A player who once graced the semi-final stage is expected to be included in tomorrow’s FA Cup opposition to Penrith at Frenchfield.
Now 38, Michael Chopra has joined West Allotment Celtic 20 years after he figured for Watford in a 2-1 semi-final defeat by Southampton.
Although Chopra hasn’t figured so far in two Northern League games for Celtic he is expected to be in the line-up to face Darren Edmondson’s Penrith in the extra preliminary round.
“We have been told he is going to be in the line-up so that adds a bit more to a game which has a lot riding on it to start with,” says Edmondson.
He’s extra keen to get through as the winners will host Edmondson’s old team Workington in the preliminary round in a fortnight’s time.
“I’m just hoping we can do and get through because it would be a great tie for the area. I think it would attract a good crowd which would be marvellous, especially for the club chairman Billy Williams who has put so much over the years into Penrith football club,” says the Bonny Blue boss.
Chopra started his career at Newcastle United and went on to play for a number of other clubs including Cardiff, Blackpool and Ipswich and made 389 appearances, scoring 108 goals.
More headlines have been made in recent years with the admission he has been affected by a gambling addiction. He claimed at one time he was staking as much as £20,000 a day on bets and says that he used to set his alarm for 3am so he could be up to bet on South American matches.
West Allotment still have to win this season in the Northern League First Division after losing 3-2 at Redcar Athletic on Saturday and then drawing 0-0 at Sunderland RCA in mid-week.
Penrith also lost on the opening day, going down 2-0 at Whitley Bay, but they got the season moving on Wednesday night when they won 3-0 at Heaton Stannington.
“That was very encouraging but we are going to have to make changes. We have lads away, an injury to Gary Richardson and two of the lads on loan from Workington can’t play in this competition.
“There are a couple of players to come in who have been away or ill but at the moment we are having to make changes for each game,” said Edmondson.
