Almost, but not quite. Non-league Emley came within touching distance of causing the upset of the '90s by matching West Ham United stride for stride on Saturday, only to succumb to an 18th strike of the season from the home side's master goalscorer John Hartson.
"We were happy at the result but a bit deflated, if that makes sense," summed up Emley's own master scorer, the 12-goal Glynn Hurst. "We had 14 people who played like heroes out there and I think we gave them a bit of a surprise."
That word hardly did justice to the expressions on the West Ham faces, especially in the second half when Paul David's header had brought the 11th-placed side in the Unibond Premier Division level with their Premiership hosts. The Hammers bore the look of zombies who had awakened for the first time and stepped out of their coffins on to electrified bath mats.
Whatever it was that the visitors had been taking, it was certainly more powerful than the Yorkshire ale and garlic pizzas that their goalkeeper Chris Marples is said to psyche himself up with, but all was revealed afterwards when a small studious man stepped out of the shadows in the Upton Park lobby.
"I had a session with them last night and one this morning," said Jack Lamport-Mitchell, a romantic East London sports psychologist, who had volunteered his services free to the underdogs. "I had them focusing and in deep relaxation, I told them to play to their full potential and that the crowd was on their side."
Emley's performance was a fine advertisement for his profession and he was right about the crowd as well. Both sets of supporters stayed behind long after the whistle to applaud the Emley players, who swopped their specially commissioned white shirts for the Hammers' claret and blue before doing a lap of honour that climaxed in belly flops across the sodden Upton Park turf.
It was no more than they deserved. West Ham had taken the lead within four minutes through Frank Lampard but as the home side arrogantly wafted chance after chance wide of goal, Emley gritted their teeth, hung on in and miraculously began to fight back.
Roared on by around twice the contents of their West Yorkshire village who had come to see Emley play (pop: 1,800) and plenty of frustrated Hammers from the London Borough of Newham (pop: 226,000), they emerged for the second half with their chests puffed out and immediately hit the bar with a shot from their captain Ian Banks.
Minutes later they were level, David's shaven head rising for a corner and heading powerfully into the roof of the net. "I'll definitely be buying the video," the factory supervisor said. Another goal, though, proved agonisingly elusive and eight minutes from time Hartson's head spared the Hammers' more humiliation.
"We knew it was going to be tough because you don't get this far without being worthy opposition, but to be honest they surprised us with their quality," said West Ham's Rio Ferdinand. "They were tremendous; they worked their socks off and never stopped chasing," echoed his manager Harry Redknapp. "We've won 12 of our 13 games at home and that was the hardest we've had all season."
For the Irons the reward was a new place in the fire. For Emley, a cold blast of reality wiith a Sheffield Senior Cup tie at home to Frickley on Wednesday. Never mind, they are at least £100,000 richer from gate receipts and their £18,750 fee from Match of the Day. "I'll be back at work on Monday with me woolly hat on," said the long-haired midfielder and pipeline worker Mark Wilson. "But I've achieved most people's dream to play at a place like this."
WEST HAM UNITED: Forrest, Breacker (Abou 67), Unsworth, Ferdinand, Pearce, Lazaridis, Potts, Lampard, Berkovic, Hartson, Kitson. Subs not used: Lama, Rowland, Dowie, Alves. Booked: Ferdinand. Goals: Lampard 4, Hartson 82.
EMLEY: Marples, Nicholson, Jones, Thompson, Lacey (Wilson 5), David, Banks, Hurst, Graham, Calcutt (Tonks 82), Reynolds, Wilson (Wood 89). Subs not used: Hutson, Dennis. Booked: Thompson, Hurst, Banks, David. Goals: David 56.
Referee: J T Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
