The Port Vale manager, Jon Brady, left Australia as a 17-year-old to chase his dream of playing in the United Kingdom. Spells at Brentford, Swansea and Wycombe did not make a first-team debut a reality. The sacrifice would not be wasted as determination to make a career in England grew stronger, becoming a non-league stalwart, but always with an eye on what came next.

Like Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final opponent, Chelsea’s head coach Liam Rosenior, Brady plotted a route to the dugout from early on, earning his B licence at the age of 23. Twenty-eight years later, he has managed more than 500 league games, in charge of Brackley and Northampton before joining League One’s bottom club in January, and embarking on a surprising Cup run.

“I wasn’t as good a footballer as Liam Rosenior,” says Brady as he casts his eyes over the Vale Park pitch. “If I wanted to stay in the sport I love so much, that I’ve dedicated my life to by coming over from Australia at the age of 17, [I had to ask myself] what’s the only job I know? The only...