Yeovil Town welcomes Manchester United to what was once 'a very stinking place'

Yeovil isn't the most glamorous town in the United Kingdom. The municipality's history includes the Black Death and enemy air raids in World War II, the latter a consequence of constructing aircraft and producing munition. An English folk band, Show of Hands, wrote a song about a show in a pub that ended with the lyrics: "Don't tempt fate, never eat late and stay away from Yeovil town." When it rains, Yeovil Junction cuts a depressingly grey sight. It's not the type of place that tourists visit, even those passing through southwest England.

But, on Friday night, Yeovil will be English football's heartland for two hours, as Yeovil Town will welcome Manchester United to Huish Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The tie will be aired on BBC One, and could mark the debut of Alexis Sanchez in the Red Devils' shirt.

Yeovil, 21st in League Two, is the lowest-ranked club left in the FA Cup, and is 87 places behind United in the English football pyramid. Excluding non-league clubs, the tie is about as much of a mismatch as the tournament can create. It will, therefore, be up to Darren Way, the Glovers' manager, to conjure up magic in a town largely devoid of it over the centuries.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

United is a club that Way, Yeovil's captain when the Glovers were promoted to League Two in 2003, knows well. He was involved in a near-fatal car crash that ended his playing career, and his testimonial took place in 2010, when he took the pitch as a last-minute substitute as Yeovil beat the Red Devils' Reserves in a pre-season game at Huish Park.

"I'll never forget it, I was with my lawyers and Gordon Taylor, the head of the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association), and we went to an event and got chatting to Sir Alex Ferguson," Way said, according to the Guardian's Ben Fisher. "He promised to look after me and he never let me down. I feel very fortunate to have had perhaps the greatest-ever manager supporting me when I was at my lowest. Without him, would I be where I am now? It would have been a lot more difficult, that's for sure."

When Yeovil and United clashed in the third round of the 2014-15 FA Cup, the Glovers, managed by Gary Johnson, matched the Red Devils for more than an hour, only for Ander Herrera to open the scoring with a wonderful goal in which he took a shot on the turn from more than 20 yards out. It was a painful reminder that giant-killings demand zero mistakes.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

"If you switch off for one split-second, they are going to find that killer pass or shot that just crucifies you," Way declared.

Complicating matters for Yeovil is that Otis Khan will miss the tie. The English midfielder, for whom the Glovers received a "substantial offer," was sent off for pushing the referee in the club's defeat to Chesterfield, and will begin serving a five-match ban. He took to Twitter and published a heartfelt apology, writing: "I tripped and fell towards him making contact. There was absolutely no intention to make contact with Kevin Johnson." But it fell upon deaf ears, as the Football Association deemed the decision to appeal as frivolous.

Without Khan, who was a trainee at United and boasts 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season, Yeovil will need to look elsewhere for goals. Per Fisher, the Glovers' preparations included conference calls with John Terry on set pieces and a presentation by a sports psychologist. It's a logical approach. Free-kicks and corner kicks will give the lower-league club a chance of scoring against the Premier League colossus, and psychological preparation is crucial for a game of such importance.

The tie will mark just the fourth time in Yeovil's history that the Glovers play in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Only once did they advance. In 1949, in one of the biggest giant-killings in the history of English football, the club disposed of Sunderland, who played in the top flight, at Huish Athletic Ground. Eric Bryant tallied a goal in extra time that sealed the victory.

(Courtesy: Yeovil Town FC)

The historic triumph unfolded one century after a doctor described Yeovil as "a very filthy, a very dirty, and a very stinking place." Sunderland probably agreed with the description that day. Will United feel the same?