I took non-league side on epic FA Cup run but I’m better known for keeping Classic FM-loving crocodile in my living room
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CHRIS WELLER made a name for himself with a series of upsets during a spectacular FA Cup run. Now he has to make sure he keeps his pet crocodile very happy indeed by keeping the radio tuned in to Classic FM. Weller, a former prison officer for 40 years at HMP Rochester, was part-time Gravesend & Northfleet manager during the 1990s.
![[Chris Weller, assistant manager of Gravesend and Northfleet, in conversation with other managers.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/chris-weller-assistant-manager-gravesend-962763871.jpg?strip=all&w=473)
And in 1995-96, he took then-Southern League Premier Division outfit all the way to the third round of the FA Cup. Gravesend & Northfleet - who became Ebbsfleet United in 2007 - played a staggering TEN matches in the competition in that memorable season, culminating with a trip to Premier League Aston Villa.
![[A man poses with his pet crocodile.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/chris-weller-crocodile-owner-lives-238912990.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The non-league Kent club came through the first, second and third rounds of qualifying before needing not one but two replays to get past Marlow and book their spot in the first round proper. There, they beat Colchester United before needing a replay to get past Cinderford Town to then draw Villa.
![[A crocodile resting on a green mat indoors.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/chris-plays-snap-reads-caesar-38837625.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Initially, the Fleet were given a home tie but conceded the advantage to play the match at Villa Park - and reap the financial rewards instead. Gravesend & Northfleet put up a valiant effort but ultimately lost 3-0 to a side that included Gareth Southgate, Dwight Yorke and Andy Townsend as Brian Little’s men reached the semi-finals.
![[A man plays cards with a crocodile.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/chris-plays-snap-reads-caesar-38835824.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But for Little’s opposite number Weller, he took a very different path. FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS. Because he decided to spend more than £20,000 converting his Strood bungalow into a home for exotic pets - none more so than his 6ft spectacled caiman croc called Caesar.
![[A man with a galah on his shoulder.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/chris-weller-crocodile-owner-lives-238916853.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
