A new limited-edition version of the famous Roy of the Rovers comic has been launched to celebrate this year’s FA Cup third-round upsets.
The comic strip features Barnet, Gillingham, Oldham and Newport overcoming Championship and Premier League opposition Sheffield United, Cardiff, Fulham and Leicester.
Oldham caretaker manager Pete Wild said he is sure the fans will love it, adding: “I described our win as ‘Roy of the Rovers stuff’ and I wasn’t lying.
“To put this club and the players who worked so hard to secure the win in the spotlight is really special.”
The latest comic includes Oldham goalkeeper Daniel Iversen’s penalty save against Fulham, Padraig Amond’s 85th minute winner for Newport against Leicester, Elliott List’s winner for Gillingham against Cardiff and non-league Barnet’s victory at Sheffield United.
Each of the celebrated clubs have distributed 100 comics to fans, with the managers and players signing copies.
Newport County’s third-round winning goalscorer Padraig Amond said: “It’s brilliant, I’ll certainly be keeping my copy in a special place.
“Growing up I used to read Roy of the Rovers comics, so seeing myself in comic book form is crazy.
“The Emirates FA Cup has given us a chance to prove ourselves and I’m delighted that our fans can keep a bit of that history with this comic.”
The comic strip first appeared in 1954 following the life and career of fictional footballer Roy Race and was brought back last year after a 17-year break featuring the main character as a 16-year-old footballing prodigy.
The FA’s director of professional game relations Andy Ambler said: “We are delighted to create this commemorative comic book featuring the stars of Barnet, Gillingham, Newport County and Oldham Athletic and hope the fans across the country enjoy looking back on these memorable moments in cartoon form.”
