The Cup That Keeps On Giving

The Cup That Keeps On Giving

JOHN LYONS says Wigan and Rochdale’s FA Cup heroics show there is still life in the famous old competition

THERE have been times in the last 20 years when the FA Cuphas been on thinner ice than Elise Christie on a good day. But just as the Scottish short track speed skater kept getting back up to give it another go after a painful fall, so the oldest domestic cup competition in world football manages to get back to its knees and stagger forward.

We feared ‘the magic’ might have gone as this season’s fifth round got underway in, let’s be honest, boring fashion. Chelsea walloped Hull 4-0 and Leicester edged out Sheffield United 1-0 on the Friday night.

The following day Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea played out a drab draw, Manchester United saw off Huddersfield 2-0, Southampton edged out West Brom 2-1 and Brighton, as expected, beat League Two outfit Coventry (3-1). Nothing much to write home about.

But then came two games that restored your faith in the FA Cup’s ability to take your breath away. First up, it was Rochdale – bottom of League One – hosting Tottenham on Sunday afternoon live on the Beeb.

Virtually everyone thought Spurs would cruise to victory on the newly relaid Spotland surface (has there ever been so much talk about Rochdale’s pitch in their 111year history).

But Rochdale manager Keith Hill and his players hadn’t read the script. Prior to the game, Dale legend Hill had told our sister publication, The Football League Paper, that his side had a ‘fighter’s chance’ of an upset and they duly came out swinging.