When Cray Wanderers were founded in 1860, the London Underground did not exist, Abraham Lincoln was still to become US President and Italy had not yet become a unified country.
In the 166 years since then, London's oldest football club have never made it into the first round of the FA Cup - the oldest tournament in world football - until this season, when they ended their curse with a series of epic victories in qualifying.
So how did they manage to break their FA Cup hoodoo at the 78th attempt? What happened when they met Stockport County in their big match at the weekend? And what is the only football club in the world that was founded before them?
Plus, a look at the two eighth-tier teams involved in the first round and a quiz on the Club of Pioneers – an exclusive organisation for the oldest team in each country.
Join us on Patreon for a round-up of all the crazy records set around the football world this week: 51 red cards are handed out in an U20 match in Brazil, a Romanian team score every 100 seconds in a 53-0 rout and a 65-year-old wanted by Interpol finds the net in Suriname.
You can donate to Ralph's fundraiser here.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:52 – Cray Wanderers: The early days
03:05 – Cray Wanderers: The FA Cup debut
05:52 – The first round’s two ultimate outsiders
12:04 – Sheffield FC: The world’s oldest club
15:14 – The exclusive Club of Pioneers
18:27 – Quiz on the world’s oldest teams
