An update of the FA Cup third round replays including non-league sides Lincoln and Sutton making it through to the Fourth Round.
The National League will have two sides in the Fourth Round of the FA after Lincoln City, and Sutton United overcame their professional brethren, and on their home turfs no less.
We will start with Lincoln and their impressive victory over Ipswich at Portman Road. At the outset, there were 59 places between the pair as the National League leaders tried to find a way past the Championship side, but you wouldn’t have thought as much.
Lincoln won the game in true fairytale fashion.
With time running out, Adam Marriott picked up the ball on the halfway line with Ipswich looking threadbare at the back. Then from nowhere, Nathan Arnold, flew past him like a Japanese Express Train. Marriot picked out the pass of his life, and Arnold rounded the Ipswich keeper as if he was playing with jumpers for goalposts before passing the ball into the empty net.
It was the first time in 41-years that Lincoln had reached the Fourth Round. The man at the helm during that run?
The late Graham Taylor.
“They deserved to win,” said Ipswich boss, Mick McCarthy after the game.
And they did. Not just over this tie, but 180-minutes of football, and that should worry fans of the Championship side.
Lincoln now travel to high-flying Brighton, who are currently second in the Championship having lost only three games all season. I wonder if Lincoln manager Danny Cowley has any more fairy dust left in his wand?
Sutton Win Battle of the FA Cup Underdogs
There was a time when working class folk used to look forward to watching the FA Cup. It was the one event throughout the year that made you think anything was possible as you played sock football in the hallway of your home.
Back then, two of the biggest acts of stone slinging came from Sutton United and AFC Wimbledon. Non-league Sutton upsetting Coventry in 1989. And Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang getting the better of the upstarts from Liverpool when they won the thing in 1988.
With AFC Wimbledon performing in EFL League One, and Sutton in the National League, it was the latter who kept the sling in this one – and they found the mark on three occasions to giant kill their way into the Fourth Round.
Wimbledon opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Tom Elliot found space in the Sutton box to head home a free-kick from the left. But then just as you expected Wimbledon to go forth and put the tie beyond the reach of the team 50-places below them in the English league, disaster struck when they were reduced to 10-men after the ref sent Paul Robinson to the stands for pulling back Matt Tubbs when through on goal.
Sutton put the bit between the teeth, pulled out the riding crop, and starting whipping up a storm. Roarie Deacon finally broke through the resistance in the 75th minute with a smart turn and shot from the edge of the box to square the tie.
Then in the 90th minute, with both teams looking resigned to a further 30-minutes of extra time, Maxime Biamou turned up at the far post to score the winner. Dean Fitchett wrapped things up six minutes into injury time.
Sutton host Championship side Leeds in the Fourth Round.
The Best of the Rest
Sunderland is free to concentrate on Premier League survival after losing 2-0 away at Burnley. The defeat means Sunderland have now gone six games without a win in any competition, losing four. Burnley has now won their past five home games in all competitions. Sam Vokes and Andre Gray firing two nails deep into the coffin of David Moyes’s side.
Bristol City will be the next team to try and beat Burnley at home after the Championship side beat League One’s Fleetwood by a single goal at the Highbury Stadium. Jamie Paterson’s 17th-minute strike proving enough for Lee Johnson’s side.
Blackpool’s reward for getting through a gritty northern tie is another gritty northern tie. It seems like the blink of an eye ago that League Two side Blackpool was in the Premier League. For one night only, that fall from grace was forgotten as goals from Kelvin Mellor and an extra time winner from Bright Osayi-Samuel thrust them into the next round to face Championship side, Blackburn.
Southampton finished off Premier League old boy Norwich, but they left it very late. Shane Long capping off his 100th appearance for the Saints with the winning goal in injury time. If the Saints are going to win their first FA Cup since 1973, then they are going to have to do it the hard way – they host Arsenal in Round Four.
Championship leaders Newcastle are also in the next round after putting the sword through Birmingham at St James Park. A Matt Ritchie double, and a goal from Yoan Gouffran was enough to set up a Fourth Round tie with Oxford.
Liverpool put an end to Plymouth’s hope of a giant-killing after Lucas scored his first goal for the club in seven years. Jurgen Klopp’s side should have made things a little easier, but Divock Origi fluffed his lines from the penalty spot. Next up for Liverpool is a home tie against Wolves.
Finally, Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce bagged his first win in charge of the London club after ending the FA Cup hopes of his one true love, Bolton. A Christian Benteke brace helping Palace come from a goal behind after James Henry had given Bolton the lead just after half-time. Palace now hosts the FA Cup second-favourites Man City at Selhurst Park.
Third Round Replay Results
Burnley 2 v 0 Sunderland
Fleetwood 0 v 1 Bristol City
Barnsley 1 v 2 Blackpool
AFC Wimbledon 1 v 3 Sutton
Crystal Palace 2 v 1 Bolton
Lincoln 1 v 0 Ipswich
Southampton v Norwich
Newcastle v Birmingham
Plymouth v Liverpool
Fourth Round Draw
Derby v Leicester
Southampton v Arsenal
Liverpool v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Man City
Middlesbrough v Stanley
Oxford v Newcastle
Blackburn v Blackpool
Chelsea v Brentford
Burnley v Bristol City
Spurs v Wycombe
Rochdale v Huddersfield
Lincoln v Brighton
Millwall v Watford
Fulham v Hull
Sutton v Leeds
Man Utd v Wigan
FA Cup Odds (Courtesy of Bodog)
Chelsea +400
Man City +500
Man Utd +500
Liverpool +650
Arsenal +700
Spurs +700
