CATCH up with The Giant Killers, the inspiring true story of football’s greatest underdogs, at Westcote Village Hall, near Chipping Norton.

A spokesman said: “The Giant Killers follows a ragtag bunch of Lancashire mill workers who defied all odds to become the first working-class team in the country to play in the FA Cup.

“Left tired and despondent from the cotton famine of the 1870s, this small group of men and women found pride and hope in a game that until then had been reserved for the upper classes.”

The spokesman added: “Darwen FC rose up to earn a place in history as the first real giant killers in English football and take on the poshest team of them all, the Old Etonians.

“This heartfelt story encompasses the plight of mill workers, the challenges faced by the mill owner, and the family joys and tragedies encountered by ordinary people as they came together to rise up against prevailing social prejudice and the might of the Football Association, win the respect of the nation, and earn a place in history.

“Everybody loves an underdog, but that’s not the only reason to love this. The four-strong cast is impeccable and the writing and delivery builds excitement, creates pathos and enthrals from start to finish.”

The play is set in 1879, but has topical relevance.

The spokesman added: “Today, football could once again be thought to be the plaything of rich men but teams can still dream of doing the impossible. Remember Leicester City? Unfancied and unfashionable, they proved unstoppable as they toppled those toffs in the Premier League in 2016. The spirit of Darwen lives on.”

The show takes place on Thursday, October 18, at 7.30pm.

Tickets on 01993 831196 or at westcote.bookings@gmail.com