Brackley road digger Steve Diggin will be digging deep for FA Cup glory at Blackpool
And then the non-league striker plans to dig up a party surprise or two on the Golden Mile with his road gang
BRACKLEY will be digging for FA Cup gold at Blackpool on Saturday – and they have the perfect man to do it.
For the non-league club’s striker Steve Diggin spends his time away from football … er, DIGGING.
Digging up roads to be exact – and with a surname name like that, you could not make it up!
Diggin is a dab hand with jackhammers, shovels and wheelbarrows so will be hoping Brackley rip up Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road.
The 29-year-old works with his dad, also named Steve, two uncles, Martin and Eddie, and three cousins, Eddie, Charlie and James.
And he laughed: “You could say I know more than most about digging for victory.
“Because of my name – and what I do for a living – you get a bit of stick about it but it’s all a good laugh.
“And I enjoy my job because I’m lucky to work with my family and they all understand how important football is for me.”
Brackley beat League One Gillingham 4-3 in a dramatic first round extra-time replay.
But he would have missed the match had it not been for his family grafting late and missing the game themselves so he could play.
Diggin explained: “We were putting in parking bays on a new housing estate. It was a busy and long day as we had to be up at dawn – and everything that could go wrong did.
“The ground we were laying on was wet and soft and the tarmac machine we were using kept getting stuck – meaning we kept having to get big diggers to pull us out.
“And then the tarmac was late…it was just one thing after another and we had to get the job done.
“My family had all bought tickets and ended up missing the game – but had it not been for them, because we were so far behind with the work, I’d have ended up not getting there.
“I literally dashed home from the site at dusk and had only enough time to take a quick shower before racing over to our ground for the match.
“Because I’m working with family, they understand I need to get off to a game and sort me out. They got the job done … and thankfully so did we against Gillingham.”
Considering Diggin had been up before the birds that day – along with several of his Brackley team-mates who graft long hours for a living – they showed no signs of fatigue.
In fact, they looked fitter than their full-time and better-equipped opponents in extra-time.
Diggin said: “I doubt Blackpool are looking forward to our visit as we’re now 15 matches unbeaten and not lost away all season.
“Against Gillingham, you’d never have guessed there were three divisions between us home or away.”
Diggin’s family have hired a mini-bus to Blackpool and decided to have their work’s Christmas party after the game on the seaside resort’s famous Golden Mile.
And Diggin promised: “Whatever the result, we’re going to have a fantastic evening – because we deserve it.
“We’ve already had to play five matches to get this far and not expected to reach this stage.
“And that’s why people love the FA Cup because little old Brackley are going to Blackpool and that’s why it’s so good.
“But we’re hoping to have an even better night – and Blackpool will write us off at their peril.”
