Former Chesterfield striker Caleb Folan recalls memorable League Cup run in 2006 as Spireites beat Manchester City and West Ham United

Caleb Folan celebrates after scoring against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup fourth round in 2006.Caleb Folan celebrates after scoring against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup fourth round in 2006.
Caleb Folan celebrates after scoring against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup fourth round in 2006.
Being called into Roy McFarland’s office is when everything changed for Caleb Folan.

The towering striker, then in his early 20s, was about to be informed of interest from Port Vale. His time at Chesterfield had been hampered by niggling injuries and he was being booed by a section of the Spireites fanbase.

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The meeting with McFarland was when the reality of the situation hit home. It would change his life forever and lead him to the Premier League and call-ups for the Republic of Ireland.

The former Leeds United academy prospect told the DT: “I could not get going. I felt like that for quite a long period at Chesterfield.

Folan also bagged against Manchester City in the second round.Folan also bagged against Manchester City in the second round.
Folan also bagged against Manchester City in the second round.

“I was getting all these niggles and I could sense the frustration in the fans. I remember there was a period when I was getting booed when I was coming on.

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“There was a point where Roy McFarland pulled me in the office and the words he said to me really hit me. He spoke about the prospect of potentially me moving on.

"I came into the following season with the mindset of giving it one last go. I was at a breaking point, I had had enough of the injuries, I felt great and I just said to myself that I was going to give it my all and things just started working and flowing.”

Such is the funny nature of football, the next time McFarland called him into his office, it was for a very different conversation.

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Folan’s League Cup heroics in 2006, scoring against Premier League clubs Manchester City, West Ham United and Charlton Athletic in Town’s memorable run to the fourth round, had led to top-flight interest.

“It was about a Premier League club enquiring and they wanted me to sign a new contract with a release clause,” he explained. “How everything changed in a year was unbelievable. I was like ‘flippin ‘eck, a year ago you were being booed by your own fans’. The difference in conversation was frightening. When he (McFarland) mentioned about me moving on initially, he mentioned some interest from Port Vale and I remember saying I don’t want to leave. That conversation was the pinnacle of everything because it helped me understand where I stood, where the manager saw things, everything was clear and I have always liked that.

“I heard so much during the cup run, different stories in the papers, different teams, different interest, you just try and not think about it all. I remember signing an extension in my contract at Chesterfield just so we could put in a release fee just so it would make Chesterfield a bit of money.”

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Folan moved to Wigan Athletic, then of the Premier League, for £500,000 and made his debut against Reading, partnering Emile Heskey up front.

"It all just happened so quick,” he said. “I could not get my head around it.”

Folan appreciated McFarland’s ‘direct’ approach, or as he puts it: “If you were crap, he would tell you!”

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One stand-out moment under McFarland came before the League Cup second round tie against Manchester City.

“I remember that before we came out for kick-off, we were in the changing room and Roy came in with this big tray of shot glasses with a bottle of whisky and he just poured all these drinks out,” he laughed. “Everyone was like ‘what is he doing’. He made everyone take one, there was no backing out. It was incredible. I remember he pretty much forced everyone to have a shot! I thought that was genius of him.”

Folan revealed that he felt like an ‘underdog’ under McFarland because he was not sure if he was his type of striker. Those doubts drove him on to prove him wrong.

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For Folan, who retired in 2017 after spells in America, Asia, Malaysia, Burma and Trinidad and Tobago, those cup nights at Saltergate that year made everything he had been through worthwhile.

The 38-year-old said: "That period where I was Chesterfield it was such a journey for me personally just in life in general that maybe a lot of people didn’t know. I had experienced some much in my life as a young adult. I feel like there was a lot of growing up. I lost my best friend in that period.”

The strong team spirit of that cup team reminded him of his first few days at the Blues, and brought back memories of a lads holiday to Gran Canaria.

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"The first lad I remember meeting was Alan O’Hare,” he said. “He just greeted me and we clicked straight away. They had a good mix of characters and younger players as well. Everyone was genuine and that is what I really liked.

“Within my first week of being there, Alan was talking about a holiday at the end of the season. One of his mates, it might have been Derek Niven, could not make it so he had this spare ticket to go with him. He didn’t even know me but he asked me. So within the first week I had already booked a holiday with one of the lads at the end of the season! It was absolutely brilliant.”

The former Hull City man never really had any ambitions of becoming a manager, and has since set up his own massage therapy business, an interest which evolved from his time in football and struggles with anxiety.

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Folan’s mum has pictures of him scoring twice in a comeback win against Bradford City in the 04/05 season, and if anyone can dig out footage of his debut goal for Chesterfield against Notts County in March 2003, he would love to see it.

“That time at Chesterfield holds a lot of memories for me,” he added. “I was just happy at the end that the crowd were singing my name rather than booing me!”