For years now, it’s been said on numerous occasions that the FA Cup has lost its romance. Dwindling attendances, high-profile Premier League teams fielding second-string sides and the replay system providing unwanted fixture congestion (see Chelsea-Birmingham City last week – the last thing Andre Villas-Boas needed) all add up to a number of factors denoting the competition’s importance as, shall we say, not as strong as it once was.
Try telling that to Stevenage though. The League 1 side who were playing non-league football just shy of two years ago hosted Tottenham Hotspur at Broadhall Way on Sunday and matched them in every department, playing out a well-earned 0-0 draw and earning themselves a money-spinning replay at Whitee Hart Lane. Tottenham – one of the Premier League’s most free-flowing sides – were stifled by a well-organised Stevenage outfit who will quietly fancy their chances in the replay in a couple of weeks’ time. Club chairman Phil Wallace said that the replay will ‘speed up’ the club’s plans for development as they try to renovate the North Stand of their stadium.
Try telling that to Liverpool – a team who have a strong history in FA Cup competition. The boys from Merseyside confidently despatched Championside side Brighton 6-1 in the fifth round tie at the weekend in front of a healthy Anfield crowd of 43,940. The game saw, incredulously, three own goals from the away side and a welcome return to goalscoring form for Andy Carroll – a player who has been much improved in recent weeks.
The Reds beat deadly rivals Man United on the way to their quarter final passage and the FA Cup has provided them with an ideal opportunity to acquire some silverware this season – an opportunity that Kenny Dalglish will not pass up lightly.
How about Bolton Wanderers? The Lancashire side are enduring a torrid time of it in the Premier League at the minute and look odds-on for relegation – the FA Cup is providing a welcome distraction for them right now. Their comfortable 2-0 win at Millwall in the fifth round saw them book their passage in the quarter finals for the second year running. They will be keen to progress this year, particularly after the galling way in which they exited the competition last time round – losing 5-0 at the semi-final stages to Stoke City. Their win at the New Den saw an exciting performance and finish from Arsenal loanee Ryo Miyaichi and an excellent long-range goal from French striker David N’Gog.
Leicester City are another club who are one step away from an appearance at Wembley – the Foxes made a mockery of their mid-table Championship status by beating Premier League boys Norwich City at Carrow Road 2-1, a game in which they were full-value for the result. Sean St Ledger and David Nugent booked their passage into the last eight and in his post-match interview Leicester manager Nigel Pearson defended the FA Cup’s prestige, stating: “This is still a very important competition. The FA Cup unfortunately seems to have diminished in terms of how people perceive it. But certainly not for me and I don’t think for the fans either.”
What other competition in the world would see a club in administration at a Wembley final (Portsmouth, 2010 – check)? Where else can you see Exeter City get a draw at Old Trafford (third round, 2005 – check)? And, honestly, where else can you see a third tier football team come within a whisker of reaching Wembley (Chesterfield, 1997 – check)? The competition is alive and kicking despite how some clubs might view it and last weekend’s set of fixtures was no exception. Roll on the quarter finals and more of the same – my money’s on Bolton Wanderers (dark horses) to reach Wembley and wipe out last year’s misery. Really.
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