WinkBall

This weekend we welcome back perhaps the greatest football competition in the country, maybe even the world, The F.A. Cup.  A tournament of equals that produces iconic moments of football history that demonstrate everything that is so wonderful about the beautiful game.  In its long history, the F.A Cup has given many an opportunity for David to take on Goliath and in many instances we have seen David conquer in games that will be forever enshrined in football history.  Once again this year we hope to see more F.A. Cup upsets that will continue the great tradition of this magnificent tournament.  With the third round of the F.A. Cup about to commence, we take a nostalgic look back at some of the greatest F.A. Cup exits.

Liverpool 0 – 1 Wimbledon

Complete outsiders in the lead up to this match, Wimbledon’s triumphant victory over Liverpool in the1988 F.A. Cup Final is by far one of the greatest cup upsets ever. With Wimbledon being a non league side a mere 11 years ago, many did not fancy the Crazy Gang’s chances against the legendary Liverpool, not even their manager Bobby Gould.  Despite the odds stacked against them, Wimbledon took the lead thanks to a Lawrie Sanchez looping header and went in 1-0 at half time.  Liverpool almost found a way back into the game when they were awarded penalty.  Dependable striker John Aldridge saw his penalty saved by Dons keeper Dave Beasant and thus Wimbledon held on at 1-0 and took the trophy home to South West London.  For his save, Dave Beasant has forever booked his place in the history books as a cup hero, helping Wimbledon pull off a remarkable upset.

Bournemouth 2 – 0 Manchester United

Managed by a young Harry Redknapp, his Bournemouth side fancied their chances against a very different United side back then in this third round tie. Managed by the big man himself Ron Atkinson, United were still undoubtedly a strong outfit and were current holders of the trophy.  Redknapp warned that his team would not act sympathetic towards bigger teams and with this would take their shot at the big time.  With goals from Milton Graham and Ian Thompson, the Cherries defeated United 2-0 providing one of the big shocks of the third round.

Wrexham 2 – 1 Arsenal

Arsenal under George Graham were at the top of their game when they came to visit Welsh team Wrexham.  Reigning first division champions and lying 2^nd in the league, the Gunners chances fared much better in this contest considering their opponent were positioned 24^th in the third division.  This initially seemed to be the case as Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith helped Arsenal to a 0-1 lead. However, Wrexham had other things on their mind and with ten minutes to go, Mickey Thomas fired in a ferocious free-kick past David Seaman to make it 1 apiece. And throwing another spanner in the works, with momentum gained Wrexham fired in another goal to make it 2-1to the home side, courtesy of Steve Watkin.  A small dose of third round humiliation was served to Arsenal that day.

Barnsley 1 – 0 Chelsea

Barnsley were the surprise package of 2008 in the F.A. Cup.  After dumping out Liverpool at Anfield of all places in the fifth round, the Tykes next faced current holders and Premiership giants Chelsea. Home advantage came to Barnsley this time at Oakwell and many fancied another upset was on the cards.  Lightning did in fact strike twice as Tykes striker Kayode Odejayi fired in the only goal in a 1-0 win victory that dumped out Chelsea and propelled Barnsley to the Semi-Final. This was a fantastic upset and remarkable in the fact that Chelsea that year reached the elite stage of the European Champions League Final.

Sutton United 2 – 1 Coventry

What dreams are made of when it comes to football and what makes the F.A. Cup the tournament of equals.  This encounter between non-league Sutton United and top flight Coventry proved how names on a piece of paper, reputation and status can sometimes mean nothing in a game of football.  Sutton United shocked the football world with this upset toppling Coventry in a 2-1 home victory at Gander Green Lane.  With goals from Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan, this was Sutton United’s moment and their shot at the history books.  Considering Coventry had won the tournament only two years ago, their defeat to non league Sutton United will forever be a result that will live on in infamy.

Well there you go, those are just some of the great football moments that make the F.A. Cup so special.  What more is in store for it this year and what upsets will we expect to see?

WinkBall will be at the heart of the action this weekend speaking to the many football fans of the many teams across all leagues of English football. There they will be finding out what the F.A. Cup means to them and the importance of it as a trophy.  Some sceptics have argued that the F.A. Cup has lost some of its sparkle and magic, maybe with other tournaments taking more precedence with some teams and there not being a great focus and value of its importance.   If that may be true or not, WinkBall aim to bring back that passion and capture the magic of the F.A. Cup through you the fans.

WinkBall will be covering a selection of seven exciting games this F.A. Cup weekend, so get involved and tell us about your team and what the F.A. Cup means to you.

To see all the exciting fan footage from each game, see the following links in a couple of hours and view what people had to say.

http://www.winkball.com/walls/scYoXQmTURQK/liverpool-vs-oldham-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/1og8WmvtGDE4/crawley-town-vs-bristol-city-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/D1iF476anwl-/man-city-vs-man-utd-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/fAaQWh8japtu/arsenal-vs-leeds-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/x3v-q24xajza/everton-vs-tamworth-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/1D-9IVwIxGtG/mk-dons-vs-qpr-fa-cup-3rd-round

http://www.winkball.com/walls/gW4uLrxo1z3u/tottenham-vs-cheltenham-fa-cup-3rd-round