David Webb scored a famous winner in the 1970 FA Cup final, now his son Danny is joining KO West Brom

The National League Chesterfield are goaded by a famous FA Cup face as they aim for a colossal assassination attempt against Championship West Bromwich Albion.

David Webb, goalscorer for Chelsea winners in the 1970 replay against Leeds, has extended his Christmas and New Year’s visit to son Danny, assistant manager of the Spireites, to see if the family are in the most famous national knockout competition in the USA can make even more headlines the world.

The quaint town in Derbyshire’s Peak District is a world away from the King’s Road, where Webb Sr. hung out with stars Michael Crawford and John Cleese when Chelsea was at the heart of swinging London. Still, father and son love it. “Dad can’t imagine how many pubs and parks there are here,” Danny says with a smile.

David Webb (left) was the 1970 FA Cup hero for Chelsea, while his son Danny (right) – assistant manager at Chesterfield – is hoping to cause a colossal murder 53 years later

“It’s a long way for him to get up so we’re packing as much as we can. Walks on the Linacre Reservoirs Trails that are straight out of Game of Thrones and a nice Sunday lunch in one of the hundreds of pubs around town.

“I moved to the city and the locals are friendly. They don’t consider themselves really Nordic, but to me they are!’

Born in 1983 towards the end of his father’s illustrious career, Danny has had a more modest playing career at 18 different clubs in the lower leagues – including a stint at Southend when his father, now 76, was manager.

Coaching might prove more fruitful. Just 39 years old, he already has a decade of experience under his belt, including a stint as interim manager at Leyton Orient, where he worked for chaotic owner Francesco Becchetti. Under coach Paul Cook, Chesterfield is third with good prospects for promotion back to the Football League, but Danny surprisingly reveals that it was mum Michelle, rather than his footballing father, that pushed him into a tracksuit career.

“When I was in my mid-twenties I realized that as a player I wasn’t going to make it into the Premier League and had to look at other things,” he says.

“I was offered a job as a firefighter while I was playing for Salisbury but they only wanted me on full-time and I didn’t want to retire completely. So Mom urged me to fill out the forms to join a coaching class.

“The first session was easy, not much more than laying out the cones, but I got a kick out of it. Other people find it strange, but I realized that I get more satisfaction from coaching than from playing.

“It suits me better and with my father I also have the best place to go for advice. We’ve always been very close.

David Webb scored Chelsea’s winning goal in the 1970 FA Cup final replay against Leeds

“I remember him taking me to my first FA Cup final, Manchester United vs Crystal Palace, in 1990. All fans wore these inflatable tubes promoting Virgin. Ian Wright scored in front of us and I was a six year old boy peeking around all those tubes being waved around trying to see the celebrations.

“I think Dad regrets signing me for Southend because I was a teenager and the fans would boo my name at kick-off just because he was a manager. But I don’t regret it, it was part of my journey.

“I knew my limits as a player, but I’m more confident in my abilities as a coach or manager.”

Danny has had other mentors since, including Justin Edinburgh, who died in 2019, a month after guiding Leyton Orient to promotion.

He has also enjoyed watching and learning from Cook, who is in his second term at Chesterfield, having intermittently managed Wigan and Ipswich.

“We’re like an odd couple, the Southerner and the Scouser, but it works. The only thing we can’t agree on is Brookside or EastEnders!

“One of the first things the gaffer did was stop training on the pitch because he wanted it to be like a carpet on game day. It fits our style which is pass and play.

“He also gets players checking in every day. It’s not to check on them, but a reason for them to come into the office and have a laugh with us and build that communication. It’s very smart.”

His experiences with Becchetti were also character-forming. “He called me to his Mayfair, which cost £60million,” he says. “I would be on my own and he would have these gofers around who would laugh and agree with anything he said. It was intimidating and you had to stand up for yourself.’

He came to Chesterfield via Watford Academy and the Spireites are on the rise with goals from 8,000. The club boast a proud FA Cup record, reaching the semi-finals in 1997 when Sean Dyche was skipper and they would have beaten Middlesbrough had goal-line technology been around.

The National League Chesterfield are looking to cause a shock on Saturday against West Brom

They also reached the third round last season, beaten by Chelsea 5-1. Home advantage gives them a better chance this time, despite 66 places between them and Albion.

“We have good players,” says Danny. “I call Armando Dobra the magician, he is an Albania U20 international. Kabongo Tshimanga and Joe Quigley are threats up front and our full-back Jeff King has scored eight goals this season, including one in the second-round win at Wimbledon.

Dave believes his son could become a more successful manager than he was at Bournemouth, Torquay, Southend, Chelsea, Brentford and Yeovil.

“He says I’m more open-minded than he is,” says Danny. “If Dave Sexton gave him a dossier at Chelsea, he would throw it in the bin.”

But first it’s about more cup wins for the family. “The fans remind Dad of winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup or the time he went in goal, but he’d be lying if he said his headed win over Leeds wasn’t what he remembers most.

“The medal was stolen from our house. Luckily when it was taken to Hatton Garden for melting down the jeweler was a football fan and returned it to us. It’s in a bank now.

“The final between Chelsea and Leeds was a huge event at the time, 28 million viewers were watching on TV and there was so much hate on the pitch.

“It won’t be exactly the same if we can beat West Brom but I know it will make him very proud and happy.”