FA Cup 4th Round Review
The cup where dreams are made, allowing the David's of the Footballing Leagues to vanquish the Goliath's, completed its fourth round ties this weekend.
In a competition that loves to support the underdog, the nation's hopes this year lay with Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Rovers, Barnet, Swansea and Blackpool. And with four of these six teams competing against sides two leagues above, it appeared they would need more than just their trusty slingshots to cause an upset.
Barnet and Bristol Rovers, the two remaining League Two teams, both took on Championship opposition with Barnet lining up against eleventh place Plymouth Argyle and Rovers tackling League leaders Derby County.
Rovers appeared to have earned themselves a well-deserved replay until an 82 minutes goal from County's Paul Peschisolido secured the home sides fifth round place.
Barnet too, despite their resilience, were denied fifth round glory after conceding twice in the second half. League One side Swansea were dealt a similar blow by Ipswich Town, losing out only to a second half penalty.
Nottingham Forest faced the toughest test, travelling south to Stamford Bridge to face Premiership Champion's Chelsea. It could not have been a worse start for the League Two boys as they failed to weather the early Chelsea storm, trailing after just nine minutes.
Things only got worse for the visitors as they found themselves three behind by half time. A slight second half resurgence, which saw Perch agonisingly stretching to convert an Agogo cross, did lift the away side but they were always overmatched, having only one shot throughout the entire ninety minutes. And that was off target.
But the romanticised dream continues for League One sides Blackpool and Bristol City who both earned fourth round replays in dramatic style.
Blackpool hosted Norwich and looked to be entering into the break still on level terms. But a late effort by Darren Huckerby, capitalising on a defensive error three minutes into injury time, tipped the scales in favour of the Championship side.
The Seasiders did not allow their spirits to drop though and bounced back almost immediately after half time. Evatt repairing the damage of his defensive error, setting up a potential fifth round visit to Stamford Bridge.
The result of the weekend though came from fellow League One side Bristol City. Despite facing Premiership Middlesbrough, confidence was high as City entered into the tie with a 17 game unbeaten stretch, the best home record outside the Premiership.
The Robins were not so chirpy early on though with a series of defensive errors landing them two goals behind. But a spellbinding second half had Ashton Gate singing with two goals in six minutes forcing a replay. 'Brough could only look on in awe as a left footed half volley from Scott Murray perfectly dipped under the crossbar - a strike most Premiership players would be proud of.
Preston North End, along with West Bromwich Albion, continue their excellent season, flying the flag for the Championship in the fifth round after defeating Crystal Palace and Wolves.
Other results saw the Premiership giants sail into the fifth round and again heavily dominating the draw. Blackburn knocked four past Luton as Reading fended off Birmingham 3-2. Fulham cruised past Stoke 3-0 while Tottenham added more woes to Southend's disappointing season beating them 3-1.
Manchester City faced a momentary setback falling behind to Southampton before eventually refocusing to come back and win 3-1. Their city counterparts Manchester United hosted fellow Premiership side Portsmouth. A Wayne Rooney double setting up another home draw, this time against Reading.
The big clash between Arsenal and Bolton ended in another stalemate. Falling behind five minutes into the second half, The Gunners seem to fall foul once again to the Wanderers curse. But a stooping header in the latter stages from Kolo Toure rescued their FA Cup quest
And despite their hectic playing schedule as the Champion's League knockout stages dawn, will emerge the happier with the replay.
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