A village football club is expecting to see its attendance record broken tonight as a controversial FA Cup tie is replayed.
Norfolk side Mulbarton Wanderers beat Woodford Town 2-1 in the second qualifying round but found themselves making national headlines after the Football Association (FA) ordered the match to be played again.
Woodford lodged a successful appeal with the FA after a refereeing error involving a first-half penalty.
Ben Thompson, joint manager of Mulbarton, said the game would be an “opportunity to show not only people here, but nationally, internationally, how good” their team is.
During the initial tie, the referee disallowed Woodford’s successful spot kick for encroachment by a number of attacking players and awarded Mulbarton an indirect free-kick.
The FA ruled the penalty should have been retaken under Law 14.
In a statement following the FA’s decision, Mulbarton said they were “deeply disappointed by this decision”, but that they had no right of appeal.
Woodford thanked the FA “for its thorough consideration of the matter, and for reaching a decision that ensures the tie can be concluded in accordance with FA Cup rules”.
A spokesperson for Mulbarton said they expect “to see a record attendance at the Abode Arena”.
The team’s most recent home match, a 3-0 defeat by Felixstowe & Walton United in the Isthmian League North Division on Saturday, attracted a crowd of 280.
The club, located in a village about six miles (10km) south of Norwich, has been promoted through local leagues in recent years and is competing at step eight of the English football pyramid for the first time this season.
Its ground has an estimated capacity of 1,200 and seating in one stand for about 100 people. The club decided to change admission to a ticket-only basis for the replay because of “unprecedented demand”.
Woodford, who play a level lower than Mulbarton in the Essex Senior League, hosted the first game but the FA has ordered them to travel to Norfolk for the 19:45 BST kick-off.
Thompson, speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk, said: “There’s going to be lots of tension around it, but also it’s just an opportunity.”
He said he was confident his players “will take it in their stride” as they “thrive on this kind of stuff”.
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