Footballer saves side’s fairytale cup run by fixing broken floodlight – then gets brutally trolled by away fans
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A FOOTBALLER saved his side’s fairytale cup run — by fixing a broken floodlight. Liam Smith, who works as an electrician, used his tool kit to help Sittingbourne FC get to the fifth round of the FA Trophy for the first time in their 140-year history.
![[A football player fixing a floodlight at a stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/96f6e504-477a-46a1-8837-e54f79366295.jpg?strip=all&w=857)
They were drawing 0-0 at home with favourites Salisbury when a corner of The Staxson Stadium in Kent was plunged into darkness at half-time. With the match in danger of being abandoned, Liam, 24, was urged by team-mates to fix the faulty floodlight. The defender said: “I went over to open the floodlight and saw something had gone wrong with the breakers and just had to put them back on.
![[Two soccer players vying for the ball.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/0a03fef0-f6b6-4d53-a05b-3fcf32ca0464.jpg?strip=all&w=745)
"Luckily I didn’t need many tools and had it working again within 15 minutes. "After a quick warm-up, we were ready to go for the second half. "I got a bit of stick from the away fans afterwards. They were chanting, ‘You’re better as a sparky’.”.
![[A footballer, who is also an electrician, repairs a broken floodlight at a football stadium.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teammates-joking-around-saying-liam-962791981.jpg?strip=all&w=720)
Liam’s electrical heroics sparked a dramatic giant-killing, with Sittingbourne winning 2-1 on Saturday. Vice-chairman Andrew Marjeram, 41, said it would have been a financial blow for the Isthmian League South East Division club if the game, which drew a crowd of 700, was called off.
He said: “Liam is a new signing and did a great job to get the game back on after a half-hour delay. "Although he did cheekily say there would be an invoice coming and made sure I knew it was double rates on a Saturday.”. The side now travel to Southend United in the next round on February 1.
