‘This isn’t supposed to happen’: giant-slaying Fleetwood revels in fairytale Arsenal win

Fishing town in disbelief the morning after its footballing minnows beat mighty Arsenal on penalties On a wet and windy night on the north-west coast of England, a League Two side sensationally knocked the Premier League champions out of the Carabao Cup. But this is not just a fairytale story of giant-slaying: Fleetwood Town and Arsenal have an unlikely history that stretches back long before Tuesday night’s game. Arsenal played at their iconic Highbury stadium until 2006, and Fleetwood’s ground has the same title, being named after Highbury Avenue, the adjoining street.

Fleetwood also play in red shirts with white sleeves in the style of the classic Arsenal kit. Nobody is exactly sure why, but according to Ray Curtis, a barman in the town’s King’s Arms: “Fleetwood’s first ever kit, the home kit, was given to them by Arsenal.” And in the 2000s, not long after Patrick Vieira captained Arsenal, Fleetwood boasted a namesake star: a Brazilian striker called Magno Vieira. At the 5,300-capacity Highbury on