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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.