WHEN Connor Hall was omitted from Woking’s line-up for the FA Cup qualifying round tie with Aldershot, little did he know he would make such an impact in the competition with Chorley.

The 22-year-old’s goals have helped the Magpies reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history and a home tie against Championship side Derby County awaits in the new year.

High-profile wins over Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United have also earned Hall the chance to take part in Chorley’s now legendary post-match celebration version of Adele’s 'Someone Like You'.

The song has been adopted by Chorley for a number of years not that Hall heard it during his loan spell with the National League side last season which ended with relegation.

“I didn’t know this until last week when I was speaking to Matty Urwin (the Chorley keeper),” Hall told The Bolton News’ Buff Extra podcast. “He said it was two or three years ago when they got promoted.

“They stuck on this song and they were all singing along to it and he was showing me videos and I thought it was class.

“He said they played it every time they won a big game and I said that I had never heard it.

“He said 'that’s because we literally lost every game you were here!'”

While he admits he doesn’t hold much of a tune, he has been on song in front of goal – especially in the cup where he netted a dramatic extra-time winner in the 3-2 win at Wigan then scored again at Peterborough to set up a third round tie with the Rams.

But that would never have happened had he played for Woking earlier in the competition, the National League club he joined after his release from Bolton Wanderers at the end of last season.

However, Woking’s loss is Chorley’s gain with the striker on loan until the new year at least.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said.

“The turning point for me coming to Chorley was funnily enough when Woking had Aldershot in the FA Cup in the qualifying round.

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“I thought I’d be playing and they brought a lad in on loan, they started him and I didn’t even make the 18 so I was like ‘I need to go out and play’ so obviously I have come to Chorley and we have ended up in the third round of the FA Cup against a Championship side.

“So it is strange how something so negative can be turned in to a positive because had I have played that day, I wouldn’t have played in the two FA Cup games and I wouldn’t have done as well as I did.

“So everything happens for a reason and that is just one of those things and at the end of the day I am glad it happened.”

Had Hall had his way, last season’s loan spell at Victory Park would have been confined to history because it would have meant he would have made an impression at his parent club.

“I would have loved to have stayed at Chorley (last season) but I need to play as high as I can for as long as I can,” he said. “That is my kind of motto in football. If you can do that, you won’t have any regrets.

“I look at Woking now in the National League and I think I could have been there. I am glad I signed there but I wasn’t quite at it in pre-season, I have to admit.

“They have got a few boys in on loan and I wasn’t playing so that is why I have come back to Chorley.”

He added: “I do get on really well with everyone at Woking, the coaching staff are top quality all the boys are top quality but I don’t want to go back there to sit on the bench.

“I have done that for so many years now.

"I did that at Bolton, I did that at Accrington, I did it at the first part of the season at Woking and I don’t want to do it any more.

“I’m 22 now, I just want to be playing games so that is how the Chorley move came about.”

Now back at Victory Park, Hall is loving life in East Lancashire and is hoping the cup successes can inspire a run of results in the National League North where Chorley are currently at the wrong end of the table – although Jamie Vermiglio’s side do have games in hand on the sides around them.

“I think a cup run like this is exactly what we need to kick on our season and try and progress in the league and try and get a few wins,” Hall added.

“We are unbeaten in seven overall, if you include the two cup games so it is a run we are trying to continue for a few more games and work our way up the league.”

Hall is now looking forward to welcoming Derby County and Wayne Rooney to Chorley in January but knows there are a lot of league games to be played before then.

“Everyone is looking forward to it, we have a lot of league games between now and then so obviously we need to pick up some good results first,” he said. “But in terms of the FA Cup, if Rooney does play, that is a massive thing in itself and if we can get a result because I don’t imagine a lot of them will want to come to Chorley."

For now, Hall will put that cup date on the back-burner and concentrate on the league.

“I just want to play and score goals and see what happens in January or at the end of the season,” said the one-time Sheffield United man.

“The thing I am focussing on at the minute is doing well for Chorley and getting us up the league because it is all well and good having a cup run but if you get relegated that is all people are going to remember."

The Buff podcast is available on Apple, Spotify and Soundcloud.