FA Cup 4th Round Round Up

The FA Cup never fails to bring up a few so called 'cupsets', but the weekend of the 26th/27th of January will be fondly remembered for a long time by certain fans....

Dejected Delia Downed As Luton Go Loopy  - Norwich City 0-1 Luton Town

For many Hatters' fans the last decade has been a gloomy tale of relegation, administration and heartbreak. 2008-09 saw the club docked 30 points for financial irregularities and with the penalty too large to overcome, Luton were relegated to the Conference for the first time. 

This seasons FA Cup competition will forever be elicit in the minds of every Luton fan, with the competition starting with a 2-0 victory over Cambridge United before a first round win over Nuneaton in a replay. The second round saw the Hatters face fellow non league side Dorchester. The Bedfordshire outfit came out as 2-1 victors and set up a tantalising tie against Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers. Alex Lawless' sweet strike sent the Kenilworth Road faithful into raptures as a 1-0 triumph sent Luton into Round 4. 

The rest is history.....

They had been drawn against Premier League side Norwich City at Carrow Road, by far the toughest game of Luton's FA Cup journey so far. 4500 fans filled the away section in Norfolk. The Hatters were holding Norwich at 0-0 as the last ten minutes descended. Suddenly, 'it's Rendellll!' Scott Rendell had written his name into the Luton Town history books. The Bedfordshire side had become the first non-league side to knock out top flight opposition since Sutton United beat Coventry in 1989. 

Celebrations....

So, another non-league side enters Round 5 of the FA Cup. Crawley became the first in nearly two decades during the 2010/11 season, losing to Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. However, Luton will fancy themselves to go one step further after the 5th Round draw saw them tied against Millwall. There is certainly a tasty encounter to be had there. 

They've Don It! - Queens Park Rangers 2-4 Milton Keynes Dons

In their short history, MK Dons have never had much to cheer about in the FA Cup. After two previous ties against the Queens Park Rangers in recent years, Milton Keynes Dons travelled to Loftus Road to take on a side who sat bottom of the Premier League, under new manager Harry Redknapp, and who were struggling to find a victory. Dons form was not up to scratch either though, and a good League One campaign has started to dip.

Potter makes it 4-0....

3200 Dons fans had made the journey to London hoping to see their side pull off a Premier League scalp, and after just four minutes, the Buckinghamshire side took the lead as Armand Traore's scuffed clearance looped into the net. As the game continued MK started to dominate and soon found a second goal through Ryan Lowe just before half time. Two more goals came in the second half from Ryan Harley and Darren Potter and the League One side found them selves 4-0 to the good against the Premier League's basement team. Despite two late strikes by Fabio and Jay Bothroyd, MK Dons held on for a famous upset and progressed through to the next round. 

Latics 'Old On - Oldham Athletic 3-2 Liverpool

Sitting 19th in League One and fans getting on the managers' back. Things look bleak for Oldham Athletic. But, their FA Cup odyssey this season has given their fans something to cheer about. Round 1 saw the Latics overcome non league Kidderminster Harriers 2-0 at Aggborough before and all League One tie against Doncaster saw them come out 3-1 victors. In Round 4, Oldham travelled to the City Ground, Nottingham to play Nottingham Forest. A stunning performance saw the Lancashire side win 3-2 and resigned Alex McLeish to a defeat. 

Wild celebrations for an Oldham goal....

Oldham Athletic drew Liverpool. Sunday 27th January 2013, 16.04pm. 'Matt Smith!' The Latics take an incredible lead against a largely experienced Liverpool side. The fans are sent into delirium. Luis Suarez equalised for 'Pool with a smart finish, but in stoppage time at the end of the first half a crafty move saw Matt Smith tap in to regain Oldham's lead. Fans started to believe. Oldham started the second half just as they finished the first half. Reece Wabara's looping header hit the back of the net and the Latics led 3-1 against the former European Champions. They dominated stages of the game, coming close to a fourth on several occasions. Joe Allen's deflected strike made it 3-2, and hearts were in mouths. Outlandishly, Oldham held on for a famous victory and fans flooded the pitch to celebrate with the players. 


Round Up 

You may be wondering why Brentford haven't been mentioned yet. Well, they did achieve an incredible result at home to Chelsea, but I thought I'd wait until the replay and write a whole post on them. I must commend the Bees though. A strong force in League One, and able to hold Chelsea at 2-2. It's a great time to be a Brentford fan.

Other Results 

Manchester Utd 4-1 Fulham

Bolton 1-2 Everton

Brighton 2-3 Arsenal

Derby 0-3 Blackburn

Huddersfield 1-1 Leicester

Hull 0-1 Barnsley

Macclesfield 0-1 Wigan

Middlesbrough 2-1 Aldershot

Reading 4-0 Sheffield Utd

Stoke 0-1 Manchester City

FA Cup - The Cup Of Dreams.