FINAL HURRAY

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.

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

The attending members of Runcorn2wembley will be highly visible in blue or white t-shirts at The Hawthorns tomorrow night.

See you there.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

GRECIANS DOWN TOWN

A combination of work, personal committments and being stuck on our beloved motorways has led to me not updating the blog as often over the last two weeks.

I hope this post will cover most of the activity that's happened. On to the latest game and the FA Cup first round clash between Nuneaton Town and League 1 side Exeter City.

Firstly a big thank you to my brother Rob, neighbour Johnny and new 'Runcorn2wembley' friend and collector, Chris Horner.

The game at Nuneaton on Saturday was a big effort as it was the biggest crowd of the campaign and everyone worked wonders to collect and speak to supporters about the collection.

I'd also like to thank everyone associated with both clubs for the support and coverage before the game, and the hospitality shown by everyone at Nuneaton Town.

Without any of this the collection and campaign wouldn't have continued on its successful journey.

The game itself was witnessed by many pessemistic Exeter City fans, nearly all convinced they would be beaten.

Their fears were eased after just three minutes and by half time a 4-0 lead was not unexpected given the pressure on Nuneaton's goal, but a little flattering.

The second half Nuneaton performed very well and with a bit more luck could have scored at least a couple of goals, which would have made for an interesting finale.

As it was Exeter held on and now face another away trip, this time to fellow League 1 side Milton Keynes Dons.

A crowd of almost 2,500 at Nuneaton gave the campaign a huge boost as we raised £460, taking the grand total to almost £2,500; halfway to the target total for Cancer Research UK.

The date and kick off time of the next game at Milton Keynes Dons is yet to be confirmed but I suspect it'll be on Saturday 28th November at 3pm.

I hope to have ten people helping with collections at the game to make the most of a crowd in excess of 8,000.

To donate go to www.justgiving.co.uk/Richard-Knowles

MINT CAKE ANYONE?

So the first replay of the Runcorn2wembley fundraising campaign for Cancer Research took us to Cumbria and Kendal Town against Guiseley AFC.

The first game of the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round at Nethermoor was a closely fought battle in the first game at Nethermoor, ending with a 1-1 draw; another close game was predicted.

The fans and officials of both sides were brilliant and I can't thank everyone enough for the money donated, especially considering we only collected three days previously.

The total raised was £131.49 taking the total to £1,139.82, with another £100 donated recently yet to be added.

I was joined by Rob, Sarah and Lawrence for the trip and soon found myself answering a request for a live interview on BBC Radio Cumbria.

During the collections Rob was very kindly given a big bag of Kendal Mint Cake, a donation that was very well received. Thank you to whoever that was.

The game was played in a good spirit with some nervous passes and tough tackling. It appeared to be heading for extra time when Carl Osman (brother of Everton's Leon) headed Kendal into the lead after 78 minutes.

With a minute left Guiseley had the chance to take the game into extra time after being awarded a penalty.

But the well placed spot-kick was superbly saved and despite over five minutes of injury time it is Kendal Town that now travel to Nuneaton Town in just over a week.

The date and kick-off for the game has just been confirmed as Saturday 24th October at 3pm.

Both teams are now just one game away from the possibility of facing a League 1 or 2 club including Leeds United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton.

Look forward to seeing everyone at Liberty Way, Nuneaton next weekend, click here for directions.

LIGHTS ON FOR A REPLAY

Tonight the 'Runcorn2wembley' fundraising campaign is off to a new county and new ground for its first replay.

The floodlights will be switched on at Lakeland Radio Stadium as Kendal Town face Guiseley AFC for the right to travel to Nuneaton Town FC in the 2009/10 FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round.

After an entertaining 1-1 draw at Guiseley on Saturday both teams will be confident of progressing to the next stage of the competition.

Will home advantage count? Who can react best to playing under the floodlights? We'll soon find out and I'll be joined by my brother Rob, partner Sarah and friend Lawrence as Runcorn2wembley heads to Cumbria.

I must say a big thank you to everyone associated with Kendal Town and Guiseley AFC for their brilliant support to this campaign.

The fans have also been terrific, not only in donating, but also with spreading the word through various fans forums.

Special mentions must got to Chelsea, Rachel and Phil.

Fingers crossed for a good game and best of luck to both sides.

Kick off is 7.45pm and directions click here. See you there.

A TRUE LEGEND

Yesterday was a fantastic day for many reasons. It was the fifth round of the Runcorn2Wembley fundraising campaign for Cancer Research UK.

We raised over £200 for the first time at a match during the campaign, but best of all was meeting a true football legend, Sir Tom Finney.

Sir Tom is President of Kendal Town, the team that travelled to Guiseley AFC for the Third Qualifying Round of the 2009/10 FA Cup.

The big stars of today might be Beckham, Rooney and Gerrard, but Sir Tom Finney epitomised why fans loved football; and money didn't give players egos bigger than the game itself.

He was a working man, who also fought in the Second World War, playing the game with a smile on his face and was never booked in his entire career.

Meeting him and having our photograph taken is a memory that will stay with the me and the fundraising team for a very long time.

Back to the game itself and Kendal took an early lead after dominating the first 25 minutes. But a mistake at the back allowed Guiseley back in to the game and they soon equalised.

The second half saw Kendal defending manfully against a determined Guiseley, but despite creating a number of half chances, the home side were grateful to a wonderful save with less than five minutes left to keep them in the FA Cup.

That said, the header could and should have been put beyond the keeper.

I'd like to thank my brother Rob Knowles, girlfriend Sarah O'Brien and Sarah's brother Patrick for helping out yesterday. We raised a total of £201.28 taking the grand total to £1,108.33.

The result means Rob, Sarah and I travel to Kendal on Tuesday evening for the replay, when we find out which team we'll be following to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.

Huge thanks to everyone at Guiseley, including Rachel and Phil, the fans who travelled with Kendal Town, and everyone who made meeting Sir Tom Finney possible.

Look forward to seeing you all and meeting new fans on Tuesday in Kendal. For directions click here

TO THE M62 AND BEYOND!

Another Saturday and another round of the 2009/10 FA Cup. This week I'm off for my second visit to Unibond Premier League side Guiseley AFC.

The Yorkshire side take on Kendal Town, who lie three places above them in the league table, in the Third Qualifying Round.

After a 2-0 win over Bamber Bridge in the Second Qualifying Round, Guiseley will surely face a sterner test this time.

The game will be the fifth of the Runcorn2wembley campaign, raising money for Cancer Research UK.

To date the campaign has collated over £900, almost 20% of the £5,000 target figure.

This week I'll be joined again by Robert (my brother), while two new people will be coming along.

My girlfriend, Sarah, her sister Joanna join their brother Patrick (who was at Guiseley last time) as we hope to reach £1,000.

I'm looking forward to the game and meeting up with friends at Guiseley and making new ones from Kendal.

An update on the figure collated today will be tweeted later (richthemaster) so stay tuned or log on to www.twitter.com

A quick thank you to Lawrence Whiston for printing off the flyers at the last minute. A big help. Hopefully he'll be able to join up at future games as other commitments have meant he's been unable to come since the first two rounds.

Look forward to seeing you all at Nethermoor Park, kick off 3pm.

YORKSHIRE IS MY NEW HOME

What a great day on Saturday; watching the 'fourth' (second qualifying) round of the FA Cup fundraising campaign for Cancer Research UK.

Rob and I travelled to Guiseley from Southport, after a night out celebrating the birth of his son (my nephew) Isaac.

Arriving in Guiseley, to watch them face Bamber Bridge, I met with Chris and Patrick O'Brien and Patrick's friend, Simon Baggley. They were all helping with collections before, during and after the game.

The welcome from Guiseley AFC matched that of the previous clubs I'd been to (Runcorn Linnets, Bamber Bridge and Maine Road).

As we split into three groups the donations from the 300+ spectators was very generous and by kick off we'd collected around £30 in each bucket.

The match was played in brilliant warm sunshine and the crowd was entertained with some tactical play by both teams, eager to secure passage to the next round of the FA Cup.

With chances at a premium it was Guiseley who took one of two that came their way in the first half and were 1-0 up at the break.

The second half was again tactical with tiredness a factor as both teams created chances. Guiseley's greater pressure finally brought another goal, but Bamber Bridge can count themselves unlucky not to have scored at least a consolation.

All in all a good game and the runcorn2wembley campaign for Cancer Research UK will now follow Guiseley AFC.

After the game further donations were made and the grand total was £171.05, taking the overall total to over £800. Fingers crossed we can reach £1,000 by the next round.

The draw has been made and we'll make another trip to Yorkshire as Guiseley face fellow Unibond Premier League side Kendal Town.

With both team in the top 5 of the division is promises to be a fascinating clash.

The match is scheduled for Saturday 10th October so hope to see you there. More on the campaign later this week.

Don't forget it's not too late to donate, just click here.