Isthmian North League side Maldon and Tiptree, along with a number of former professional players, travel to League One side Port Vale in the FA Cup first round this weekend.
It took just 5 minutes and 16 seconds for Freddie Sears to become famous.
More than 17 years after he scored the winning goal on his debut for West Ham, he hopes his giant killing in the FA Cup will provide the perfect incandescent song. Sears was just 18 years old when he made his name known to the world in March 2008 when he came off the bench to score the winning goal in a Premier League game against Blackburn.
Despite a long and successful career since then, that goal is still what people ask him about most. But he will be hoping to make his name shine once again on Sunday when Eighth Division side Maldon and Tiptree travel to League One side Port Vale in the FA Cup first round.
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Sears, 35, told Mirror Football: “You’d be surprised how many people come up to me and say, ‘I went to watch my debut for West Ham’. It seems like a lifetime ago now.”
It’s not hard to see why, as he has since played for nine other clubs, including notable appearances at Colchester and Ipswich. Still, Sears’ passion for the game continues to burn, which is why he’s not ready to give up just yet.
“Soccer is all I know. Sometimes it’s hard to walk away,” he said. When I asked him what keeps him going, he was unequivocal. “The love of the game. I still enjoy playing on a Saturday afternoon. And I still enjoy scoring goals.
“I was very lucky. I didn’t have too many injuries, so I still feel very good.”
That is evident in the striker’s form heading into Sunday’s game, having already scored five goals during Maldon’s run and a further 10 in the Isthmian North League, which ‘The Jammers’ currently sit top of. Sears, who is currently working towards his UEFA A coaching license in West Ham’s academy, is not the only well-known name at Maldon.
Former Manchester City midfielder Kevin Horlock is the manager and the squad includes a number of ex-professional players, including Gary Hooper, although the former Norwich and Celtic striker is currently sidelined with injury. And Sears is confident that even the team at the bottom of the FA Cup can pull off a memorable upset.
“It’s great to be the underdog,” he said. “We have nothing to lose. Everyone expects you to get beaten. If you go there and get upset, that’s the FA Cup.”
“That’s why everyone loves this competition, because anyone can play with anyone. In the next two rounds we can play Manchester City or Liverpool. But the first round is a great journey for us. This is our cup final.”
Naturally, everyone wants to be the hero of the cup final. Even Sears. “It would be a dream come true if we could win 1-0 and I could score.”
It will no doubt give him the opportunity to talk on the street about something other than his West Ham debut, but he doesn’t mind that. “It can get a little boring at times, but it’s still a moment that people keep talking about and I don’t know where I would be in the game if that moment didn’t happen,” he added.
“There is no greater moment than this. It is a moment that cannot be taken away and you would not change for the world. It will live with you forever.”
“When I retire, I’m sure I’ll look back and think, ‘Wow, that was really special.’ But I’d like to give you one last send-off, and that would be classes.”
