Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
A gauge of how Harborough Town’s history-making run to the second round of the FA Cup has captured so many hearts is perhaps best illustrated by the assistant manager and his 11-year-old spaniel, Martha. “I walk my dog every day and never before have people stopped me to say: ‘Well done on your progress,’” David Staff says. On Sunday the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, 15th in the Southern League Premier Central, the seventh tier, will be backed at Reading by almost 3,500 supporters, about 15% of the Leicestershire market town. “Because I’m enjoying the attention, she’s getting more walks than ever,” he says, breaking into laughter.
The last time Staff received such acclaim was when he conquered the travelator to win the reboot of the TV show Gladiators, from which he has fond memories and a few mementos. “Doom broke my nose in an event,” he says. “After I won, the next morning we were all having breakfast with Wolf at the hotel near Shepperton Studios. I’ve got a couple of foam fingers in the loft, my leotard is up on the wall and the ‘G’ trophy in my office. I don’t put it on work calls because I think it’s a bit too much – I try to hide it at the bottom of the frame.”
