Village fans break record crowd for FA Cup replay after referee blunder

A village in Norfolk came together to support its local football club as a record 806 fans showed up to watch Mulbarton Wanderers beat Woodford Town 2-0 in an FA Cup replay caused by a referee mistake.

On Wednesday, BBC reported that the match took place on Tuesday and attracted attention from around the world. The Football Association ordered the original match to be replayed, allowing Mulbarton to move on to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup.

The win also brought the club £3,375 in prize money and set up a home match against Gloucester City.

Mulbarton decided to sell tickets in advance for the replay due to what they called “unprecedented demand” after all the attention on the game.

Ashley Jarvis scored both goals for Mulbarton, leading the team to victory in the replay.

“It was a great atmosphere. The whole village came out and we’re delighted to get the win,” Jarvis said.

Joint first-team manager Danny Self praised the supporters after the match.

“We’re over the moon that we’ve given the fans something to shout about. Their support was incredible to have,” Self said.

The club’s other joint manager, Ben Thompson, mentioned that the support will be needed again when Mulbarton faces Gloucester City in the next round.

“[To our supporters] see you again on Saturday,” Thompson said.

“It will be the biggest game in our history and we need the fans again. They’re our 12th man.”

The unusual replay was ordered by the FA after Woodford Town questioned how the rules were applied in the original match.

Mulbarton won the first meeting 2-1, but the controversy began when Woodford was given a penalty in the first half while the score was still 0-0.

The penalty was then disallowed because Woodford players entered the penalty area too soon.

Instead of letting Woodford retake the penalty, the match was restarted with a free-kick awarded to Mulbarton.

Woodford, a club from London that plays in a lower league than Mulbarton, appealed the decision. This led the FA to call for the replay and move the match to Norfolk.

The replay attracted much more interest than a typical non-league match, with 806 fans attending, setting a record crowd for Mulbarton.

This win means Mulbarton is now just one step away from reaching the FA Cup first round proper, where they could face an English Football League team, including Sheffield Wednesday or 2021 FA Cup winners Leicester City.

For the village club, the immediate focus is on Gloucester City and another strong home crowd.

“[To our supporters] see you again on Saturday,” Thompson said, encouraging the fans to come back for what he called “the biggest game in our history.”