The Station View ground may be a million miles away from the gilded halls of the Premier League but it is FA Cup time. In deepest Yorkshire, Harrogate Railway of the Unibond Division One took League Two side Mansfield Town to the wire - and were only just beaten 3-2.

Now the very name Harrogate Railway has a romantic resonance about it. Harrogate Railway was, undoubtedly stolen from the pages of Harry Potter. Very rarely does a non-League team come along from some imaginary children’s story.

But for the fans of Harrogate Railway this was a special day. It was the second round of the FA Cup. There were no sightings of Ron Weasley, and the tiny Sunday congregation at Station View could hardly contain themselves.

'All that seemed to be missing were a lake and tennis courts. But the crowd were at full volume and utterly supportive'


The FA Cup is a day for estate agents and electricians, for builders and grocers. Here, 90 minutes of fame for the non-League brigade is like the greatest party of all time. By day these humble tradesman earn chicken feed. By the end of this FA Cup adventure Harrogate were eating the finest steak.

Although they were knocked out by a surprisingly skilful Mansfield side Harrogate were by no means discredited. The FA Cup reserves its best reception for those non-League battlers and Harrogate grafted and gritted their teeth until the bitter end.

This was an afternoon for big hearts and gutsy gallantry.When Harrogate count their FA Cup pennies they will know that every tackle, pass and header was worth a small fortune.

By non-League standards Station View is not a pretty sight. First impressions suggest that a park keeper would feel at home on it. All that seemed to be missing were a lake and tennis courts. But the crowd were at full volume and utterly supportive.

Around the pitch were the standard non-League tourist attractions. There were Portacabins from the local building site, wooden fencing built in medieval times and those ramshackle terraces made out of Lego.

If you’d looked closely enough you were sure to find something from Yellow Pages. As far as the eye could see, there were taxi firms, carpet emporiums, butchers and investment companies. The satellite TV betting was a sign of the times.

Now the implication is that Harrogate are short of a few bob or two. But here was the perfect opportunity to advertise both the club and its homely image.

When he turns over to sleep, Harrogate chairman Rob Northfield may well pinch himself. After all, it’s not, everyday that on a Yorkshire mud bath the FA Cup gets a re-assuring pat on the back.