THE WRAP-UP PODCAST: On our way back to 'HJ South'
The song that's no doubt been running through every Warrington Wolves fan's head since Sunday evening, so a fitting way in which to start this week's episode of "The Wrap-Up."
Our weekly match review podcast is back this week to dissect and have the final say on what was a memorable Challenge Cup semi-final against Leigh Leopards.
The Wire ran out 21-14 winners at the Totally Wicked Stadium to book their eighth visit to Wembley Stadium since it reopened in 2007 - so can it now officially be known as "HJ South?"
This week's podcast includes an exclusive chat with prop James Harrison and audio from head coach Sam Burgess' post-match press conference.
We also have our usual fan contributors Gareth Dunning and Rob Croston back to have their say on the action as excitement for the final against Hull KR starts to build.
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New York Times
11 hours ago
- New York Times
The Premier League is two weeks from starting, but the FA Cup has already begun
About 13 miles separate Wembley from Rotherhithe, once a patchwork of thriving docks and bustling wharfs in London but now the leafy home to Fisher FC and the only British pub licensed to sell U.S. postage stamps. There's little to link these two districts. On a very clear day, locals suggest it's possible to catch a glimpse of the famous arch that towers over the national stadium when standing on Stave Hill. Advertisement Today, though, is not about sightseeing. Today is about the 2025-26 FA Cup getting underway, with hundreds of grassroots clubs from up and down the land doing battle in the extra preliminary round of a competition that will culminate next May in a Wembley final. Few here at Fisher's modest St Paul's Sports Ground to watch the tie against fellow amateur side Camberley Town expect today's victors to still be in the cup come the autumn, never mind walking out at Wembley in 287 days. Nevertheless, there's an unmistakable buzz in this corner of the capital ahead of the world's oldest knockout competition getting underway. 'The beauty of the FA Cup is it lets everyone dream,' says Jim Maycock, Fisher's club secretary and one of several volunteers who keep this fan-run club from the ninth tier of English football operating smoothly. 'Competing in the greatest cup competition in world football gives a club relevance. Just being in the cup puts you on the map. Players and supporters at our level can watch, say, the quarter-finals in March and think, 'We were in this same competition a few months ago'.' All non-League life is present in this season's extra preliminary round, ranging from the two oldest clubs in the world, Sheffield FC and Hallam, through to a famous old Football League name in Bradford (Park Avenue) and cup debutants Windsor & Eton. The dream for these part-time footballers is to enjoy a long cup run, maybe even battling through to the first-round proper in November when clubs from League One and League Two, the bottom two divisions of the EFL, enter. Or, if we're really talking fantasy land, reach the third round and a possible meeting with big boys Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea. Should Fisher or Camberley go on to realise that dream in January, it would be the equivalent of the New York Yankees playing North Dakota amateurs Enderlin Indies in a competitive fixture. Advertisement As far-fetched as this sounds, it does happen in English football. After kicking off their 2020-21 cup campaign in the preliminary round at home to Barnoldswick Town, eighth-tier Marine made it all the way to the third round and a glamour tie with Tottenham Hotspur, then managed by Jose Mourinho. Marine earned a £500,000 windfall from that run, but it's not just the money that can be life-changing. There's also the opportunity the cup affords players at clubs such as Fisher, whose resources don't stretch to paying wages. Footballers at this level are here for the love of the game and a chance to perhaps get a lift-up in their careers thanks to Ajay Ashanike, a manager with an enviable reputation for developing grassroots talent. 'The boys understand this is a showcase for them,' says Ashanike, whose recent proteges include Ade Owulu at League Two Salford City, plus Jamie Yila (Maidstone United) and Peter Ojemen (Slough Town) in National League South. 'To help them go as far as they can in the game. Fulfil their dreams. That's what we do here, progress players and develop them. They're all good footballers. You just have to give them that belief, give them a personality. Success in the cup can help.' The FA Cup may have lost some of its sheen over the past couple of decades amid the rise of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. But it remains the most storied competition in the world. First played in 1871, the cup has created innumerable heroes, ranging from Wembley winners to those who have caused a famous 'giant-killing', where a top-flight side has been slain by a lower league team in a fashion similar to David getting one over Goliath in the Bible. Sir Stanley Matthews and Ronnie Radford may not seem natural bedfellows. One became football's first knight of the realm in 1965, while the other worked all his life as a joiner and carpenter. Advertisement But the two men are forever entwined in FA Cup folklore. Matthews had the 1953 final named in his honour after Blackpool triumphed 4-3 against Bolton Wanderers. Radford scored arguably the most famous goal in the competition's history as non-League Hereford United knocked out top-flight Newcastle United 19 years later. This sense of inclusivity remains today, with 747 teams from the Premier League down to level 10 of the English football pyramid competing in this year's competition. In a way, Fisher's picturesque home, sitting just a stone's throw from the River Thames and hemmed in on three sides by trees, embodies this unusual mix of haves and have-nots. The stadium itself is basic. There's a main stand of around 150 seats down one side and a small covered terrace, dubbed the 'Dockers End', that runs to just six steps and barely covers the width of the six-yard box. But what gives this homely setting a big business feel is a backdrop featuring the cluster of gleaming skyscrapers making up Canary Wharf, that beacon for 1990s Docklands regeneration. Those attempts by Margaret Thatcher's government to revive what had become a derelict part of London following the decline and then closure of the docks included building the Surrey Docks Stadium, Fisher Athletic's 5,300-capacity home during a heyday that included four years in the Conference (fifth tier) between 1987 and 1991. That club also twice reached the cup's first round proper. Athletic folded in 2009 amid ruinous debts, five years after leaving Surrey Docks to groundshare with Dulwich Hamlet. Phoenix club Fisher FC emerged from the ashes and moved back to Rotherhithe in 2016. They are just a couple of hundred yards up Salter Road from Athletic's old home, which has since been turned into a housing estate called Fisher Close and the accompanying Mayflower Park. Advertisement Since reforming, the furthest the club has been in the cup is the second qualifying round in 2022-23. Even that involved a mammoth eight ties, as replays were needed to get past Sutton Common Rovers, Sittingbourne and Spelthorne Sports before finally bowing out to Welling United from three tiers above in National League South, again after a replay that drew a record crowd of 573 to St Paul's. The attendance for Camberley's visit in this season's extra preliminary round can't match those numbers. Millwall are playing a friendly against Portuguese top-flight side Estoril Praia just a couple of miles down the road at The Den, which doesn't help. But, still, a turnout of 264 is impressive. It's also slightly above last season's average gate, when they finished fourth in the Southern Counties East Premier Division. Judging by the smattering of club colours on show in nearby riverside pubs during the two hours before kick-off, many are determined to make a day of it. Those enjoying a pint at The Mayflower — so named because the ship that transported the first Pilgrims to America in 1620 was moored here — can buy U.S. and UK stamps at the bar thanks to a special licence granted in recognition of the pub's unique history. U.S. visitors might even feel like they are on a mini Wall Street. This one-time wasteland has been transformed by pyramid-topped One Canada Square and other skyscrapers. Often, a fixation with the vista can continue into the game itself. But not against Camberley, as supporters quickly become engrossed in a cracking cup tie between two attack-minded teams. Fisher take a seventh-minute lead when Chibueze Echem fires in from close range after initially out-jumping goalkeeper Dom West to meet a cross. Camberley appeal for a foul, but referee Royan Campbell is having none of it. 'It's a contact sport, leave it,' explains the official, whose exemplary decision-making throughout, together with a no-nonsense manner that never once strays into condescension, makes him one of the afternoon's standout performers. When a ref is poor people are first to complain. So it's only right that when a ref is good he should be commended… today's ref was excellent. Best ref we have had for a long time. Good control and spoke to the players like a human being not a robot! #PromoteHim — Camberley Town (@CamberleyTownFC) August 2, 2025 Camberley continue to pose a first-half threat, particularly through Shane Qoloni. But it's Fisher who go in 2-0 ahead at the break thanks to a thumping 20-yard free kick from Michael Sarpong. Fisher, as is perhaps to be expected from a fan-owned club where members pay £20 a season, boast a vocal crowd. 'When the Fish go swimming in…' is just one of many songs given a second half airing by the regulars in a Dockers End decorated with flags and banners. Advertisement The noise levels rise further just after the hour when substitute Rafael Garcia, once on the books of Everton and surely destined to be among those Fisher manager Ashanike soon propels back up the football pyramid, is fouled in the penalty area and Kesna Clarke duly converts from the spot. Qoloni pulls a goal back for the visitors, but there's to be no late fightback as Fisher claim a 3-1 victory. This brings a welcome £1,125 in prize money to go with an away tie at Jersey Bulls in the next stage and a chance to further bolster the coffers of a club whose annual turnover in 2023-24 stood at £80,435. Wembley Stadium may still be a long way away, with another 12 rounds to be negotiated to reach the May 16 final. But, here in Rotherhithe, as the home players embark on their customary post-match 'high-five' session with supporters in the Dockers End that serves as a 'thank you for attending', there's no mistaking the joy clubs such as Fisher can get from the cup. 'The atmosphere was electric and the boys really put in a performance,' says Ashanike. 'Everyone here has a story. Look at Rafa, he was playing for Everton two seasons ago. Now, he is here with us trying to progress himself. 'As a child, you want to play at Wembley. That's the dream for every kid. We know this won't happen for us. But we give it a go and see how far we can go in the competition. Two years ago, we had a good run and created so many memories. We want to mirror that.' (Top photos: Getty Images and Richard Sutcliffe/The Athletic)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
THE WRAP-UP PODCAST: It happened again...
OUR Warrington Wolves match review podcast is back! Following Friday's defeat at Leigh Leopards, we round off our coverage of the game with "The Wrap-Up" hosted by our Wire reporter Matt Turner. In this week's episode, we bring you everything head coach Sam Burgess said in the aftermath of the game while Rob Croston is also back to bring you his stand-out Warrington performers on the night.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Jets QB Justin Fields updates toe injury sustained during training camp
The New York Jets were given a scare but thankfully only a quick one. During 2025 NFL training camp, new quarterback Justin Fields went down with an injury. He was carted off the field but worries were quickly quelled. Head coach Aaron Glenn were among those who confirmed it was not serious. Fields had a toe injury in the end but barely missed time at training camp. The QB then spoke to the "Up & Adams" show from training camp and confirmed he is feeling well. "Toe is all good," Fields said. His full thoughts can be found below:
