Far North Queensland Heat’s Jamie Gosling has a cool FA Cup memory – it features Aussie legend Harry Kewell and a one-time Hyundai A-League marquee.
Before Gosling, now 34, moved to Tropical Queensland, the versatile English midfielder was part of plucky Yeovil Town’s FA Cup run in early 2004.
And their big day came in early January that year when EPL royalty came to town.
Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 fixture details announced
With almost 10,000 packed into Huish Park, the home side took it to Liverpool in the opening half of this third round FA tie.
See highlights of the game here
Yeovil had a sniff of a fairytale Cup upset.
But with the help of two substitutes, the Reds powered home late to win it 2-0 and end Town’s Cup dreams.
Emile Heskey – who would later become an A-League marquee with Newcastle Jets – was put through and the English national team striker calmly slotted home to make it 1-0.
And the result was confirmed when Kewell was adjudged to have been fouled in the box and the Reds made it 2-0 from the spot courtesy of Danny Murphy.
Gosling was a 77th minute sub for Yeovil and he recalled to Queensland's Football Central magazine a nice moment in the game.
“I got nutmegged by Harry Kewell.
"He went through my legs and then I fouled him!”
Twelve years later and Gosling is happily ensconced in the tropical lifestyle.
He is running his own football academy (www.jgfa.com.au) in Cairns while being a key man in Heat's push for FFA Cup success (he's scored nine times in 45 appearances for the club since 2014).
In the previous two years, Heat have lost on the road in Sydney and Melbourne in the Round of 32.
But a home tie at Cairns’ Barlow Park is a much more appealing fixture as Edgeworth Eagles make the long journey north from the Hunter.
Though if Gosling does score or if Heat win, you may not see him run off into the crowd to rejoice with the home fans.
Why? In England, while playing for Bath some years ago, Gosling celebrated a penalty goal by running to the fans.
As he turned to walk back onto the pitch, the supporters' surge caused a perimeter wall to collapse onto the back of his legs.
He was trapped in agony. Gosling's season was ruined due to badly damaged ligaments - it was so bad that for two weeks he was in a wheelchair.
A harsh lesson was learnt.
No doubt Heat and Gosling will feel they’ll never have a better chance than this to progress in the round of 32 - even if Gosling keeps any such celebrations strictly for the pitch.
All will be revealed on July 27 at Barlow Park in Cairns.
