In the days when the FA
Cup was seen to be the greatest football competition in the world,
today, Third Round day, was the most exciting day in the football
calendar, when the big clubs joined the cream of the smaller clubs
including a few non-league minnows. Every year the draw paired Davids
with Goliaths & invariably there would be shocks. Giantkillers
such as Yeovil, Hereford United, Blyth Spartans, Altrincham &, of
course, Sutton United, would grab the headlines & massive crowds
would watch the 32 ties played in all sorts of weather & pitch
conditions, often involving snow & ice. For many, especially
Premiership clubs, the competition has lost some of its glamour, with
big clubs fielding weaker line-ups & fans shunning the Third
Round, mainly because of exorbitant ticket prices. But for teams
outside the top flight there is still a lot of magic in the
competition – the chance to get the scalp of a big club or even
just get a big cut of a large gate but often just a good day out for
the fans. I haven't done the research but I reckon the away
followings of teams travelling to a team from a higher division in
the FA Cup are amongst their biggest of the season. For instance in
the last two seasons City took large followings to Tottenham,
Barnsley & Arsenal, and if you go further back there were great
numbers who trekked to Blackburn (twice), Portsmouth & Birmingham
City since we left the Premiership in 2001. Similarly clubs of a
lower status have brought substantial followings to the Ricoh in
recent years including Millwall, Kidderminster & Worcester City
this season. I think this illustrates my point that the FA Cup may
have lost some of its glamour for the 'big boys' but not for the
smaller clubs & their fans who relish the chance to topple a
giant & get that 'day in the sun'.
Sadly this weekend the
Sky Blues are not involved in the Cup – the first time they haven't
played in the Third Round since 1964 when City fans at least could
bask in the fact that their team were eight points clear of the field
in the old Division Three.
The Christmas results
were disappointing, especially defeat at Doncaster, a side with the
worst home record in the division with only one win and six goals to
their name. The double sending-off of Adam Barton & James
Maddison didn't help of course & it was the fifth time in the
club's league history that they have had two players dismissed in the
same game. Four of those five incidents have occurred in the last 20
years when dismissals have become far more common place. Prior to the
1980s it was rare for players to get their marching orders for
anything other than fisticuffs & City had their share of wannabe
boxers. George Hudson, Maurice Setters, Noel Simpson, Ian Wallace &
Jimmy Holmes all saw red for striking an opponent, albeit that a
number of them were severely provoked.
The first double
sending off happened at Hull City's Anlaby Road ground in February
1920 when Billy Walker & Jock Blair got their marching orders,
along with one Hull player. Nine-men City managed to hang on to a 1-0
lead to record only their fourth victory in 31 games of a miserable
season. According to the Midland Daily Telegraph, courtesy of fellow
City historian Mike Young, it was 'the roughest (game) seen on the
Hull ground this season'. The home crowd felt Coventry were very much
the aggressors but Nemo in the MDT said that 'it was Hull who had
commenced the dirty business'. Walker was ordered off for a foul
before Blair & Hughes, the Hull left-winger, clashed, there was
an altercation, and the referee ordered both players off. City were
reduced to eight men shortly afterwards when Copeland was carried off
injured but City held out to inflict only Hull's second home defeat
of the season.
Fast-forward to
November 1995 & Highfield Road with Wimbledon the visitors. With
City leading 1-0, Paul Williams was shown red by referee Robbie Hart
after 27 minutes for handling the ball in the area. Vinnie Jones
converted the penalty & the Dons took advantage of the numerical
advantage & went 3-1 ahead. City pulled one goal back but with 10
minutes left Richard Shaw was shown his second yellow card & was
off. Somehow nine-men City levelled through David Rennie & should
have clinched the victory in the last minute but Peter Ndlovu missed
a good chance.
Just over two years
later the Sky Blues had two men ordered off at Villa Park in a 3-0
defeat. Paul Williams was the villain again with two bookings before
Gary Breen was unlucky to get a red card from Graham Barber in the
last minute, for pushing Gary Charles. Villa's scorers were Stan
Collymore & substitutes Lee Hendrie & Julian Joachim.
The fourth instance of
two red cards was in 2003 at Preston. With an hour gone & City
1-2 down but making great efforts to gain their first ever league win
at Deepdale, Patrick Suffo landed a right hook on Marlon Broomes &
referee Eddie Evans showed a straight red. Preston increased their
lead before Michael Doyle threw a punch at Lee Cartwright & saw
red. Preston ran out 4-2 winners.
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