Jordan's son Tom could miss out on Havant's dream trip to Liverpool

Published on Thursday 17 January 2008 21:20

NOT for the first time, Welsh supporters have cause to curse the name of Jordan. With a headed goal his famous father would have been proud to score, Tom Jordan grabbed the limelight on Wednesday night as Havant & Waterlooville produced one of the biggest upsets in the shock-studded history of the FA Cup.

Just as League One leaders Swansea City appeared to be hauling their way back into the third round replay at tiny Westleigh Park against opponents 83 places below them in the English football pyramid, Jordan rose to glance in the goal which sealed a sensational 4-2 win for the Blue Square South part-timers.

The prize for the Hampshire club is a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, seven times winners of the trophy, in a fourth round tie which proves that the romance of the FA Cup remains very much alive.

It was at Anfield in 1977, of course, where Tom's father Joe became the footballing bogeyman of a nation. The legendary Scotland striker has never been forgotten in Wales, and in many cases never forgiven, for his famous aerial duel with Dave Jones which culminated in the contentious award of a penalty kick for handball which set the Scots on their way to the World Cup finals in Argentina.

It remains to be seen if Tom Jordan will have the opportunity to follow in his old man's footsteps and play in front of The Kop when Havant & Waterlooville make their fairytale appearance at Anfield on 26 January.

The 26-year-old central defender remains committed to leaving his current club and rejoining their old manager, former Hearts striker Ian Baird, at local rivals Eastleigh. Jordan was stripped of the Havant & Waterlooville captaincy and dropped three months ago when the clubs failed to agree terms for his transfer, but has returned to the first team in the past two weeks because of injuries and suspensions to others.

"I don't want to be a hypocrite and say I now want to stay, just because we are going to Anfield," said Jordan yesterday. "The club know my position remains the same, I want to join Ian at Eastleigh. It's just a case of waiting to see when and if a deal goes through.

"Until it does, though, I'll give everything I've got to Havant & Waterlooville and I think I've proved that with my contribution since getting back into the side. I have a reasonable relationship with our manager Shaun Gale and he knows I want to play my part as long as I'm here.

"I was disappointed not to start the game on Wednesday, but it was brilliant to come on and do my bit. The goal was a fantastic feeling and it's certainly the best night I've ever experienced in football. It was an unbelievable result for a club of our size.

"Playing Liverpool at Anfield will be a once in a lifetime experience for our players and I'll just have to wait and see if I'm involved. There is a fair bit of history there for my family and Dad still gets stick from Welsh fans for the 1977 game.

"He didn't make it to the game on Wednesday night because I'd phoned him earlier in the day when I found out I wasn't going to be in the starting line-up. But I spoke to him on the phone afterwards and he was delighted for me and told me to savour the moment."

Jordan Jr has never been to Anfield, but, curiously, is a regular visitor to Goodison Park after becoming an Everton fan from an early age.

"My brother Andrew supported Manchester United because Dad played for them," he says, "but, for some reason, I got into following Everton. I loved guys like Neville Southall and Dave Watson and have remained a Blue ever since, so that would make it extra special for me to play against Liverpool at Anfield."

800,000 PAY-DAY ON MERSEYSIDE

HAVANT & Waterlooville could earn as much as 800,000 from their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool at Anfield, writes John Lees. Manager Shaun Gale's Blue Square Conference side head to Merseyside for the clash on 26 January after dumping League One leaders Swansea out of the competition on Wednesday evening.

Club secretary Trevor Brock expects the Hawks to use up their full ticket allocation for the lucrative Anfield clash. He said: "We're taking 6,000 tickets and we hope we can sell them. Looking at all the figures we could take half-a-million pounds plus 250-300,000 worth of add-ons."

Gale described the tie against Liverpool as the stuff of dreams. "We have turned the dream into reality," he said. "I would not have believed this would have ever happened a couple of months ago, but that's football."