Melton shopkeeper shows off the FA Cup

As Leicester City prepare to play in the FA Cup final, a Melton shopkeeper has been recalling the day he thumbed a lift to Wembley as a 14-year-old the last time the Foxes appeared in the football showpiece.
Jamie How, shows off the replica FA Cup trophy he is displaying in the window of his Melton shop, How Sweet EMN-211105-132331001Jamie How, shows off the replica FA Cup trophy he is displaying in the window of his Melton shop, How Sweet EMN-211105-132331001
Jamie How, shows off the replica FA Cup trophy he is displaying in the window of his Melton shop, How Sweet EMN-211105-132331001

Jamie How proprietor of How Sweet, is helping to ramp up cup fever in the town this week by displaying a replica of the iconic FA Cup trophy in the front window of his King Street confectioner’s.

He used to attend all the City matches at the old Filbert Street ground while growing up in the Leicestershire village of Croft but his father would not allow him to go to the FA Cup final against Manchester City in April 1969.

That wasn’t going to stop young Jamie though. He told the Melton Times: “I was only 14 and I wasn’t allowed to go to Wembley on my own so I told my dad I was off out to see my friends.

“I thumbed my way down there, watched the match and then got a lift back.

“It was a great day despite the result and I didn’t tell my dad I’d been to the final.”

The Foxes lost 1-0 in that final and their many supporters in the Melton area will be hoping for a better outcome on Saturday when they take on Chelsea.

Jamie is now a West Ham fan but he is hoping City can lift the trophy for the first time in their history,

And he is selling cup final merchandise at his shop alongside the myriad jars of sweets he sells as an old fashioned sweet shop owner.

“I’ve got cup final scarves, shirts and flags on sale for City fans and they can even get a chance to hold the FA Cup,” added Jamie.