THREE football fans wanting to rekindle the magic of Oxford City FC’s FA Cup qualifier last year have embarked on a road trip supporting various teams all the way to Wembley.

When David Lewis, Liam Corbally and Ben Rayner went to City’s qualifier in the autumn, the three Oxford Brookes graduates got talking about whether the tournament – started in 1871 – was still a big deal.

Determined to defy critics claiming the Cup was not treated seriously anymore, the trio decided to follow City to Bognor Regis on the south coast to try to recapture the excitement.

And despite the Marsh Lane club being knocked out 4-2, the trio have now decided to go on to support whichever team comes out on top in each round – with Tottenham Hotspur being the next side to cheer on in the fifth round this Sunday.

Mr Lewis, 22, a Birmingham City fan, said: “Unfortunately, Oxford City didn’t last too long but the story has taken us to Bognor Regis, Wealdstone and most recently Colchester.

“We started getting media attention after we set up our blog on our trips. We also featured in the Colchester United magazine.

“With us all graduates now, it was also a good way for us to meet up and keep in touch.”

With the lads’ three teams – Birmingham, Middlesbrough and Crewe Alexandra – all falling down at the first hurdles, they have now devoted themselves to whichever team wins each clash.

The trio “fell in love” with Colchester United who they saw go on a three-game unbeaten run in the competition before Spurs thrashed the Essex town 4-1 at home.

Mr Lewis said the run of matches had been “amazing” with a massive 31 goals in seven games.

Mr Lewis, who works for the university and lives in Headington, said: “So far we have travelled 1,099 miles, although we did get lost on some occasions.

“We will go all the way if we hopefully get a ticket for the final.”

To follow their progress and to see whether they’ll be Tottenham or Palace fans come the end of the game on Sunday, visit thefacupstory.blogspot.co.uk