English minnows Accrington Stanley landed a dream FA Cup draw after being paired with eight-time winners and Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
It’s a fourth round tie that sums up the romance of the tournament – 86 places between them in the English Football League pyramid – and it’s a true David and Goliath fixture in every sense.
The viral clip of Liverpool-mad striker Josh Woods hopping around his living room showed what it means to those involved with the side sitting 19th in League Two. But they will need to regain their focus – Accrington first have a trip to Grimsby Town. Their journey to Anfield early next year will be sandwiched between home games against Newport and Notts County at the Wham Stadium.
And a couple of those involved wrote their own names into Scottish football folklore. Manager John Doolan, a Scouser himself, was assistant to Alan Stubbs when Hibs defeated Rangers in the final to end a 114-year wait to lift the famous trophy.
One man who was far from happy that day in 2016 was Doolan’s goalkeeping coach Andy Dibble who became an unlikely nine-in-a-row hero after Walter Smith signed him in an emergency for the 1996/97 title run-in and the Welshman played a crucial role in helping them to the trophy.
After fetching his name into Rangers’ history he then inked it on his arm – a tattoo to mark the triumph. That was as a result of an end of season trip to Toronto when a boozy night out saw legends Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant badger him into a permanent reminder of his brief Ibrox stint.
They took a slip of paper and wrote: “Rangers FC: Nine in a row, 1997.” Dibble woke up with it inked upon his shoulder. “He later said in an interview: “My Mrs wasn’t very happy, but it wasn’t about whether I’d been there two months or two years: I was proud of what I did. I only played a bit part, but I kept my nerve in a big game and did well in the others.”
Dibble was THIRD choice at Manchester City when Smith made the move to sign him with both Andy Goram and Theo Snelders injured. He was thrust straight in a the deep end for an Old Firm clash at Parkhead where victory for Rangers would put them eight points clear and effectively seal the title.
That game was in Mach and Dibble hadn’t even played since the previous December but Smith ran the idea pst Sir Alex Ferguson and the move was made. Dibble had one training session and played his part in an explosive 1-0 win with Mark Hateley, re-signed on the eve of the game ent off. But not before Brian Laudrup had scored the all-important only goal of the game and Malky Mackay was also red carded late on.
Dibble only spent three months at Ibrox and played seven games, including the night nine-in-a-row was officially sealed at Tannadice. But the three-times capped Wales international described it as the best time of a 24-year playing career.
He also had a loan spell at Aberdeen in 1990 and was recently goalkeeping coach at Motherwell. He hung up his gloves after turning out for Accrington Stanley in 2006, and it’s there where he is now back.
Anfield is a stadium he graced as a player but for many at Accrington it will be their one and only shot at it. The town’s original club, named simply Accrington, were founder members of the Football League in 1888 but are perhaps most famous for the 1980s milk advert.
And that iconic commercial has a Liverpool twist to it. One boy asks his friend: “Have you got any lemonade?” The other boy, replies: “If you want. As he pours himself a glass of milk, his friend reacts by saying: “Milk? Eurgh.”. But his pal tells him: “It’s what [the former Liverpool forward] Ian Rush drinks. He said if I don’t drink lots of milk, when I grow up I’m only going to be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley.”