IN 1973, Motorola executive Martin Cooper made the first ever phone call using a handheld mobile phone.
It was an exciting technological advancement, but those looking at Motorola’s two-kilogram, 23cm-long behemoth of a device could be forgiven for considering it unlikely to break into the mainstream.
It’s difficult to attribute the subsequent success of this tech to any one factor.
However, early adopters were certainly given something to talk about when, later that year, unfancied Alvechurch FC bested Halesowen Town to secure their place in the FA Cup proper for the second time in three seasons.
A lot has changed since 1973.
The power and functionality of mobile phones in 2022 is likely well beyond the wildest imaginations of Cooper and co., and we’ve also invented the internet, sequenced the human genome, and built Bullring Shopping Centre.
One thing that’s stayed constant for the last 49 years, though, is Alvechurch’s absence from the FA Cup proper – until now.
The Church’s current crop will embark on an FA Cup adventure of their own in November, having made it into the first round proper for the first time since 1973.
None of the best betting sites in the UK have Alvechurch down as anything other than huge outsiders to progress any further in this year’s competition, but the Southern League Premier Division Central part-timers have plenty of FA Cup inspiration to draw upon.
The Church’s 1971 squad secured a permanent spot in FA Cup folklore (and a question in the football round of all good local pub quizzes) when their final qualifying round tie against Oxford City lasted an astonishing 11 hours across five replays.
This record-breaking tie (which will never be beaten due to rule changes) was as good as it got in 1971 – Alvechurch were dumped out of the Cup two days later at the first hurdle by tier-four Aldershot. Could they go any further in 1973?
Yes, they could. They won 1-0 at fourth division Exeter City in the first round and subjected sixth-tier side King’s Lynn to a 6-1 drubbing in round two. A 4-2 defeat at Bradford City ended Alvechurch’s adventure, but they stormed to the first of four consecutive West Midlands Regional League Premier titles a few months later to soften the blow.
Alvechurch’s reward for this season’s qualifying victories against Mickelover, Harborough Town and Nuneaton Borough is a 45-mile trip down the M5 to the invitingly named Completely-Suzuki Stadium, home of League One side Cheltenham Town.
The Robins may compete four tiers higher than Alvechurch but, historically, the sides have been on a more equal footing. They played against each other on a fairly regular basis in the 1980s, including on the final day of the 1984/85 season when Town beat The Church to secure the Southern League title.
It’s no surprise, then, that there is plenty of shared history between the two clubs.
Steve Cotterill, who represented Alvechurch during his playing career and is currently in charge at Shrewsbury Town on the other side of the Shropshire Hills, is arguably Cheltenham Town’s greatest ever manager and is a large part of the reason that they are so much higher up the league pyramid than Alvechurch today.
He joined the Robins when they were in the Southern Football League Premier League and swiftly got them promoted to the Football Conference (now the Vanarama League).
Cotterill continued to upset the football betting odds by delivering an FA Trophy title and a second place finish the following season, then promotion to the Football League the year after that. By the time Stoke City came calling for his services in 2002, Cheltenham had reached the lofty heights of the Second Division (now League One).
Cotteril’s successor in the Cheltenham Town hotseat is a name that all Alvechurch fans should be familiar with – none other than Graham Allner. Allner remains The Church’s all-time record goalscorer and played in all six matches of that 1971 fourth round qualifying epic against Oxford City (scoring twice).
His spell in charge of the Robins was less successful, though: he was sacked in January 2003 with Cheltenham having endured a run of five games without a win and languishing near the bottom of Division Two.
The odds are of course stacked against Alvechurch this time around but, with a little bit of FA Cup magic and the dangling carrot of £41,000 in prize money for the winning team, who knows what might happen in November.
One thing is certain – mobile phones in the away changing rooms will be buzzing non-stop should The Church pull off an improbable victory.
