It was dubbed ‘the £24,000 goal’ – and it ensured Chasetown became the first club from the eighth tier of English football to reach the third round of the FA Cup.
Danny Smith, then 19, entered the nation’s consciousness when he turned home Kyle Perry's low, 89th-minute cross as the Scholars knocked out League One Port Vale in a second-round replay in December 2007.
There were 108 places between the two clubs in the pyramid and their 1-1 draw at Vale Park nine days earlier had prompted a mini pitch invasion by Chasetown’s travelling fans.
But it got even better for Charlie Blakemore’s side, who were then in the Southern League Division One Midlands, as Smith’s late intervention, allied to Vale striker Luke Rodgers missing two second-half penalties, set up a third-round tie against eventual runners-up Cardiff City.
“My players were like lions,” Blackmore said after the replay. “They are all gems and I love everyone of them.
“When the ball went in I felt like I had shot 3,000 miles into the sky. This is absolutely mega for us. We have hit the jackpot. That is worth a quarter of a million to us and for a tiny club like ours it does not get much better. That is why the FA Cup is the best cup in the world.
“What other club like ours, five leagues below [Port] Vale, could end up getting into the third round of the FA Cup?
“People keep telling me that there’s no romance in football anymore because of all the money. Well this proves that is not true and I want every DVD and press cutting from this to make sure that I always remember it.”
A quick glance around The Scholars Ground ensures there’s no danger of anyone connected with Chasetown ever forgetting that historic Cup run, which took in eight rounds, as framed photographs from the 2007-08 campaign adorn the walls of the clubhouse bar, none more prominent than the one of Smith’s all-important diving header.
“Scoring against a Football League side is something I will remember for the rest of my life,” Smith later said, “but, in a way, I felt a bit bad about it because it took all the limelight away from the rest of the players.”
Smith was already Chasetown's youngest modern day goalscorer, aged 17 years and 143 days, and although he was unable to repeat his Port Vale heroics, he would go on to enjoy a fruitful career with the Staffordshire club, making over 300 appearances for them.
“Our season dipped after that defeat [by Cardiff],” he reflected.
“It was hard to get motivated for a match at Dunstable Town when you've just played against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and we missed out on the play-offs by goal difference.
“But I don't regret the run. It paid for a new stand at our ground and gave us great memories.
“The FA Cup still means a lot to players from our level.”
