Until 11 days ago, Pete Wild had been planning to cheer on Oldham as a fan with his pals in its FA Cup third-round match at Premier League club Fulham.
Wild was indeed at Craven Cottage on Sunday but in the dugout, rather than the stands, guiding the unheralded northern team to the latest so-called "giant-killing" in the famous knockout competition.
On a classic day of FA Cup action, fourth-tier Oldham beat Fulham 2-1 at the same time as non-league team Barnet was stunning second-tier Sheffield United in a 1-0 win despite a gap of 84 places in English soccer's pyramid.
Ruining the day for the romantics was Manchester City, which swept to a 7-0 victory over second-tier Rotherham in its biggest win under Pep Guardiola.
While Guardiola is arguably soccer's most famous coach, Wild is still making his way in his managerial game and was Oldham's youth-team manager until Dec. 26, when he was asked to take charge of the first team on an emergency basis following the firing of its manager after a 6-0 loss.
The 33-year-old Wild accepted the challenge, led Oldham to back-to-back wins in its league games, and has now masterminded one of the biggest FA Cup shocks in recent years.
"It is Roy of the Rovers stuff," said Wild, referring to a now-defunct British cartoon about a fictional soccer player. "It is one you have to savor."
Especially since the manager in the home dugout at Craven Cottage was Claudio Ranieri, the storied coach who led Leicester in its fairytale Premier League-winning campaign in 2015-16.
Ranieri's Fulham was 1-0 ahead with 14 minutes left, only to concede goals to Sam Surridge and Callum Lang. Lang's 88th-minute winner came moments after Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic had a penalty saved off his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
"I did not see desire or passion," Ranieri said. "I wanted to see desire — show me I am wrong, show me! I am not wrong."
Aside from the embarrassment of losing to a team three leagues below it, the loss will not do Fulham's confidence any good as the club from southwest London fights for survival in the Premier League. Fulham is on next-to-last place, four points from safety.
Sheffield United, which is in third place in the second-tier League Championship, could end up replacing Fulham in the top flight but the clubs were united in misery Sunday after United's loss at home to Barnet, which is in 15th place in the fifth-tier National League.
Barnet is currently managed by Darren Currie, the nephew of Sheffield United great Tony Currie.
"I am proud as punch of the boys," said Darren Currie, who is in caretaker control of the team like Wild.
Shaquile Coulthirst scored the only goal of the game, from the penalty spot, to ensure Barnet will be the only non-league side in the fourth round.
That's because sixth-tier Woking, the lowest-ranked team in the third round, lost 2-0 at home to Watford. There were also wins for Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster and Millwall.
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