With England and The FA now concentrating on the World Cup, the curtain has been finally drawn on the 2009/10 FA Cup.
This also means the fantastic charity adventure Runcorn2wembley is also at at end. After following the FA Cup from the very first round, the campaign was still collecting for Cancer Research despite not being allowed to the semi finals or final.
I managed to get to see every game (including replays) up the semi final, which makes the decision by the powers that be to not allow us to attend either semi or final very annoying.
Thank you must go to all the clubs we visited, their fans and the following people who came along to collect at the games. Rob Knowles, Sarah O'Brien, Chris O'Brien, Patrick O'Brien, Lawrence Whiston, Jonny Lewin, Andy James, John Horn, Chris Corse, Peter Bowers, Simon Baggeley, Neil Goodwin. If I've missed anyone off let me know.
A special mention to Chris Horner, someone who we didn't know before the campaign started, but offered to help us collect after reading about the campaign at the Guiseley v Kendal game. He then attended every game until the semi final.
The biggest thank you goes to everyone who has donated, it means so much to me and my brother Rob.
The fundraising and donations page is still open for people to donate and we hope the current total of £4,415.00 will continue to increase.
So as I now prepare for watching England go out of the World Cup in the usual dismal fashion in the 2nd round or quarter finals, I know following the FA Cup will have to wait. With mine and Sarah's first child due in July we've got more important things to think about.
I'll leave this blog on two points:
1 - Support your local non-league football clubs as they deserve you're hard earned cash much more than the bigger clubs.
2 - The FA and big clubs are only interested in football for what they can get out of it, financially. Unfortunately this means fans are meaningless in the modern era, but become more important the lower you go down the leagues.
Monday 31 May 2010
Tuesday 18 May 2010
SEASON FINALE
So the 2009/10 FA Cup has finished for another season, but the charity campaign that followed it from the start wasn’t there at the finish.
Despite clocking up thousands of miles following the competition, Runcorn2wembley was unable to complete its mission at Wembley.
The campaign, organised by brothers Richard and Robert Knowles has raised almost £4,500 for Cancer Research, but is short of the £5,000 target.
The duo started the campaign in August at Runcorn Linnets, all in the name of their father who played for a number of amateur clubs but died from cancer when they were young children.
Despite pleas to local councils, the football clubs, police and The FA, Runcorn2wembley was unable to carry out the main fundraising activity of collecting from fans outside the ground before the game.
The campaign was unable to collect or attend the semi final or final and therefore has fallen short of the £5,000 target.
Richard, from Frodsham, said: “We’re delighted to have raised so much money for a cause close to our hearts, but disappointed with the reaction of various organisations to Runcor2wembley attending the semi finals and final at Wembley.
“Being denied permission to collect at Wembley has meant we’ve not reached our target, although credit must be given to the fans and clubs that have been very welcoming to Runcorn2wembley.”
Robert, from Southport, is hoping online donations will continue to boost the total. He said: “The FA Cup may be over for this season, but fans can still donate online.
“I’m not sure we’ll be doing this again for the foreseeable future as Richard and I will both be parents by the time next season’s competition beings.”
To donate simply go to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
Friday 7 May 2010
FINAL PUSH FOR DONATIONS
Well the FA Cup final is just over a week away and Runcorn2wembley appears to have run out of help from the organisations, clubs and the FA.
After receiving great support from fans and the non-league and small league clubs since the start and along the way, it's sad to keep hitting a brick wall when trying to get help from the big clubs, The FA, councils and police.
Football, and in particular the FA Cup, is meant to be about the fans, but money is now the only factor in professional football in this country.
After travelling over 3,000 miles to every corner of the country and meeting so many true fans of the game at places like Runcorn, Guiseley, Kendal and Nuneaton, how pathetic that clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa either ignore emails and phone calls, or dismiss a charity campaign without even looking at the history of it.
Runcorn2wembley is in memory of our dad who died when Rob and I were still in primary school. As an amateur footballer with clubs like Marine, Runcorn and Skelmersdale, our dad played for the love of the game, not for the money it could give him.
I know he would be disgusted at how the game has developed since he played in the 1960s.
The 'investment' at clubs like Man City and Tottenham can make fans happy with the relative success it achieves, but at what cost? Who pays for the disgusting wages of £100k a week for people who don't care about the club they play for, like the fans do?
That's right - the fans pay for it in ticket costs and the various refreshments etc available at matches.
In the Premiership money is bringing the game to the brink of disaster. Just look at Portsmouth with debts of £138m and the real threat of the club folding.
This shows money is the only thing that matters to the people who run these clubs and campaigns like Runcorn2wembley will find it harder and harder to find support.
Which brings me on to the main point of this post, to ask for a final push for Runcorn2wembley to reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research. We need just over £750 to reach it.
Any donations will make such a huge difference to the help Cancer Research can give to finding solutions to the many cancer deaths every year.
I'll update next week and hope to have good news on the donation front.
After receiving great support from fans and the non-league and small league clubs since the start and along the way, it's sad to keep hitting a brick wall when trying to get help from the big clubs, The FA, councils and police.
Football, and in particular the FA Cup, is meant to be about the fans, but money is now the only factor in professional football in this country.
After travelling over 3,000 miles to every corner of the country and meeting so many true fans of the game at places like Runcorn, Guiseley, Kendal and Nuneaton, how pathetic that clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa either ignore emails and phone calls, or dismiss a charity campaign without even looking at the history of it.
Runcorn2wembley is in memory of our dad who died when Rob and I were still in primary school. As an amateur footballer with clubs like Marine, Runcorn and Skelmersdale, our dad played for the love of the game, not for the money it could give him.
I know he would be disgusted at how the game has developed since he played in the 1960s.
The 'investment' at clubs like Man City and Tottenham can make fans happy with the relative success it achieves, but at what cost? Who pays for the disgusting wages of £100k a week for people who don't care about the club they play for, like the fans do?
That's right - the fans pay for it in ticket costs and the various refreshments etc available at matches.
In the Premiership money is bringing the game to the brink of disaster. Just look at Portsmouth with debts of £138m and the real threat of the club folding.
This shows money is the only thing that matters to the people who run these clubs and campaigns like Runcorn2wembley will find it harder and harder to find support.
Which brings me on to the main point of this post, to ask for a final push for Runcorn2wembley to reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research. We need just over £750 to reach it.
Any donations will make such a huge difference to the help Cancer Research can give to finding solutions to the many cancer deaths every year.
I'll update next week and hope to have good news on the donation front.
Saturday 10 April 2010
FA CUP SEMI FINAL DAY
So today is the first day of the FA Cup semi final weekend and it's the first game Runcorn2wembley will miss in this season's competition.
Everyone associated with the campaign raising money for Cancer Research is extremely disappointed not to be at the game, let alone not being allowed a collection.
But what's even more frustrating is the lack of coverage on the FA's website. Despite being told the FA website couldn't put up news about Runcorn2wembley, on Thursday I was notified via Twitter that a similar campaign following the FA Vase was on the website.
Click here to read about it. The cause is fantastic and I congratulate the fans for doing such a campaign. It's a shame the FA couldn't help with similar coverage for a charity campaign for it's most prized competition - The FA Cup.
The semi final Runcorn2wembley is still following is Aston Villa v Chelsea and both clubs have shown a similar stance to all other organisations with the campaign.
Chelsea has not replied to emails or phone calls while Aston Villa have refused to have anything to do with the campaign.
The FA commercial department has provided some help with the Facebook account and the promise of allowing a collection at the Trophy Tour when it goes to the two finalists. I thank them for the assistance they guys have given, it's much appreciated.
Unfortunately Brent Council, the Met Police and The FA have all refused to permit a collection for Runcorn2wembley at either the semi final or final.
And that coupled with no tickets being allocated and no help from the clubs involved means Runcorn2wembley is unlikely to reach the £5,000 target. We're just under £800 short.
Still we live in hope and a number of the fundraisers will donate a set fee for the 'ticket' price for today's semi-final and we hope the FA Cup Trophy Tour will raise funds too.
Finally I would like to thank everyone involved with the collecting and donating for the invaluable help.
A special thank you to all the non-league clubs, who's help has far outweighed that from League and Premiership clubs.
I will update this blog next week with news on the teams we've followed during the campaign, as many are involved with a fight to be promoted.
Everyone associated with the campaign raising money for Cancer Research is extremely disappointed not to be at the game, let alone not being allowed a collection.
But what's even more frustrating is the lack of coverage on the FA's website. Despite being told the FA website couldn't put up news about Runcorn2wembley, on Thursday I was notified via Twitter that a similar campaign following the FA Vase was on the website.
Click here to read about it. The cause is fantastic and I congratulate the fans for doing such a campaign. It's a shame the FA couldn't help with similar coverage for a charity campaign for it's most prized competition - The FA Cup.
The semi final Runcorn2wembley is still following is Aston Villa v Chelsea and both clubs have shown a similar stance to all other organisations with the campaign.
Chelsea has not replied to emails or phone calls while Aston Villa have refused to have anything to do with the campaign.
The FA commercial department has provided some help with the Facebook account and the promise of allowing a collection at the Trophy Tour when it goes to the two finalists. I thank them for the assistance they guys have given, it's much appreciated.
Unfortunately Brent Council, the Met Police and The FA have all refused to permit a collection for Runcorn2wembley at either the semi final or final.
And that coupled with no tickets being allocated and no help from the clubs involved means Runcorn2wembley is unlikely to reach the £5,000 target. We're just under £800 short.
Still we live in hope and a number of the fundraisers will donate a set fee for the 'ticket' price for today's semi-final and we hope the FA Cup Trophy Tour will raise funds too.
Finally I would like to thank everyone involved with the collecting and donating for the invaluable help.
A special thank you to all the non-league clubs, who's help has far outweighed that from League and Premiership clubs.
I will update this blog next week with news on the teams we've followed during the campaign, as many are involved with a fight to be promoted.
Friday 2 April 2010
SEMI FINAL ANYONE?
Well it's been an interesting journey from the start of the Runcorn2wembley campaign and we're now reached the semi final stage at Wembley.
Unfortunately no-one seems to be taking responsibility for giving permission to collect from fans before the Aston Villa v Chelsea game.
Brent Council, Wembley Stadium, The FA and the Met Police have all said they can't give permission. They've all mentioned one of the others as being the organisation to give the permission.
So with a week to go before the semi final Runcorn2wembley has no tickets, no collecting rights and no chance of reaching the £5,000 target. It's very frustrating as we're just £800 short.
What's most annoying is the 'big' clubs are providing no help at all to the campaign, completely the opposite to the smaller clubs earlier in the campaign.
Speaking of the 'helpful' clubs, Easter Monday provides an exciting clash for Guiseley FC as they face promotion rivals in the Unibond Premier League, Bradford Park Avenue.
I, along with a couple of other fundraisers, will hopefully be able to see the game and catch up with the people at Guiseley who helped us so much in the early stages of the campaign.
On a final note Runcorn2wembley will hopefully be at the FA Cup Trophy Tour when it visits Chelsea on Friday 9th April.
Unfortunately no-one seems to be taking responsibility for giving permission to collect from fans before the Aston Villa v Chelsea game.
Brent Council, Wembley Stadium, The FA and the Met Police have all said they can't give permission. They've all mentioned one of the others as being the organisation to give the permission.
So with a week to go before the semi final Runcorn2wembley has no tickets, no collecting rights and no chance of reaching the £5,000 target. It's very frustrating as we're just £800 short.
What's most annoying is the 'big' clubs are providing no help at all to the campaign, completely the opposite to the smaller clubs earlier in the campaign.
Speaking of the 'helpful' clubs, Easter Monday provides an exciting clash for Guiseley FC as they face promotion rivals in the Unibond Premier League, Bradford Park Avenue.
I, along with a couple of other fundraisers, will hopefully be able to see the game and catch up with the people at Guiseley who helped us so much in the early stages of the campaign.
On a final note Runcorn2wembley will hopefully be at the FA Cup Trophy Tour when it visits Chelsea on Friday 9th April.
Thursday 25 March 2010
NO HELP FROM THE VILLA
With the FA Cup semi final between Aston Villa and Chelsea just over two weeks away, it's a disappointed editor that writes this update on Runcorn2wembley.
Aston Villa are the team the campaign is following to Wembley after the 4-2 win at Reading in the quarter final.
I've had a couple of weeks break from the campaign as my partner Sarah and I have been having scans on our first baby. Sometimes your priorities can change a little, but I'm back on the case for Runcorn2wembley and battling for coverage and donations to reach the £5,000 target.
Despite communication with Aston Villa the club has declined requests for any help with informing Villa fans about the campaign.
The club supports The Acorns Children's Hospice and has refused to help Runcorn2wembley in any way.
The Acorns Children's Hospice is a fantastic organisation and I don't want Runcorn2wembley to distract from that at all. Therefore I understand why Aston Villa wouldn't want to give lots of backing to the campaign, but to offer nothing is very disappointing.
I've had more contact with The FA and hope to have a little more help from them for the semi-final.
On a final note I'll be missing the spring Frodsham Beer Festival to be at Wembley for the semi final so hope Runcorn2wembley will collect a big amount as we look go from the current total of £4,195.81 to the target of £5,000.
Aston Villa are the team the campaign is following to Wembley after the 4-2 win at Reading in the quarter final.
I've had a couple of weeks break from the campaign as my partner Sarah and I have been having scans on our first baby. Sometimes your priorities can change a little, but I'm back on the case for Runcorn2wembley and battling for coverage and donations to reach the £5,000 target.
Despite communication with Aston Villa the club has declined requests for any help with informing Villa fans about the campaign.
The club supports The Acorns Children's Hospice and has refused to help Runcorn2wembley in any way.
The Acorns Children's Hospice is a fantastic organisation and I don't want Runcorn2wembley to distract from that at all. Therefore I understand why Aston Villa wouldn't want to give lots of backing to the campaign, but to offer nothing is very disappointing.
I've had more contact with The FA and hope to have a little more help from them for the semi-final.
On a final note I'll be missing the spring Frodsham Beer Festival to be at Wembley for the semi final so hope Runcorn2wembley will collect a big amount as we look go from the current total of £4,195.81 to the target of £5,000.
Saturday 6 March 2010
After 11 rounds of the 2009/10 FA Cup, Runcorn2wembley takes to the round again this weekend for the quarter finals.
So far we've raised £4,118.31 for Cancer Research, just over £800 short of the £5,000 target.
The campaign will again be watching a Reading home game, this time against Aston Villa, which could be the Berkshire club's toughest game so far.
This will be the fourth Reading game we've followed after the match against Burnley and two versus West Brom.
A fantastic performance at The Hawthorns in the fifth round replay has given Reading a superb chance to reach Wembley.
Unfortunately Runcorn2wembley won't be collecting any money before the game on Sunday as the club has refused permission to do so.
To make matters worse Runcorn2wembley is having to pay for tickets AND membership to be able to watch the game. The club has put something in the matchday programme, but this happened in the first match we watched Reading and resulted in no donations.
Indeed when we were allowed to collect at the Reading v West Brom game we raised almost £900.
It's disappointing and frustrating the club has taken this stance and we can only hope football fans can go online to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles and donate.
I will be joined by only one other member of Runcorn2wembley at Reading v Aston Villa, because there's no collection, tickets prices, travel costs and the 400 mile (8 hour) round trip.
But we'll be there and after this game only two trips to Wembley remain, providing there's no replay!
See you tomorrow!
So far we've raised £4,118.31 for Cancer Research, just over £800 short of the £5,000 target.
The campaign will again be watching a Reading home game, this time against Aston Villa, which could be the Berkshire club's toughest game so far.
This will be the fourth Reading game we've followed after the match against Burnley and two versus West Brom.
A fantastic performance at The Hawthorns in the fifth round replay has given Reading a superb chance to reach Wembley.
Unfortunately Runcorn2wembley won't be collecting any money before the game on Sunday as the club has refused permission to do so.
To make matters worse Runcorn2wembley is having to pay for tickets AND membership to be able to watch the game. The club has put something in the matchday programme, but this happened in the first match we watched Reading and resulted in no donations.
Indeed when we were allowed to collect at the Reading v West Brom game we raised almost £900.
It's disappointing and frustrating the club has taken this stance and we can only hope football fans can go online to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles and donate.
I will be joined by only one other member of Runcorn2wembley at Reading v Aston Villa, because there's no collection, tickets prices, travel costs and the 400 mile (8 hour) round trip.
But we'll be there and after this game only two trips to Wembley remain, providing there's no replay!
See you tomorrow!
Tuesday 2 March 2010
SIXTH ROUND PROSPECTS
With just two rounds of the 2009/10 FA Cup to go before the final at Wembley, Runcorn2wembley is facing the possibility of having no pre-match collections for the rest of the campaign.
Reading has denied us permission to collect before the game against Aston Villa, as the club limits collections from a charity to one per season. The club has also refused to allow any tickets to be set aside for Runcorn2wembley, even if the volunteers pay for them.
This means we'll be lucky to get any tickets for the game, which would mean the campaign misses out on its first game in this season's FA Cup.
Having been to the previous 11 rounds of the competition, this would be very disappointing.
The only hope we have now collect another £800 to hit the £5,000 target for Cancer Research, is for fans to donate online - www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
More updates later this week as they come in.
Reading has denied us permission to collect before the game against Aston Villa, as the club limits collections from a charity to one per season. The club has also refused to allow any tickets to be set aside for Runcorn2wembley, even if the volunteers pay for them.
This means we'll be lucky to get any tickets for the game, which would mean the campaign misses out on its first game in this season's FA Cup.
Having been to the previous 11 rounds of the competition, this would be very disappointing.
The only hope we have now collect another £800 to hit the £5,000 target for Cancer Research, is for fans to donate online - www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
More updates later this week as they come in.
Friday 26 February 2010
REPLAY PROVIDES EXTRA EXCITEMENT
A cracking FA Cup replay at The Hawthorns on Wednesday night overshadowed the darker side to the night.
The extra-time 3-2 victory for Reading was fully deserved as they showed much more incisive football in the penalty area than West Brom.
The negative side was not being able to collect for Runcorn2wembley which meant only £35 was raised for Cancer Research through the donation of tickets from West Brom to me and Chris Horner.
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I can't understand why West Brom didn't allow a collection, but the campaign was grateful for the tickets.
West Brom scored very early (not as early as the first game's nine seconds) before Reading made it 1-1 after just nine minutes.
A howler by the Reading keeper gave West Brom a 2-1 lead early in the second half before a great goal in the third of four added minutes sent the tie into extra time. 
Reading's winner was excellent and they could and should have had more. The fans singing at the end while the team threw their tops over the sea of stewards was a memorable scene.
So Runcorn2wembley now goes to Reading for the third time as the sixth round draw pits them against Aston Villa.
I'm talking to Reading about a collection and hope we can have one. With just over £800 left to reach the £5,000 target, a collection will probably take us over the target.
With the semi-finals at Wembley, permission to collect around the ground before the game is proving difficult, which is why I hope Reading allow the collection.
I'm also hoping Reading 107fm will feature the campaign again, as this resulted in many people donating.
Updates will appear on here. Don't forget the match is in just nine days on Sunday 7th March at 1.45pm.
The extra-time 3-2 victory for Reading was fully deserved as they showed much more incisive football in the penalty area than West Brom.
The negative side was not being able to collect for Runcorn2wembley which meant only £35 was raised for Cancer Research through the donation of tickets from West Brom to me and Chris Horner.I can't understand why West Brom didn't allow a collection, but the campaign was grateful for the tickets.West Brom scored very early (not as early as the first game's nine seconds) before Reading made it 1-1 after just nine minutes.
A howler by the Reading keeper gave West Brom a 2-1 lead early in the second half before a great goal in the third of four added minutes sent the tie into extra time.
Reading's winner was excellent and they could and should have had more. The fans singing at the end while the team threw their tops over the sea of stewards was a memorable scene.So Runcorn2wembley now goes to Reading for the third time as the sixth round draw pits them against Aston Villa.
I'm talking to Reading about a collection and hope we can have one. With just over £800 left to reach the £5,000 target, a collection will probably take us over the target.
With the semi-finals at Wembley, permission to collect around the ground before the game is proving difficult, which is why I hope Reading allow the collection.
I'm also hoping Reading 107fm will feature the campaign again, as this resulted in many people donating.
Updates will appear on here. Don't forget the match is in just nine days on Sunday 7th March at 1.45pm.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
MIXED REPLAY NEWS
Just over 24 hours until the FA Cup fifth round replay between West Bromwich Albion and Reading.
Runcorn2wembley is unable to collect for Cancer Research before the game but will be attending thanks to the donation of five tickets by West Brom.
It's a huge blow to our collection target of £5,000 just ten days after collecting a record total for the campaign before the game at Reading. Almost £900 was donated by fans of both clubs taking the current total to £4,153.31.
If West Brom win and play Aston Villa in the quarter finals, a collection won't be allowed due to the proximity of the clubs. So everyone associated with Runcorn2wembley is hoping for either Crystal Palace or Reading to win.
If you would like to donate please go to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
+Richard+Knowles,+John+Horn,+Robert+Knowles,+Neil+Goodwin+and+Chris+Horner+at+Reading+v+West+Brom.JPG)
The attending members of Runcorn2wembley will be highly visible in blue or white t-shirts at The Hawthorns tomorrow night.
See you there.
Runcorn2wembley is unable to collect for Cancer Research before the game but will be attending thanks to the donation of five tickets by West Brom.
It's a huge blow to our collection target of £5,000 just ten days after collecting a record total for the campaign before the game at Reading. Almost £900 was donated by fans of both clubs taking the current total to £4,153.31.
If West Brom win and play Aston Villa in the quarter finals, a collection won't be allowed due to the proximity of the clubs. So everyone associated with Runcorn2wembley is hoping for either Crystal Palace or Reading to win.
If you would like to donate please go to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
The attending members of Runcorn2wembley will be highly visible in blue or white t-shirts at The Hawthorns tomorrow night.See you there.
Saturday 20 February 2010
REPLAY OR NOT TO REPLAY
Back to the league action this weekend, but the next FA Cup adventure for Runcorn2wembley is just a few days away.
On Wednesday 24th Feb we travel to The Hawthorns for the replay between Reading and West Bromwich Albion.
After the record breaking collection before the thrilling 2-2 draw at Reading last weekend, Runcorn2wembley is waiting for confirmation on whether we can collect on Wednesday.
I'm hopeful the discussions with West Brom will end in a positive outcome, but the main thing is we are able to collect at the quarter final game, as the winner will be at home.
Further donations have come on the website www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles and the target is getting closer and closer.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and I look forward to seeing the fans on Wednesday.
Runcorn2wembley will be in attendance at The Hawthorns although the numbers of people from the campaign is yet to be confirmed.
More updates on Monday.
On Wednesday 24th Feb we travel to The Hawthorns for the replay between Reading and West Bromwich Albion.
After the record breaking collection before the thrilling 2-2 draw at Reading last weekend, Runcorn2wembley is waiting for confirmation on whether we can collect on Wednesday.
I'm hopeful the discussions with West Brom will end in a positive outcome, but the main thing is we are able to collect at the quarter final game, as the winner will be at home.
Further donations have come on the website www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles and the target is getting closer and closer.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and I look forward to seeing the fans on Wednesday.
Runcorn2wembley will be in attendance at The Hawthorns although the numbers of people from the campaign is yet to be confirmed.
More updates on Monday.
Tuesday 16 February 2010
REPLAY UPDATE
The FA Cup fifth round replay between Reading and West Brom is a week tomorrow and at the moment Runcorn2wembley has been refused permission to collect at The Hawthorns.
This is obviously disappointing but we're not giving up just yet, particularly as the quarter finals will see the winners of the replay at home again. This could result in another refusal to collect.
This is obviously disappointing but we're not giving up just yet, particularly as the quarter finals will see the winners of the replay at home again. This could result in another refusal to collect.
The total for the collection is now 83% of the target of £5,000. Currently the total is £4,143.31.I'm still in communication with West Brom and hope to be able to have a compromise sorted this week.
With only three rounds left, including the final, it's vital Runcorn2wembley is allowed to collect before the last few games to hit the target.
More updates throughout the week.
Sunday 14 February 2010
A BRILLIANT DAY
Wow, and double wow! I'm still buzzing with excitement after yesterday's collection at Reading v West Brom in the FA Cup fifth round game.
Not only was it a classic FA Cup game, but Runcorn2wembley raised almost £900 from the fans of both clubs before the game, almost double the previous record amount.
Even celebrities managed to donate, with Chris Tarrant digging deep to one of the collectors.
The total of £875.58 has taken the amount raised for Cancer Research to an incredible £4,118.31, not far off the target of £5,000. Click here for the donation breakdown.
What's more, thanks to a late equaliser by West Brom, Runcorn2wembley now has another game to potentially collect at - the replay at West Brom.
Not only was it a classic FA Cup game, but Runcorn2wembley raised almost £900 from the fans of both clubs before the game, almost double the previous record amount.
Even celebrities managed to donate, with Chris Tarrant digging deep to one of the collectors.The total of £875.58 has taken the amount raised for Cancer Research to an incredible £4,118.31, not far off the target of £5,000. Click here for the donation breakdown.
What's more, thanks to a late equaliser by West Brom, Runcorn2wembley now has another game to potentially collect at - the replay at West Brom.
I'll be in touch with West Brom tomorrow and see if this is possible. Either way Runcorn2wembley will be attending.
I was joined at Reading by my brother Rob, neighbour Neil Goodwin and friends Chris Corse, Chris Horner and John Horn. We suffered a few late drop outs due to family illnesses Valentine's Day.
I was joined at Reading by my brother Rob, neighbour Neil Goodwin and friends Chris Corse, Chris Horner and John Horn. We suffered a few late drop outs due to family illnesses Valentine's Day.
Arriving at midday we quickly set about talking to fans at the main entrance to the complex near the away end.
I did a live interview with Dan Chisholm from Reading107fm about Runcorn2wembley and this had success with a number of fans donating after hearing the interview.
A trickle of fans became a flood and people we're even donating after the start of the game, despite Reading scoring after just 7 seconds!
We managed to see the rest of the goals, except I did miss the second goal while getting a pie!
In a match full of incident the four goals and two red cards served up a football feast for both sets of fans and the neutrals alike.
A big thank you must go to the collectors, fans of both clubs who donated, Reading107fm, Reading FC and West Brom FC for the help and support yesterday. Without it the collections wouldn't have reached the amount it did.
It was a very long day, leaving at 8.30am and arriving home at 9pm, but well worth it.
So on to the replay on Wednesday 24th February at The Hawthorns with a 7.45pm kick off. See you all there!
Friday 12 February 2010
FIFTH ROUND PREVIEW
Well another round of the FA Cup 2009/10 is upon us and for the second round in a row Runcorn2wembley is travelling down to Reading.
The Royals play Championship rivals West Brom, in the fifth round of the FA Cup, the winner progressing to the quarter finals.
With just three matches to go after this round, Runcorn2wembley is hoping for a big collection to help reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research.
Big thanks and much appreciation to Reading FC for allowing us to collect before the game against West Brom, particularly to Sara.
We're still looking for more helpers tomorrow so if you would like to volunteer just ask one of the collectors you see and I can supply buckets and t-shirt.
With the current total at almost £3,250, everyone associated with Runcorn2wembley is hoping to get near £4,000 after tomorrow.
So to everyone who's going, please dig deep and help us raise vital funds for Cancer Research.
The FA has promised to put information about the campaign on their Facebook page, so keep a look out on there.
More coverage is coming in of Runcorn2wembley. I'll update that next week with links.
Safe trip for all the fans tomorrow, see you at the Madejski from midday!
The Royals play Championship rivals West Brom, in the fifth round of the FA Cup, the winner progressing to the quarter finals.
With just three matches to go after this round, Runcorn2wembley is hoping for a big collection to help reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research.
Big thanks and much appreciation to Reading FC for allowing us to collect before the game against West Brom, particularly to Sara.
We're still looking for more helpers tomorrow so if you would like to volunteer just ask one of the collectors you see and I can supply buckets and t-shirt.
With the current total at almost £3,250, everyone associated with Runcorn2wembley is hoping to get near £4,000 after tomorrow.
So to everyone who's going, please dig deep and help us raise vital funds for Cancer Research.
The FA has promised to put information about the campaign on their Facebook page, so keep a look out on there.
More coverage is coming in of Runcorn2wembley. I'll update that next week with links.
Safe trip for all the fans tomorrow, see you at the Madejski from midday!
Monday 8 February 2010
A BIG WEEK
Another week has slipped by and it's FA Cup week again. This time we're focused on the fifth round of the competition as we aim to reach the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research.
The good news is Reading has given Runcorn2wembley permission to carry out the usual pre-match collection before the game against West Brom on Saturday.
As the total collected so far is now almost £3,250, everyone connected with Runcorn2wembley is hoping we collect enough to take us near the £4,000 mark.
I've spoken to The FA and hope to have the campaign featured on the organisation's Facebook page, and maybe website.
For the next round I'm hoping we can link up with the FA Cup Trophy Tour with one of the teams Runcorn2wembley is following.
A cold week beckons and I can't wait for the spring and summer weather for the last couple of rounds of this year's competition.
More updates later this week.
The good news is Reading has given Runcorn2wembley permission to carry out the usual pre-match collection before the game against West Brom on Saturday.
As the total collected so far is now almost £3,250, everyone connected with Runcorn2wembley is hoping we collect enough to take us near the £4,000 mark.
I've spoken to The FA and hope to have the campaign featured on the organisation's Facebook page, and maybe website.
For the next round I'm hoping we can link up with the FA Cup Trophy Tour with one of the teams Runcorn2wembley is following.
A cold week beckons and I can't wait for the spring and summer weather for the last couple of rounds of this year's competition.
More updates later this week.
Sunday 31 January 2010
FOUR ROUNDS TO GO
So with only four rounds (including the final) of the FA Cup to go, Runcorn2wembley is still short of the target of £5,000 for Cancer Research. To date we've raised just over £3,200.
In two of the last three rounds the campaign has been unable to collect at the grounds before a game.
At MK Dons we got over that predicament when the Asda store next door kindly allowed us to collect outside before the game.
Unfortunately, after being unable to collect at the Madejski Stadium, the major stores around the ground wouldn't allow a collection.
At least with MK Dons we were given up to eight tickets and we donated the value of the tickets to Runcorn2wembley.
But at Reading we were given two tickets, but had to buy two tickets and pay for car parking, meaning the donation to Runcorn2wembley by Reading was a minus figure. This was made even more frustrating as we had an 8-hour 420 mile round trip to watch the game.
Reading did put a small piece of editorial in the matchday programme. We did receive a donation from fans after the game, but this was from Burnley fans we chatted to outside the ground.
Fingers crossed we can have a collection of some kind at the next game, as we're off to Reading again, as they take on West Bromwich Albion.
The FA has offered to invite Runcorn2wembley to the trophy tour at some stage, although this is yet to be confirmed and the promise of a phone call last week failed to happen.
We're yet to hear back from Reading regarding the collection and any help at the next round.
Further updates later this week along with even more coverage.
In two of the last three rounds the campaign has been unable to collect at the grounds before a game.
At MK Dons we got over that predicament when the Asda store next door kindly allowed us to collect outside before the game.
Unfortunately, after being unable to collect at the Madejski Stadium, the major stores around the ground wouldn't allow a collection.
At least with MK Dons we were given up to eight tickets and we donated the value of the tickets to Runcorn2wembley.
But at Reading we were given two tickets, but had to buy two tickets and pay for car parking, meaning the donation to Runcorn2wembley by Reading was a minus figure. This was made even more frustrating as we had an 8-hour 420 mile round trip to watch the game.
Reading did put a small piece of editorial in the matchday programme. We did receive a donation from fans after the game, but this was from Burnley fans we chatted to outside the ground.
Fingers crossed we can have a collection of some kind at the next game, as we're off to Reading again, as they take on West Bromwich Albion.
The FA has offered to invite Runcorn2wembley to the trophy tour at some stage, although this is yet to be confirmed and the promise of a phone call last week failed to happen.
We're yet to hear back from Reading regarding the collection and any help at the next round.
Further updates later this week along with even more coverage.
Sunday 24 January 2010
ROYAL VISIT HALTS FUNDRAISING
So the eleventh game in the epic journey by Runcorn2wembley took my brother Robert, myself and two other volunteers(Chris Corse and Chris Horner) to Reading, for the FA Cup fourth round game against Burnley.
Unfortunately the usual pre-match collection wasn't allowed by Reading due to another collection for Guide Dogs for the Blind, another worthy cause which we didn't want to disrupt.
So after a 210-mile, four hour drive, Robert and I met with the two Chris' and set about meeting and talking to the fans.
We started at the away end as Burnley had kindly put information on their website and we had met many fans at the previous round in Milton Keynes.
Indeed this has already proved successful with an online donation made from some of the fans we met. Thank you very much Anthony and team! 
Reading did provide two complimentary tickets and programmes (that contained an article about the campaign), although we did have to pay for another two, the expensive muddy field car park and watch a pretty drab first half.
The second half was much better and just when we though we would be collecting at Turf Moor a week on Tuesday, Reading got the winner. On overall play it was probably deserved. 
So the draw for the next round takes us back to Reading and we can only hope we can get nearer our target with a collection at the game against West Bromwich Albion.
More news on that here when it happens.
Unfortunately the usual pre-match collection wasn't allowed by Reading due to another collection for Guide Dogs for the Blind, another worthy cause which we didn't want to disrupt.
So after a 210-mile, four hour drive, Robert and I met with the two Chris' and set about meeting and talking to the fans.
We started at the away end as Burnley had kindly put information on their website and we had met many fans at the previous round in Milton Keynes.
Indeed this has already proved successful with an online donation made from some of the fans we met. Thank you very much Anthony and team!
Reading did provide two complimentary tickets and programmes (that contained an article about the campaign), although we did have to pay for another two, the expensive muddy field car park and watch a pretty drab first half.
The second half was much better and just when we though we would be collecting at Turf Moor a week on Tuesday, Reading got the winner. On overall play it was probably deserved.
So the draw for the next round takes us back to Reading and we can only hope we can get nearer our target with a collection at the game against West Bromwich Albion.More news on that here when it happens.
Friday 22 January 2010
FOURTH ROUND EVE
In just over twelve hours the 2009/10 FA Cup fourth round will kick off and Runcorn2wembley will be watching one of the two early games.
We'll be watching Reading v Burnley and hope to raise the profile of the campaign raising money for Cancer Research.
Unfortunately no collection is taking place and Reading have allocated two tickets for the four Runcorn2wembley fundraisers attending, meaning the football club and the campaign will both benefit from our attendance.
It's an unfortunate set of circumstances and I hope Reading will be able to help out if they beat Burnley and get a home draw in the fifth round.
Burnley have again put news of the campaign on the club's website, click here to read it.
Reading has yet to put a news article on it's website and we'll find out tomorrow if there's an article in the matchday programme. Fingers crossed.
So it's a 6am start for Robert and I tomorrow as we set out for the early kick off. Luckily the two other Runcorn2wembley attendees are coming from London and Marlow, a little closer!
As promised below are links for coverage this month. Just click on the media name.
Milton Keynes Citizen
Liverpool Echo
Chester Chronicle
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News 1
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News 2
Reading Evening Post 1
Reading Evening Post 2
Southport Visitor
Ok it's off to bed. See you Royals and Clarets tomorrow!
We'll be watching Reading v Burnley and hope to raise the profile of the campaign raising money for Cancer Research.
Unfortunately no collection is taking place and Reading have allocated two tickets for the four Runcorn2wembley fundraisers attending, meaning the football club and the campaign will both benefit from our attendance.
It's an unfortunate set of circumstances and I hope Reading will be able to help out if they beat Burnley and get a home draw in the fifth round.
Burnley have again put news of the campaign on the club's website, click here to read it.
Reading has yet to put a news article on it's website and we'll find out tomorrow if there's an article in the matchday programme. Fingers crossed.
So it's a 6am start for Robert and I tomorrow as we set out for the early kick off. Luckily the two other Runcorn2wembley attendees are coming from London and Marlow, a little closer!
As promised below are links for coverage this month. Just click on the media name.
Milton Keynes Citizen
Liverpool Echo
Chester Chronicle
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News 1
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News 2
Reading Evening Post 1
Reading Evening Post 2
Southport Visitor
Ok it's off to bed. See you Royals and Clarets tomorrow!
Wednesday 20 January 2010
ROYAL VISIT IS UP NEXT
The FA Cup 4th round is just days away and the fundraising total for Runcorn2wembley is rising fast.
Donations to the Just Giving website (www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles) have taken the total to just under £3,200, so I'm hopeful of reaching the £5,000 target by the final at Wembley in May.
No rest for the Runcorn2wembley team though as it looks like this weekend could leave us without a collection at the game.
Reading host our current team Burnley at the Madejski Stadium for a 12.45pm ko, but the club had already given permission for another charity to collect at this game - The Guide Dogs for the Blind, a very worthy cause.
Having been faced with a similar situation at the two previous games at Milton Keynes Dons, I resorted to contacting the local businesses (Asda proved a huge help in the last round with a record collection), including B&Q and BHS, but have been turned down.
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This leaves only one way of collecting money for the campaign, by Reading 'donating' tickets for the 4-6 Runcorn2wembley fundraisers; the fundraisers will then donate the value of the tickets to the collection. I'm still waiting for feedback from Reading about this.
Members of the team will be at Reading to continue the road to Wembley, but with now little hope of raising any money for the campaign, Cancer Research UK.
Therefore I'm appealing to anyone reading this to pass it on to friends and tell as many people as possible about the online donations page to boost it further.
Simply go to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
Donations to the Just Giving website (www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles) have taken the total to just under £3,200, so I'm hopeful of reaching the £5,000 target by the final at Wembley in May.
No rest for the Runcorn2wembley team though as it looks like this weekend could leave us without a collection at the game.
Reading host our current team Burnley at the Madejski Stadium for a 12.45pm ko, but the club had already given permission for another charity to collect at this game - The Guide Dogs for the Blind, a very worthy cause.
Having been faced with a similar situation at the two previous games at Milton Keynes Dons, I resorted to contacting the local businesses (Asda proved a huge help in the last round with a record collection), including B&Q and BHS, but have been turned down.
This leaves only one way of collecting money for the campaign, by Reading 'donating' tickets for the 4-6 Runcorn2wembley fundraisers; the fundraisers will then donate the value of the tickets to the collection. I'm still waiting for feedback from Reading about this.Members of the team will be at Reading to continue the road to Wembley, but with now little hope of raising any money for the campaign, Cancer Research UK.
Therefore I'm appealing to anyone reading this to pass it on to friends and tell as many people as possible about the online donations page to boost it further.
Simply go to www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles
Meanwhile I'd like to thank the continued communication and help from everyone associated with Burnley FC, particularly Darren in the media department.
In other news The FA is looking to include Runcorn2wembley in the next Trophy Tour, though this is dependent on which team we'll be involved with next.
Coverage has featured in Chester, Runcorn, Milton Keynes, Reading and Liverpool media since Christmas. I'll link all that along with a preview on Friday.Sunday 3 January 2010
NEW ROUND GIVES NEW CLUB
And so it appears the glamour of the FA Cup third round is diminishing; judging by some of the attendances yesterday.
Compare that to the 6,000 fans taken by League 1 Carlisle to Everton and the 5,000 Luton fans travelling to Southampton?
But for Runcorn2wembley the trip to StadiumMK proved the best so far as a record amount was collected from fans of MK Dons and Burnley, along with Asda customers. Thank you to everyone who stopped and donated.
And so the FA Cup journey for Runcorn2wembley takes another turn and will now follow Premiership Burnley in to the fourth round. We'll shortly find out where it will be - Turf Moor or somewhere else.
I include in that the the Runcorn2wembley was at yesterday, MK Dons v Burnley, where just over 11,000 turned up for a League 1 team at home to a Premiership side.
Compare that to the 6,000 fans taken by League 1 Carlisle to Everton and the 5,000 Luton fans travelling to Southampton?Although it wasn't as bad as the paltry attendance at the Wigan v Hull game, just of 5,000 is shocking.
But for Runcorn2wembley the trip to StadiumMK proved the best so far as a record amount was collected from fans of MK Dons and Burnley, along with Asda customers. Thank you to everyone who stopped and donated.I say Asda customers because the supermarket allowed us to collect (thank you to Gems) outside after permission from MK Dons to collect outside the stadium was denied for a second time. The club did however provide tickets for the eight Runcorn2Wembley fundraisers.
The total raised yesterday was £465.96, taking the grand total to £3,042.73. The total has been boosted by a donation from Ruby who read the story on Burnley's website - Thank you Ruby.
And so the FA Cup journey for Runcorn2wembley takes another turn and will now follow Premiership Burnley in to the fourth round. We'll shortly find out where it will be - Turf Moor or somewhere else.Thank you must go to everyone at Burnley for their support and we look forward to joining you on the next round of the road to Wembley.
Friday 1 January 2010
THIRD ROUND PREVIEW
So the 2009-10 FA Cup reaches the 'glamour' of the third round, but for Runcorn2wembley this is the ninth round of our epic charity fundraising campaign, generating money for Cancer Research.
With over half the £5,000 target reached, the campaign will have eight collectors at the MK Dons v Burnley game tomorrow.
The current team we're following is MK Dons, although a Burnley win will change that and mean the path to Wembley will then tread the same steps as the Clarets.
Tomorrow's collectors will include Everton, Liverpool and Leeds United fans, all giving up a full day for collecting money for Cancer Research.
Fingers crossed the weather will be ok and the game will go ahead. With most of the collectors driving over 300 miles to the game I'm hoping for light traffic on the motorways.
The total raised will be on here on Sunday.
With over half the £5,000 target reached, the campaign will have eight collectors at the MK Dons v Burnley game tomorrow.
The current team we're following is MK Dons, although a Burnley win will change that and mean the path to Wembley will then tread the same steps as the Clarets.
Tomorrow's collectors will include Everton, Liverpool and Leeds United fans, all giving up a full day for collecting money for Cancer Research.
Fingers crossed the weather will be ok and the game will go ahead. With most of the collectors driving over 300 miles to the game I'm hoping for light traffic on the motorways.
The total raised will be on here on Sunday.
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