Scarborough on trail of the rich and famous

In isolation, a midweek FA Cup replay between the Seadogs and the Shrimpers at the McCain Stadium evokes an event as basic in its appeal as fish and chips, with - like that combination's traditional wrapping - the result probably discarded by the remainder of the country by the following morning. But then introduce the name of Chelsea, who will provide Conference club Scarborough or Third Division Southend United with their fourth-round opponents if they overcome Watford in their replay.

Either way, live television coverage is guaranteed. Suddenly Wednesday's contest is invested with a piquancy and a magnitude that only this unique competition provides.

Elimination at this stage for Scarborough would mean rather more than A Chorus of Disapproval - to borrow from the town's famous son, Sir Alan Ayckbourn. "You'll be sitting watching a game of football knowing that the right result means around £400,000; the wrong one means nothing," says Scarborough's chairman, Malcolm Reynolds. "It's really quite frightening. Scarborough have never reached the fourth round of the Cup, so it was already a very big game for us. That pressure was bad enough, without having that additional financial carrot being dangled."

Such are the potential rewards of victory on Wednesday that Reynolds can barely bring himself to contemplate the prospect of the Blues as his club's fourth- round opponents, although he has already calculated that "one of their players' monthly salaries would pay our entire wage bill for a year". Ask him to compare himself with Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, and he reflects: "I think I'd be happy just to carry his bags."

Reynolds stresses that first Southend must be eliminated. Though the portents are not that favourable, at least Scarborough possess a talisman whose name resonates with FA Cup derring-do. The club's specialist goalkeeping coach is Jim Montgomery, whose inspired display was crucial to Sunderland claiming a famous Cup final victory against Leeds in 1973. Now his expertise could make all the difference to whether Scarborough repel the visitors' attack. "The improvement in our young goalkeeper, Leigh Walker, since Jim's been coaching him cannot be a coincidence," says Reynolds.

It has been a mercurial 17 years since Scarborough became the first side to be automatically promoted to the Football League (under the management of one Neil Warnock) from the-then Vauxhall Conference. They proceeded to make two appearances in promotion play-offs before being relegated in 1999. Everybody remembers that goal from on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass which kept Carlisle in the League. How many recall that it also sent Scarborough down? Debts accumulated, and the future of Scarborough appeared perilous. Fortunately, Reynolds, who became chairman two years ago, is a man who, as formerly the director of a bank in Vienna, has a better comprehension than most of financial stability.

"We were living locally, on the coast near here, and I'd read about all the problems. Initially, I just went along to see whether I could help," he says. "Before I knew it, there I was - holding a bunch of keys." He adds ruefully: "Every fibre of my body on that evening two years ago told me not to get involved. But having embarked upon it, my nature is to want to see it all through. You do actually feel a responsibility to people here. In your darkest moments, they keep you going."

Scarborough went into administration early last year. At the time, manager Russell Slade resigned, but was persuaded by Reynolds to stay. The club came out of administration on 6 June, following the agreement of a business plan which included the construction of a new £1.5m stadium and sports complex at nearby Eastfield, with revenue raised by the development of 200 houses on the existing McCain Stadium site.

"The sports complex would enable us to generate money outside our football activities," explains Reynolds. "Without doing this, we'd go on losing £200,000-£250,000 a year." Reynolds, who has bankrolled the club to a total of "several hundred thousand pounds", adds: "We are awaiting planning permission for both projects. If it doesn't go ahead, we may as well fold the tents, because all that will happen is that the club will constantly return to the position it found itself in when I took over. There'll be debts of up to a million, and it'll be, 'Here we go again'."

Reynolds' wife, Frances, had rarely attended a football match before her husband's involvement with Scarborough. "But she came at the beginning and is now a fervent supporter," he says. "It's staggered me, having had to fight to watch a game of football on TV at home."

But then, that's how the old game can grab you. And particularly the third round of the FA Cup. Suddenly a wet, windy - bound to be, isn't it? - Wednesday in Scarborough has its appeal.