After the dramatic FA Cup upsets on Saturday only the greediest football fan would have expected any further third round upsets to come.

However Blue Square Premier side Crawley Town decided that they would usurp all that had proceeded them this weekend with an injury time goal from Sergio Torres. For those who frantically check Wikipedia for information about the FA Cup’s latest hero, I can assure you that the former Peterbrough midfielder is in no way related to Fernando Torres despite this claim briefly appearing on the Argentine’s page on the site.

In the long run being knocked out of the FA Cup is unlikely to impact significantly on Derby’s future however they will rue the fact that they should have taken the lead in the tenth minute when Kris Commons failed to beat former Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Michael Kuipers from the penalty spot.

Crawley took advantage on the half hour mark as Craig McAllister gave the high flying and relatively big spending Sussex club the lead which they held until just after the hour mark when Miles Addison equalised for the Rams.

The game seemed to be heading for a replay as the game entered injury time at the end of the second half as Sergio Torres wrote his name into the FA Cup history books by slotting home from 20 yards to seal Crawley’s status as the 2011 FA Cup’s giantkillers.

Crawley are rewarded with an away tie against League Two side Torquay in the fourth round a tie in which I am sure they will fancy their chances of getting a result after tonights heroics.

Kevin Nolan was unable to inspire Newcastle as they fell to Stevenage

The third round should in my eyes be the neutral’s favourite round of the worlds oldest and most famous knock out competition.

This annual football ritual sees the country’s best teams square up not just against each other but also against clubs from the football league and lower reaches of the football pyramid who have fought there way to the third round.

Today there have been some memorable upsets today with nine teams being knocked out by lower league opposition whilst three teams earned replays against teams playing in a higher division.

Stevenage Stun Newcastle

The fixture schedulers excelled themselves today saving the best until last as League Two Stevenage routed Premiership opposition in the form of Newcastle United.

This victory marked a bleak day in the North East as Middlesbrough and Sunderland were also dumped out of the competition by lower league opposition.

The game itself was defined in the second half as the League Two side scored two goals in five minutes, leaving Newcastle reeling and ultimately unable to recover.

The goals scored on the 50th and 55th minutes of the match came from a Mike Williamson own goal and a fine Michael Bostwick strike, the own goal coming courtesy of a wicked deflection from a Stacy Long strike.

Things got worse for the Magpies as Chiek Tiote was sent off for a challenge on Jon Ashton just twelve minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Late on Newcastle gave themselves some brief hope with a spectacular Joey Barton goal in injury time, but Stevenage responded instantly with a goal of their own from Peter Winn to allow the Stevenage fans to enjoy the final seconds of the game knowing that victory was secure.

The final whistle was met with an old fashioned celebratory pitch invasion, which I always love to see, considering it has been stamped out in the Premier League.

Notts County Defeat Sunderland at Stadium of Light

When I started drafting my thoughts on the games today this was the stand out result as League One Notts County’s defeated Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The game started perfectly for the visitors as Black Cats goalkeeper Simon Mingolet was the villian as his error gifted Craig Westcarr the Magpies opener after just five minutes.

To account this victory just to a goalkeeping error would do a massive injustice to the performance of Nott’s County who excelled themselves continuing to create chances against an understrength Sunderland side.

After the early goal it was seventy minutes until the next goal was scored and it fell to Notts County who extended their lead through veteran Lee Hughes and not who fully deserved their victory and went two goals up courtesy of Lee Hughes in the 75th minute.

There was however late drama as Darren Bent converted a penalty conceded by Ricky Ravenhill in the 81st minute to set up a nervous finish for Paul Ince’s men who survived a few scares to clinch a true FA Cup upset.

Leeds Hold Arsenal At The Emirates

Last season Leeds defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford in the upset of the competition in the fourth round, this year they got another huge draw this year in the third round as they drew Arsenal at the Emirates.

However having acquired a taste for cup upsets last season it was Leeds who nearly won the match as Cesc Fabregas drew the Gunners level in the 90th minute after Robert Snodgrass had put Leeds ahead in the second half in a game where both goals came from the penalty spot.

Despite the late equaliser this was a great result for Leeds and sets up a lucrative replay at Elland Road on the 18th of January.

Crawley Town v Derby County

Just when we thought the FA Cup this year could not get any better for cupsets Crawley went and usurped everyone with a deserved victory of Derby County. I thought this achievement deserved more than a few lines at the end of one article so you can read more here. 

One of the most exciting days in the football calendar, the FA Cup 3rd Round draw took place yesterday. Throwing up its usual unpredictable mix of fixtures but failing to deliver a Premier League fairytale story for a non-league club.

We can already guarantee that there will be two sides from England’s second tier in the fourth round draw as Coventry v Crystal Palace and Preston v Nottingham Forest constitute the only all Championship 3rd round ties.

Overall the draw is a tough one for the Championship with more than 10 sides facing Premiership opposition, whilst increasing the chances of a relative upset it also means that a strong Championship presence in the fourth round and beyond is limited.

What do you think your teams chances of progression are in the FA Cup this season?

Despite this pessimism here is my selectino of the most interesting ties in the third round for the Championship:

Arsenal v Leeds

Until recent times a battle of two powerhouses of the modern game, the decline of the Yorkshire club will do little to diminish what will be seen as one of the ties of the round.

Last season Manchester United were knocked out of the competition by Leeds and with Arsene Wenger unlikely to name his strongest side this could be another opportunity for a famous ‘cupset’.

Leicester City v Manchester City

This is a game between two clubs with rich foreign investors, albeit on a different scale.

The cup has a habit of bringing together former players and managers and I am sure that Sven Goran Errikson will be desperate to overcome his former employers. With a home tie the chances of an upset are increased however the depth of the Manchester City squad; even a weakened side is likely to be considered strong favourites.

Reading v West Bromwich Albion

The game for me that is most likely to produce a ‘cupset’ despite mediocre league form, a home tie against Premiership opposition will present a big opportunity to put in a performance and victory that will raise morale and placate the fans.

West Bromwich Albion have started the season well but form is rarely a factor in the FA Cup and this represents an intriguing third round tie.

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Recently relegated Portsmouth’s troubles are not over.  Far from it.  They may have just begun.  As someone who has followed the whole sordid affair since the first signs of trouble in the summer of 2008, I can tell you it’s difficult to type that sentence.  The fire sale that began with Sulley Muntari in July of 2008 has not stopped.

The starting eleven from the 2009-10 season opener versus Fulham consisted of the following:  James, Distin, Kaboul, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Mullins, Wilson, Diop, Mokoena, Utaka, and Piquionne.  Kanu and Nugent came on as subs.  Of those players the following are gone:  James, Distin, Kaboul, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Diop, and Piquionne.  Mullins and Wilson say they would be happy to stay, but with other clubs rumored to want them, and Pompey in need of cash, they probably won’t be around much longer.  Mokoena has said he wants out, but is not exactly in high demand.  Utaka could stay, but is expensive.  Kanu and Nugent both traveled with the club for their North American tour.  Nugent would like to stay, and probably will.  Kanu, however, is out of contract, is asking for too much money, and the best guess of his age is late 30s.  The starting eleven for the FA Cup final was very different than the start of the season.  The only men to feature in both starting lineups were James, Mokoena, Diop, Piquionne, and Mullins.  Of those five players, only two could possibly play on August 7th for the opening of the Championship season.  It’s possible that none of them will play.

Now the depressing part:  Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has appealed the Company Voluntary Agreement which keeps Portsmouth FC in administration until the hearing.  The hearing has been expedited, but until that hearing is resolved, new ownership cannot take charge and do anything to strengthen the squad.  While there are rumors of ownership interest, Pompey supporters have heard too many rumors over the two years to listen to any of them.  The club has been allowed to sign a few players because every club has to have 20 players under contract to start the season.  No one has delusions that this club will get off to anything resembling a good start.  If the hearing does not occur before August 7th, and it is not currently scheduled but they have promised to expedite it, then the club will most likely start the season with a points deduction as much as 17 points.

While the team has not embarrassed themselves on their North American tour, it is obvious that they will struggle.  They lost to Club America 2-1 after taking 42 hours to get from Portsmouth to San Diego.  They then beat the Ventura County Fusion 2-1 and Edmonton FC on penalty kicks to claim a trophy.  Both of those clubs would be the equivalent of Havant & Waterlooville, another club they beat 2-1 before leaving for San Diego.  They play MLS bottom side DC United on Saturday evening at RFK stadium in the nation’s capital.

The club needs some positive news.  Bringing in a few players will help new manager Steve Cotterill add some fresh blood and convince everyone they have a chance of avoiding relegation.  I don’t envy him that task.

Last Saturday was another frustrating day as for the second time in four days (& the third time in a month) Crystal Palace’s Championship fixture was called off – not due to Peaches Geldof’s pending divorce, Michael Phelps being pictured purportedly smoking marijuana from a bong or that ‘idiot’ Gordon Brown………..no you guessed it, it was due to the weather!

Now I am well aware that neither you nor I (the man in the street) can do anything about the weather itself, but maybe the Clubs outside the Premier League should look at alternative strategies in an attempt to make sure games are played despite the weather.

In the cold light of day the Premier League is in a world of its own, The Royal Family of the Football League if you like, BUT the foundation, the bread and butter of our game emanates from the lower leagues.

The Championship, the second tier of our national  game is susceptible to the same problems and issues as the Blue Square League when games are called off.
Lost revenue through various channels including television rights, match sponsorship and ticket sales, match re-scheduling, administration costs, disruption and disappointment for the fans and general inconvenience.

For example, Crystal Palace were due to meet Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Saturday 10th January, the match was postponed and is now re-scheduled for Tuesday 17th February .
How feasible and fair is it on the modern day fan to even contemplate a 460 mile round-trip from London, a nine-hour vehicle journey in MIDWEEK, and in the current economic climate!

A day off work, traveling costs, the long trip, returning home in the early hours and getting up for work the very same morning. Preposterous!
However the tenacity of some of our supporters (as with many Clubs) means there will without a doubt be a small representation of Palace fans at Home Park next week but obviously nothing like the vocal support OUR team would have received had the game been on the proposed Saturday.

This Saturday is FA Cup weekend, and with both teams are out of the competition, in theory anyway both Clubs were available to fulfill the fixture on this ‘free’ weekend, but for whatever reason it seems football politics got in the way. 

I stand to be corrected and will happily hold my hands up if I am wrong, but I thought the re-scheduling of postponed fixtures took priority wherever possible. Palace’s last two fixtures against Birmingham and Barnsley respectively were both victims of the weather. Meanwhile this Saturday Charlton play host to Plymouth, whilst Birmingham entertain Forest.  Both Barnsley and Palace will be kicking their heals this weekend, as neither of them have a game!  

I assume  a week is not enough time for two professional clubs and the FA to re-schedule a fixture! Galling and irksome are just two adjectives that immediately spring to mind.

Now the proposed solution………….of all the various gimmicks in British Football over the years the plastic or artificial pitch is possibly the least bemoaned.
Considered an avant-garde remedy to the rain, frost and snow of a British winter, as well as an additional form of income on non-match days by staging an assortment of other activities to raise money, the plastic football pitch was originally modelled on the Astroturf surfaces of the USA in the 1960’s.

The first football club to roll out a synthetic pitch on these shores was QPR at their Loftus Road ground in 1981. Luton, Oldham and Preston followed suit, but shortly after 1994 when Deepdale reverted back to the green green grass of home, artificial pitches were outlawed under Premier League guidelines.

At the time these pitches were in the early development stage and admittedly there were issues revolving around the bounce of the ball, carpet-type burns and the potential damage to joints, (in particular those of the knee) due to the overly unforgiving nature of the hard surface.
However times and science have moved on quite considerably, 25 years on in fact since the initial experiment at Loftus Road.

Under-soil heating and better drainage facilities also contributed to the death of the artificial pitch, BUT the fact remains today that currently the lushest of footballing surfaces are often made out of a combination of artificial fibres to toughen up the traditional ‘live’ grass alongside it!

In 2003 at the Under-17 World Cup Championships in Helsinki, ten of the matches including the final were played on one of the new generation of artificial surfaces.

Furthermore many of the ultra-modern stadiums in Britain have such high-sided stands that they block out the natural elements that are needed for the turf to be at its best. Subsequently this results in pitches having to be re-laid during a season at great expense, suggesting that an artificial surface of sufficient quality could have a place in the game, particularly outside the top flight.

A full international fixture for the 2008 European Championships was played in October 2007 between England and Russia on an artificial surface, which was installed to counteract adverse weather conditions, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
In Scotland last month Alloa Athletic hosted Aberdeen on their plastic pitch for a Scottish Cup game. 

Is it not finally time that the people at the apex of our game, in their shiny suits, moccasin shoes and badly dyed hair, took the bull by the horns and instead of  watching football clubs fall foul of the weather, became pro-active and provided lower league clubs in the British domestic game, with at least the option of using the latest technology in the form of ‘3G’ type plastic pitches?

The 5^th round of the FA Cup gets underway this Saturday and Sunday and the question is will there be any upsets or will it be business as usual?

Watford v Chelsea – Vicarage Road

Just last week I would have said there was no chance of Watford pulling an upset but I’m not sure. With Chelsea playing poor football and Scolari being sacked just 4 days before the match how will Chelsea react? Will they come out and have a hangover or will they take any anger over their managers dismissal out on Watford? The talent gulf is clear between the two clubs but that doesn’t always guarantee a victory. Watford does have the home pitch advantage which will help boost them. However, I still think Chelsea will squeak by Watford 2-1 but it won’t be pretty.

Derby County v Manchester United Episode III  “Revenge of the Rams?”- Pride Park

This will be the third time Derby and United have faced off this year, with Derby taking the first leg of the Carling Cup 1-0 and United taking the tie and second leg 4-2. I give Derby a 15% chance of springing the upset on United. Derby are playing good football right now, Rob Hulse and Kris Commons are on hot streaks and Commons has showed he not intimidated by United. Pride Park will be a sell out and the Rams fans will be loud and in full support of Derby. However United are full of talent and if they play like they can, Derby wont stand a chance. I think Derby will do well but I expect United to take this 3-2.

Swansea City v Fulham – Liberty Stadium

This is a battle of two teams who are performing above expectations in their respective leagues. Swansea City is showing it can handle life in the Championship with no problems while Fulham are having a good year after barely escaping relegation last season. Swansea isn’t afraid of any team and they will be playing at home which will help Fulham dispatched non-league Kettering Town while Swansea struggled to beat non-league Histon. I think Fulham will take this tie but it depends on which Swansea team shows up that will determine the score, my guess 3-1 Fulham.

Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City – Ewood Park

I sense an upset here, Blackburn are not playing well at all while Chris Coleman has Coventry doing well in the Championship. Blackburn struggled to get past fellow BPL team Sunderland while Coventry likewise had issues with BSP Torquay. I think out of all the ties this one has the best chance for an upset. Coleman has Coventry believing they can win and Blackburn are having a bad season. My guess 2-1 Coventry.

Sheffield United v Hull City – Bramell Lane

The surprise package of the BPL travels to a solid Sheffield United squad. While United are playing well and on track for the CCC playoffs, Hull are having a magical season in the BPL. They are not afraid of anyone which has contributed to their success. Hull takes this 1-0 in typical Hull fashion.

Arsenal v Cardiff City 4^th Round replay – Emirates Stadium

Cardiff did well to hold Arsenal in the first match but I think Arsenal will show their class in the replay of the tie. The talented youngsters Wenger has at his disposal is frightening. Arsenal to advance 4-2.

Sadly I see this weekend as a continuation of business as usual for the FA Cup. Other then Coventry springing an upset on Blackburn I think it will be a clean sweep for the BPL Clubs. I hope and would love to be proven wrong and of course Lets Go Ewe Rams!!

The magic of the FA Cup was on display during the replay of the Derby-Nottingham Forest cup tie. This was more then just your average Derby match, the rivalry between these two clubs is fierce and the fact that one club has the opportunity to knock the other out of the oldest cup competition makes it even more intense. There are so many underlying stories of this tie that add to it: Kris Commons a former Forest player returns to the City Ground against his old club, Derby have not won at the City Ground since October 1971, Nigel Clough, the son of legendary Forest and Derby manager Brian Clough is on the Derby touchline and former Derby Manager Billy Davies is on the Forest Touchline. If that wasn’t enough, the first leg ended 1-1 at Pride Park after a scrappy match with tempers flaring.

The match started out nightmarish for Derby as they went down 1-0 in under one minute when Chris Cohen took his own short corner and put the ball into the top corner leaving Derby Keeper Stephen Bywater unable to save. It went from bad to worse if you were a Derby fan when Bywater brought down Nathan Tyson for a penalty. Stephen Bywater was luck to not see red since he stopped a goal scoring opportunity, Tyson then stepped up and put the ball into the top right corner. Derby were now down 2-0 and only 14 minutes had passed. It looked as if Forest would get the best of their rivals and bragging rights would be theirs but with a cup tie things were about to change. Derby refused to give up and on 27 minutes, Rob Hulse headed in a cross from Gary Teale to give Derby a lifeline, it was now 2-1 to Forest. No changes were made when both teams came out for the second half and Derby came out on fire, Paul Green equalized on 59 minutes heading it home from Teale who had his second assist of the match. Game on! The moment that made this tie was yet to come and showed why the magic of the FA Cup was alive in this tie. Derby winger Kris Commons was jeered every time he touched the ball by the Forest faithful who considered him a traitor for signing with Derby over the summer. He didn’t let that bother him and was shooting all match long, in the 73 minute that persistence would pay off. He blasted a shot that deflected off Forest defender Wes Morgan. Derby fans went wild, they had come from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead. Derby held on for the win and a home tie against Manchester United in the 5^th round.

This tie had everything a football fan could hope for, drama in both legs of the tie, two clubs and fans who don’t like each other and never will, underlying stories and dramatic winners. This tie showed that while both teams may not play in the BPL that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good cup tie. The FA Cup magic was on full display during this tie and showed how magical it truly can be.

The thrid round of the FA Cup draw is out and here is who the teams of the CCC will face. The ties will be played the weekend of January 3, 2009. If the tie is tied then a replay will be played.

Portsmouth v Bristol City – Ashton Gate

Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham – Hillbrough

Preston NE v Liverpool – Deepdale

Birmingham City v Wolves – St. Andrew’s Stadium

West Ham United v Barnsley – Upton Park

Manchester City v Nottingham Forest – Eastlands

Cardiff City v Reading – Ninan Park

Ipswich Town v Chesterfield/Droylesden – Portman Road

Charlton v Norwich – The Valley

Torquay v Blackpool – Plainmoor

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United – Brisbane Road

Southampton v Manchester United – St. Mary’s Stadium

Histon v Swansea City – Bridge Road

Forest Green Rovers v Derby County – The New Lawn

QPR v Burnley – Turf Moor

Leicester City v Crystal Palace – Walkers Stadium

Morcambe/Cheltenham v Doncaster

Arsenal v Plymouth – Emirates Stadium

Watford v Scunthorpe – Vicarage Road

Coventry City v Kidderminster – Richo Arena