There will be at least two new faces in the ground when Scunthorpe play Worcester in the second round of the FA Cup.
Football fans Ryan Tute and Michael Evans are on a quest to watch every stage of this season’s FA Cup, finishing their journey at the final at Wembley in May.“It’s a bit of a bizarre one,” football fanatic Tute explains to Scunthorpe-United.co.uk.
“Myself and one of my best mates, Michael Evans, decided to try do the FA Cup from the first round to the final.
“We chose to start by going to the last game to be picked from the first round draw and it was Forest Green versus Scunthorpe.
“Then from there, we’d follow every team that won.
“Scunthorpe won on Sunday and we will go to their game in the second round, then go to the winner of that game’s match in the third round. That will lead us to the final.
“We’re working now we’ve finished university, so he’s travelling from London and I’m travelling from Blackpool - it’s interesting to say the least.”
Tute, 24, admits he was pleasantly surprised when he visited The New Lawn last weekend and he says the class between the Sky Bet League One side and the Vanarama Conference club was evident.
“It was a brilliant start,” he said.
“I really enjoyed it, the club have got a good set-up - Forest Green’s facilities wouldn’t look out of place in the Football League.
“There was just a difference quality between the two sides. Gary McSheffrey was a level above and you could see the gap between the teams, it was a good professional victory for Scunthorpe.”
Tute, who is a journalist for the Blackpool Gazette, was relieved to see the Iron given a home draw in the next round of the competition, given his northern roots, when we host Conference North side Worcester and he’s looking forward to the tie.
Worcester pulled off a shock win at the Ricoh Arena against Coventry, but he is not expecting a similar story this time around.
“I was sat watching the draw waiting for Plymouth or Dover, the furthest ones,” he laughed.
“It is not bad for Michael either, it will probably cost him more, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Glanford Park has to offer.
“It’s a good draw for Scunthorpe, it will be interesting to see if Worcester can get another major upset.”
The reporter, who met friend Michael at university in Glasgow, says the combined costs of train and match tickets will prove to be costly, but a worthwhile experience.
“It’s not the cheapest thing I’ve ever done in my life!
“This round won’t be too bad because it is only around £20 for a train ticket to Scunthorpe and we have friends in Leeds, so we will probably stay there.
“Last time, we travelled to Bristol, stayed overnight and then went to Nailsworth, where Forest Green are based. The whole trip will be expensive, but it’s something to remember and look back on.
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to do it throughout, we’re hoping we can get tickets to every game, but it will get harder as the Cup progresses."
“We’ve set up a blog,” he added.
“We’re collecting ticket stubs and programmes from every one to create a memory piece before hopefully getting shirts, with the whole route printed on, for the final at Wembley.”
Visit Ryan and Michael’s blog on www.seagullsandricochets.com/winner-stays-on.html and follow their long journey to Wembley watching football’s most prestigious cup competition.
We look forward to welcoming them to Glanford Park for the first time in December and we hope they will be back again to watch Scunthorpe United in the third round.