Peter Reid and brother Shaun: Bosses bound by FA Cup dream
- Published
Warrington Town v North Ferriby United - FA Cup fourth qualifying round |
Venue: Cantilever Park Date: Saturday, 25 October Kick-off: 15:00 BST |
While FA Cup winner Peter Reid is managing Nicolas Anelka and Freddie Ljungberg in the inaugural Indian Super League, his younger, less well-known brother is seeking to make football history of his own this weekend.
Should Shaun Reid steer Warrington Town, who play in the eighth-tier Northern Premier League Division One North, to victory over North Ferriby United, it will be the first time the Yellows have reached the FA Cup first round.
"I've already been on the phone to ask Peter if I can borrow Anelka for the day, but we couldn't get him registered in time," the younger Reid said.
There is a nine-year age gap between the siblings, who spent their playing careers at opposite ends of the professional ladder.
The elder Reid spent most of his career in the top flight at Bolton, Everton, QPR, Manchester City and Southampton, earning 13 England caps along the way.
Shaun had midfield spells at Rochdale, York, Bury and Chester.
Yet despite the age gap and differing scale of success, the Liverpool-born brothers are close.
When 58-year-old Peter was appointed manager of Plymouth Argyle, external in 2010, he offered Shaun a coaching job at Home Park.
And since being appointed Warrington manager in 2012, Shaun has reciprocated by inviting Peter - whose managerial CV includes spells in charge of Sunderland and Manchester City - to take training at the Cheshire club.
The brotherly love might surprise those who witnessed the only time the duo faced one another on the pitch, on 13 August 1994.
Peter, whose medal collection also includes two league titles and a European Cup Winners' Cup, had joined fourth-tier Bury in the twilight of his playing career, while Shaun - 28 at the time - was a regular in Rochdale's engine room.
Bury lost a bruising contest 1-0 at Gigg Lane in what turned out to be Peter's only appearance for the Shakers before retirement.
"The tackles were flying and I remember smashing Shaun on one occasion," Peter told BBC Sport.
The younger brother's account is different.
"We were knocking seven bells out of one another right from the off," recalled 49-year-old Shaun.
"I remember the referee pulling us together quite early in the game and saying: 'Lads, you're not giving me a chance here.'"
Shaun was at Wembley to see his brother lift the FA Cup with Everton in 1984, when goals by Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray secured a 2-0 win over Graham Taylor's Watford.
"It was a very proud moment," added Shaun. "I was 19 at the time and I went to the team party after the match. The evening was a bit of a blur.
Warrington Town - What you need to know | |
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1987:Played at Wembley against local rivals St Helens Town in the FA Vase final. Lost a five-goal thriller 3-2. | Best FA Cup run:Fourth qualifying round in 1994. Beat St Helens Town, Sheffield and Frickley before losing to Hyde at home after earning a replay. |
Famous former players:England World Cup winner Roger Hunt played for Warrington, who were called Stockton Heath Albion at the time, before signing for Liverpool in 1958. One of Hunt's 34 international caps is on display in the boardroom at Cantilever Park. | 2014-15 squad:Defender Craig Robinson is the brother of MK Dons manager Karl. Midfielder David Mannix spent five years as a professional at Liverpool without making a senior appearance and was part of Rafael Benitez's squad that travelled to Istanbul for the 2005 Champions League final. |
"There were 20 of us from the family at Wembley... mum, dad, aunts and uncles.
"It's something I will never forget and that's why the FA Cup is a very special competition to me.
"I spent my playing career in the lower reaches of the Football League and didn't go further than the third round.
"So if I can get Warrington to the first round for the first time in their history then it will mean an awful lot to me."
This is Warrington's seventh game in this season's competition.
Saturday's opponents North Ferriby play two leagues above them in the Conference North.
But confidence is high in the Yellows camp after they eliminated Colwyn Bay, also of the Conference North, in the last round.
An FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at Warrington's 3,500-capacity Cantilever Park is a world away from the glitz and the glamour of the Indian Super League, where Peter is in charge of Mumbai City.
A crowd of 28,000 watched his side hammer Pune City 5-0 last Saturday.
Around 600 - three times Warrington's average - are expected on Saturday to see whether a team made up of solicitors, delivery drivers and postmen can join League One and League Two clubs in the first-round draw.
But the part-time club, that operates in the shadows of the town's successful rugby league side, will be in Peter's thoughts.
"I'll be following Warrington Town's Twitter feed from India," he added.
"I really enjoy going down there and watching the lads play.
"It would be terrific for a club of their size to reach the first round. I've got my fingers crossed they do it."
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