Where are they now? How did the teams that decorated the Road to Wembley from Scotland finish the season?

With the FA Cup Final now just three days away, in this final post before the Wembley showdown I am checking up on how the teams that I said goodbye to from round 1 onwards on The Road to Wembley from Scotland fared in the remainder of the season.

Charlton Athletic were in absolute turmoil back in December when I intruded on their private grief and the club is still a basket case 6 months later. The CARD campaign (Coalition Against Roland Duchatalet - the Charlton owner) was in full cry back then and they remain committed to ousting their asset-stripping owner. The match I attended at the Valley was attended by less than 5000 fans and this once famous club have continued to have ‘attract’ small crowds to their huge stadium as the CARD encouragement for fans to boycott games and starve the owner of income continues to have a big effect. Unfortunately for CARD the club did receive a huge inflow in January when teenage midfielder Adebola Lookman was sold to Everton for a reported £12 million

Look ! I am the Man! Lookman moved from Charlton to Everton for big bucks in January

The income from the Lookman sale means that Duchatalet is not reliant on ticket sales for a while and he has re-iterated his vow that the club is not for sale. A stand off where the real losers are the Charlton fans. Not good.

Next to depart the Road were the wonderful MK Dons. After knocking out Charlton in a replay they finally succumbed to Brighton and Hove Albion on a winter afternoon in early January. The Dons were great fun to be with and they are a very misunderstood club. All this ‘franchise’ stuff happened a long time ago and was largely misrepresented.  The contemporary Dons fan is typically a Buckinghamshire person simply supporting their local team and I think these supporters have some exciting times ahead. While I was following the Dons they managed to persuade Robbie Neilson to leave my beloved Hearts and take up the role of manager at Stadium MK.

Me and my mate Robbie Neilson! My favourite pic from The Road to Wembley from Scotland

When Robbie joined the Dons they were in danger of being relegated and his remit was to steady the ship and build for a promotion push in 2017-18. He guided them to a top half finish in the league and I suspect he will make some astute Scottish signings in the summer to add a bit of Scottish claymore steel to the silky Dons play. He has already nicked the very promising Robbie Muirhead from Tynecastle and more may well follow. I predict that the Dons will finish in the top six in League One next season.

I was not with Brighton for long as they lost in round 4 at Sincil Bank Lincoln. In both Brighton games that I watched, the Seagulls played a less than full strength XI as they were clearly prioritising their league campaign. In a sense they got what they deserved against The Imps when the Lincolnshire men dumped them out of the FA Cup. Not many tears were shed in Brighton and their focus on the league paid dividends as they were promoted to the land of milk and honey that is the English Premier League. The only Scot in the Brighton squad, Jamie Murphy, got his personal reward for a strong finish to the season when, on Monday, he was named in the Scotland squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifier. I could be seeing the tartan clad Seagull winning his first cap in the match at Hampden against England in early June.

It may be an Irish name but Glaswegian Seagull Jamie Murphy is set to play for Scotland

Burnley were next to leave The Road when they bowed out to Lincoln City in dramatic circumstances at Turf Moor in February. The villain of the peace that day was marmite man Joey Barton who started the season with Glasgow Rangers. Joey has since been banned from the game for betting offences (1260 offences to be precise) and yesterday Burnley released him from his contract. Burnley’s league form dipped a bit after their cup exit and eventually the slump saw them finish 16^th in the Premier League. One player who showed some good form in the latter stages of the season was Scottish international George Boyd. George can not expect to be adding to his 2 Scotland caps any time soon as he has been omitted from the Scotland squad to face England on June 10^th.

The cap does not fit. George Boyd stars for Burnley but overlooked by Scotland

I followed Lincoln City on The Road to Wembley from Scotland for about three months and witnessed their thrilling, historic victories against Brighton and Burnley. Arsenal at the Emirates proved a bridge too far and they lost heavily to the Gunners in the quarter final of the FA Cup. After bowing out of the cup, they sustained good league form and won the National League with a couple of games to spare and gained promotion to League Two for season 2017-18. The unforgettable season was masterminded by the Cowley brothers Danny and Nicky.

Brothers in arms: The Cowleys steered the Imps to League Two

It is my fervent hope that my beloved Hearts sack the hapless Ian Cathro and appoint the Cowleys as co-managers at Tynecastle in time for the start of the new season. When I put this idea to my cronies at The Merchiston Hearts Supporters Club I was laughed out of court – but why not. The Cowleys are ambitious and Hearts are a much bigger club than Lincoln City.

The last team to leave The Road was Manchester City about a month ago. My time with the Citizens was all too brief but I enjoyed seeing City's team of superstars in action. City completed their league campaign on Sunday with yet another emphatic win and secured third place in the Premier League. There is plenty to look forward to for the fanatical City supporters next season with Champions League football now beckoning.

So the Road to Wembley from Scotland will reach Wembley on Saturday. I will be there at the 136^th FA Cup Final and I can hardly contain my excitement. I have been obsessed with football from the moment I could kick a ball and obsessed with the FA Cup for over 50 years, but I have never been to an FA Cup Final. Chelsea and Arsenal, two of the finest teams in world football will be going head to head and it promises to be a great match. I have seen 16 matches on the Road and have travelled almost 9000 miles. On Saturday I reach my final destination. A total of 736 teams entered the FA Cup in season 2016-17 and I have seen 13 of these teams experience the bitter taste of defeat and on Saturday night only one of the 736 entrants will remain undefeated and claim the FA Cup. Will it be the Blues from West London or the Gunners from North London who are running round Wembley with the cup? Come back here on Monday to find out!