premier League, who all share the accolade of being a goalscorer in this year’s campaign.
The names included represent goalscorers from every round, beginning at the Extra Preliminary Round through to the Semi Finals and also include a selection of the season’s most memorable and impactful strikes.
Rowe was selected for his second round goal at League One champions Wigan which put Fylde ahead at the DW Stadium with just ten minutes to go.
Among the names represented on the Ball For All are:
– Liam Pullen of Chipping Sodbury Town, whose strike in the Extra-Preliminary Round was the club’s first ever goal in the competition.
– Noah Keats, whose goal in the Fourth Round Qualifying saw Truro City become the first Cornish side to reach the First Round Proper since 1969.
– Wigan Athletic’s Will Grigg, whose strike against Manchester City sealed a famous Fifth Round victory (not for the double that broke Fylde hearts in the second round!)
– Alexis Sánchez and Willian, who both scored decisive goals for this season’s finalists.
Andy Ambler, The FA’s Director of Professional Game Relations, said: “One of the most special things about The Emirates FA Cup is that a goalscorer in the Extra-Preliminary Round shares the same accolade as some of football’s most famous names.
“Over three thousand goals have been scored in this season’s competition, from all levels of the football pyramid and the 137 from across the country are representative of all who have contributed to this season’s competition.”
At the close of the season, The FA will have distributed a total of £14.6 million in competition prize money to the 737 competing teams.