You use your football free bets and then, once in a while something happens in sport to send a little shiver down the spine and allow a small amount hope to fill the heart in spite of the money, the egos and the poor sportsmanship that chip away at the true spirit and purpose of sporting events in our culture. Sports betting fans will have spotted that such an event occurred in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday when non-league minnows, Havant and Waterlooville, met the mighty Liverpool FC at Anfield Road Football Ground.

Taxi driver, refuse-disposal man, courier and others took on Liverpool and played the game of their lives. Eight minutes in, they shocked the world and themselves by going one-up. Minutes later Liverpool equalised and then Havant scored again to make it 2-1 and live online betting must have been going mad at this point. They went to their half-time dressing room at 2-2 and we can only imagine the elation they felt. Of course, the party was spoiled in the second half when Banayoun completed his hat trick and then Crouch nailed one in extra time, but it didn’t seem to matter. They had done their best and put on a good show.

And the shiver? That didn’t come when the Liverpool players treated their opponents to a five-star hotel for the weekend or when they met the bill for the champagne and lobster. No, in a week when it was feared that Manchester City fans might not show respect in a minute’s silence for the Munich air disaster at the Old Trafford Derby, it came when the Anfield Road crowd, reminded of why they were drawn to football in the first place, gave a thunderous and lengthy standing ovation to the plucky side that came from the South and played their hearts out.