Metropolitan Police's youth team had never won a penalty shoot-out in their seven-year history ahead of this season.
But after three consecutive shoot-out wins in the 2015-16 FA Youth Cup Stuart Searle’s side stand on the verge of history when they head to Wolves for Friday’s fourth round clash.
Goalkeeper Kallum Lunn is approaching cult hero status at the club after his heroics in seeing off Burnley in round three, Yeovil Town in round two and Dulwich Hamlet in round one.
Wolves v Met Police
FA Youth Cup
Fourth Round
7pm, Friday 22 January
Molineux
That is not to mention their run through the qualifying rounds as well, but Searle – a full-time goalkeeping coach at Chelsea Ladies – knows that the trip to Molineux will be their toughest yet.
“I have done a bit of digging and, as far as I am aware, we have equalled the furthest a non-League club have gone, and we have beaten two Football League teams to get there,” he said.
“This season we set targets for the boys about what we wanted to achieve, what we perceived that we could realistically expect to achieve.
“But every goal we have set, these lads they have achieved and then surpassed.
“Yes Wolves are a full-time team so we will be up against it. Burnley was our Ben Nevis but Wolves will be our Mount Everest.
“If you are going to lose 1-0, we might as well lose 5-0. We will not be parking the bus. It will be the same approach that has got us to the fourth round.”
And even if the fairytale should end on Friday night, Searle is adamant their results have blazed a trail for others to follow.
Met Police celebrate their FA Youth Cup win at Turf Moor.
He added: “This group have a never-say-die attitude, I cannot speak highly enough of all 32 players. Their attitude has been phenomenal.
“Their performances have shown the younger guys what can be achieved – but also what it takes to be a first-team footballer.
“They have put this club on the map and shown other non-League clubs what can be achieved. If this was the Met Police first team, imagine the furore there would be.
“What we have achieved, regardless of the result at Molineux, is history for the club and for non-League football.”
Wolves Academy coach Jerry Gill knows his side are in something of a lose-lose situation.
But the former Birmingham and Cheltenham right-back expects his troops to do a professional job and make the fifth round of the competition for the first time this decade.
Gill said: “We will pay them the respect they deserve. They are here on merit and should be congratulated for that.
“They are a well-organised team with a great work ethic. That’s not to say they don’t have good players as well.
“It should be a really tough game but if we put in anything like our best performance, we should be in with a good chance of winning.
“We are certainly not thinking too far ahead – we need to treat this game as our most important.”
