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Non-League Marine AFC Have Binman In Their Squad For FA Cup Visit Of Tottenham Hotspur

Non-League Marine AFC Have Binman In Their Squad For FA Cup Visit Of Tottenham Hotspur

The whole Marine side are part-time, including binman/midfielder James Barrigan.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Non-League sides and the FA Cup is a recipe for pure magic and today all eyes are on eighth-tier Marine AFC, who host Spurs in the third round at Rossett Park.

Every year there's always weird and wonderful stories of the players playing in the lower echelons and in 2021 it's no different, with the Crosby outfit's entire squad part-time and needing a win to avoid being furloughed.

The side includes midfielder James Barrigan, who is a binman in the week and a footballer at the weekend.

The 22-year-old works as a refuse collector for Liverpool streetscene services and regularly walks 30,000 steps during his day-to-day duties.

Today, however, the former Wigan Athletic youngster will be looking to cause a monumental upset and dump Jose Mourinho and Spurs out of the competition live on BBC One at 5pm.

"I think working has helped keep a lid on my excitement as it takes my mind away from the footballing side but besides that I'd say I am as best mentally prepared as I could be," Barrigan told Liverpool City Council, as per Liverpool Express.

"It's crazy when you think about playing against these sort of players because you watch them week in week out and then the next thing you are going up against them for real!"

On balancing collecting the bins and kicking a ball about on the pitch, he added: "It is pretty easy juggling the two jobs as my starts for work are very early and training for Marine is in the evenings.

"It can be difficult as it is very demanding and tiring but my motivation definitely has to be my 1-year old daughter as everything I do is for her."

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spurs stars such as Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and Heung Min-Son will have to get changed in the club's bar area.

There will unfortunately be no fans present for the same reason stated but incredibly, over 20,000 virtual tickets have been sold to give the club a healthy financial sum even without their matchday revenue.

However, a few locals will have a perfect view of the action in their gardens.

Featured Image Credit: ITV

Topics: Football News, Football