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Going Dutch

Planes, train strikes and automobiles all adding to romance of the cup

An excerpt from a piece about the cup in The Times by Hamzah Khalique-Loonat and Kit Shepard

Wherever you look, family – biological or adopted – is at the heart of this weekend’s footballing pilgrimages. Two brothers, Eric and Paul Reumer, as well as Remco van Twiller, are part of the eight Accrington Stanley fans travelling from the Netherlands for today’s away tie against Boreham Wood. Their relationship with the Lancashire club began when Van Twiller took charge of Accrington on the video game Football Manager, and they have been attending matches since 2006. They too embrace the cup.

“In the FA Cup, you still get the real English football,” Eric says. He and his brother were aware of the competition from childhood.

“We watched it on television when we were five or six,” Paul adds, “My grandmother’s birthday was in May, so normally there was the FA Cup final and we watched Liverpool or Manchester (United), with Ian Rush or Kenny Dalglish and it was great to see.” After a flight to Manchester and a taxi to Accrington via Burnley, the Dutch contingent will make the 187-mile coach journey with their fellow Stanley supporters. They are unfazed by the train strikes and will even squeeze in a viewing of Stockport County’s tie against Walsall on Sunday.

From l to r: Mart Ennenga, Danny van de Kolk, John Coleman, Ruïz van Twiller, Remco van Twiller, Paul Reumer, Peter Leatham, Eric Reumer, Sander Luijten. Photo by Kipax. Their twitter handle is @AccyStanleyNL

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