Don’t stop believing!
Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date published: 18 February 2013
GIRL POWER... it’s smiles all round at the final whistle with a replay in the bag.
Chronicle Reporter and lifelong season ticket holder
IT’S not often I’m stuck for words. But when my new hero Matt Smith equalised with the very last kick of the game I was utterly speechless.
I always thought the boys in blue could do it.
When Jordan Obita put us in front early on in the first half, I — and 6,000 fellow Tics — went insane.
There was singing, chanting and drumming aplenty — Ice Station Zebra was red hot!.
Fans didn’t let an Everton equaliser get them down and ‘Oh When The Blues’ rang out proudly from Boundary Park’s three (soon to be four) stands.
When the half time whistle went, hopes were running high — we believed we could do it.
A second Everton goal dampened spirits slightly but the Latics faithful did themselves and their team proud with chorus after chorus of “The Great Escape” — how fitting that turned out to be!
As time ticked on, our chances of progressing to the FA Cup quarter finals seemed to be fading.
Step forward Matt Smith.
The university graduate scored twice when Latics beat Liverpool last month so fans had pinned all their hopes on a repeat performance.
And with the last attack of the game, Super Smith headed in a corner to make it 2-2. The final whistle went straight after. Pandemonium ensued.
It’s difficult to describe the emotions coursing through me when I realised what had just happened.
There were definitely tears. Happy tears. Our boys did it. They kept the dream alive.
For one day, we fans let ourselves forget our lowly League One position and we basked in the glorious knowledge that we are still in with a chance of going to Wembley.
So now we look forward to a visit to Goodison Park — and we all know what happens when we go there...
TWELVE page match special in tonight’s print and eChron editions.
