Hillsborough papers to be released

CABINET records of documents and discussions in the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster have been ordered for release.  The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham revealed yesterday that he felt that it was in the public interest for this information to be released.

     Under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, the government now has either 35 days to release the records or 28 days to appeal the decision.  95 Liverpool fans were crushed to death on the terraces of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium while watching the early stages of an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.  The 96^th victim, Tony Bland, died from his injuries in 1993. 

     Campaigners have welcomed the decision to release the files, including Anne Williams, who lost her 15-year old son Kevin in the tragedy.  She told BBC News; “This is good news.  I’m very surprised.  I thought the government would block it.  At least now, we may get to the truth.”    

JUSTICE: Yesterday's ruling is a massive step forward for Liverpool

     The files are believed to include reports relating to Hillsborough that were provided to Margaret Thatcher.  Also expected are discussions between her and the then Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd and minutes of meetings she attended.  Chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Margaret Aspinall is angry that more information wasn’t released; she told the official LFC website “We have always wanted to see the minutes of Mrs. Thatcher’s meetings, but when we asked, we were always told there were no minutes taken.”  “I find it quite strange that now the minutes are going to be released.  Yet again, I feel we have been lied to.”

     After 22 years of false hope, untruthful allegations from tabloid newspapers and an inquest that was a massive miscarriage of justice, the truth of what happened on that sunny day at Hillsborough which turned into such a nightmare on April 15, 1989 might finally be revealed.  This document order means the families can feel there’s a massive step forward in the long-standing fight for justice.

FA Cup final 2011 - City end long victory drought

MANCHESTER CITY’s 35 year trophy drought ended yesterday, as they beat Stoke City 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley.  City’s semi-final hero Yaya Toure scored the only goal in the 74^th minute to break Stoke’s resistance in an intriguing final, though hardly a classic to be remembered.

     Stoke were taking part in their first ever FA Cup final, whilst City last made it this far back in 1981.  Therefore, it was a surprising final for many and unfortunately, the game never lived up to its pre-match billing.  Tony Pulis side were very poor in the first half and thanks to some great goalkeeping from Thomas Sorensen and wasteful City finishing, they held onto a 0-0 scoreline at half-time.  Both Carlos Tevez and man-of-the-match Mario Balotelli were denied by the exploits of Sorensen, who has been Stoke’s FA Cup goalkeeper all season.  The Potters were organised and very resolute, but sadly, not much more.  The best chance of the first half was missed by the off-colour David Silva.  Balotelli’s brilliant movement ten minutes before half-time set the chance up and although the Spanish World Cup winner approached it at an awkward height, he basically missed a sitter by his high standards. 

     At times, the final threatened to get out of hand into a very bitty occasion.  Two poor challenges from Robert Huth in the first half meant the German was very lucky to stay on the pitch by half-time.  Either side of the interval and Jermaine Pennant was the victim of two bruising challenges, which limited his impact.  With Matthew Etherington forced off on the hour mark, having picked up a recurrence of the hamstring injury that he first picked up against Wolves 18 days ago, Stoke’s threat, particularly on the wings was severely limited.  Toure went onto to make the right headlines, but even the Ivorian was lucky to still be on the field by the time he scored the decisive goal.  A very bad challenge on Andy Wilkinson which looked malicious and with some form of intent was the climax of a very scrappy and spicy start to the second half. 

CHANCE: Stoke's golden chance was blown by Kenwyne Jones

     Stoke’s best chance to win the FA Cup final came just before Etherington’s enforced departure.  His beautifully-flighted ball over the top found Kenwyne Jones.  Jones managed to escape the clutches of Joleon Lescott, but Joe Hart stood tall, and made a critical save.  At this point, Roberto Mancini elected to make a bold move.  He sacrificed one of his holding players; Gareth Barry, for the more attack-minded Adam Johnson and the extra aggression in the final third soon paid dividends.  Yet again, Balotelli was in the heart of the move.  His shot, after some clever skill was blocked by Ryan Shawcross and following another minor deflection, the ball fell perfectly to Toure, who produced a cracking drive to break the deadlock.  It was a strike that left Sorensen with absolutely no chance.  Despite sending Shawcross forward as an emergency striker and Sorensen for corners, Stoke’s late bombardment on the City goal ultimately came to nothing.

    The rise of Manchester City continues and it is a fitting tribute to Neil Young.  Young, who scored the winning goal the last time the blue side of Manchester won the FA Cup, in 1969, died in February.  Goalkeeper Hart insisted that Manchester United’s earlier title success at Ewood Park meant nothing to hinder the celebrations; “We don’t care about Man U.  This is about Man City and the players and the fans, we deserved to win.”  Losing manager Pulis accepted the result with good grace.  He told ITV; “We’ve had a great season, but ultimately we dropped off today.  The best side won.” 

ALOFT: Tevez lifts the FA Cup for Manchester City

      The 1976 League Cup was the last time Manchester City lifted a major domestic trophy and on the week when they also won qualification into next season’s Champions League, this will go down as a week to remember for all City fans.  Ultimately, they were the stronger and better outfit throughout and deserved the win.  It was left to Carlos Tevez, only the third overseas captain after Eric Cantona and Patrick Vieira to lift the FA Cup aloft.  Whilst Stoke played their part in a largely forgettable final, it was a Blue Day at Wembley yesterday and anything is possible from here for the rich-spenders.  This could be the start of something big and there is no doubt now, that the whole of the football world must sit-up and take notice. 

FA Cup semi-final review - Potters v Rich Blues in Wembley showpiece

STOKE City and Manchester City will contest this season’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium next month.  This is after the pair overcame Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United in two interesting semi-finals at the home of English football at the weekend.

MOBBED: City players pile on Yaya Toure, after his winner

     Manchester City’s pain of not winning coveted silverware for so long could well be over and they managed to overcome bitter rivals Manchester United 1-0 in the first semi on Saturday evening.  Roberto Mancini’s side fully deserved to advance to the final, ending United’s treble dreams in the process.  The only goal of the game came ten minutes into the second half.  Michael Carrick made a crucial error and was intercepted by the bullish Yaya Toure.  Toure went on to brush off Nemanja Vidic and beat the advancing Edwin van der Sar to ink his name in City folklore forever.  It was another high-profile mistake from error-strewn Carrick, who despite having a better season this campaign, has the tendency to slip up at the critical moment.  As the game wore on, United’s desperation increased, clearly missing the suspended Wayne Rooney.  His replacement, Dimitar Berbatov had an off-day – missing two early chances for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.  They came within 20 seconds of one another.  The first forced a good save from Joe Hart, whilst the second was a chance his grandmother could have scored with her eyes shut!  How the Premier League’s top goalscorer missed with a gaping goal at his mercy, two yards out is enough to destroy anyone’s self-belief.  After the break, only a Nani free-kick forced Hart into some serious action as United toiled.  Paul Scholes was rightfully dismissed on 72 minutes.  His crude challenge on Pablo Zabaleta punished with a straight red card from referee Mike Dean.  Although an ugly confrontation between Rio Ferdinand and Mario Balotelli slightly marred the post-match celebrations of City, few can begrudge their supporters of an FA Cup final, despite the club’s enhanced wealth of recent seasons.

CLINCHER: Kenwyne Jones beats Jaaseklainen to end the contest

     Their opponents on the big day will be Stoke City, who thrashed Bolton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon 5-0.  The impressive Jonathan Walters scored twice to seal the Potters first ever FA Cup final appearance.  Owen Coyle was close to tears; struggling to take in just how poor his side had been.  Bolton choked on the big stage and this made it a trouble-free and delightful afternoon for Tony Pulis’s team, who recorded one of the biggest ever Wembley thrashings.  Matthew Etherington punished careless possession from Johan Elmander to hit an unstoppable drive past Juusi Jaaskelainen in the 11^th minute.  Moments later, Robert Huth doubled the lead, although Jaaskelainen might feel he could have done better with his shot.  As a contest, the game was well and truly over on the half hour mark, once Kenwyne Jones made it 3-0.  Bolton’s fans started deserting in their drones, unable to witness such a spanking.  Walters added the gloss with his two strikes in a man of the match performance after the interval.  Congratulations to both Stoke and Manchester City, hope you give us a wonderful final.

Hillsborough - The fight for justice continues

The Hillsborough memorial outside Anfield for the 'Unforgotten 96'

IT IS FA Cup semi-final weekend and fans of Manchester City, Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City will be looking forward to a day out at Wembley.  However, it is time to remember the past and the fight for justice that still continues.  

     On Saturday April 15, 1989, and a sunny Saturday afternoon turned into the biggest catastrophe seen in sporting history.  96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death on the terraces of Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium.  They were meant to be going to watch a football match, seeing the all-conquering Liverpool side take on Brian Clough's entertaining Nottingham Forest outfit in an FA Cup semi-final.  The match was stopped at 3.06pm, when it became evident that problems had arisen from the Leppings Lane stand, where the Liverpool fans were located.  Blunders of the first magnitude by Yorkshire police were criticised in the Taylor report, which ended the debacle of stadium disasters in the 80s.  After Bradford and Heysel, this was the last thing football needed.  The Taylor report pushed for all-seater stadiums at all football grounds across the country and it has certainly made things safer.  Sadly, it took the deaths of 96 innocent people for it to happen.  

     22 years on and accusations have been pointed at some.  On Merseyside, there is still a outcry for justice against those responsible for Hillsborough and against a certain daily newspaper, for their front pages in the aftermath that have led to a boycott of this paper on Merseyside.  22 years on and the pain and grief of Hillsborough still hurts these families and many others who lost friends, relatives or even grow up with the personal affections towards Hillsborough.  Being a Liverpool fan myself, I am fully with the campaign to bring the people responsible to justice and it is a campaign that won't go away, no matter what others may think.  

     This afternoon, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, the current first-team squad, players from the fateful day at Hillsborough and some 10,000 Liverpool supporters will gather at Anfield for the traditional Hillsborough Memorial Service.  The fight for justice continues and a message to the 96 is, You'll Never Walk Alone!

Below is a poem I initially wrote for the 20th anniversary in 2009, as my moving tribute to the 'Unforgotten 96.'

UNFORGOTTEN 96

In the middle of April, the sky is blossomed by the sun

FA Cup semi-final day is meant to be full of drama and fun

Families are brought together by an amazing cup run

The reality is a day out at Wembley’s twin towers is only a dream.

For some, they say football is a beautiful game

Other sports like golf and cricket are in comparison, so tame

Players can in an instant go from mediocrity to fame

Whatever happens, we all feel the same.

When fans go to a massive game, they will arrive in a flock

And very quickly, the stadium will be filled block-by-block

Come 3pm, the gates will be locked

So the unpredictable begins, like the roughness of a jagged rock.

Sometimes, mistakes take place

As fans, we feel like tripping over our own shoe lace

The pain and agony streams down our face

Realising the dream is over; our team has felt the pace.

However, football means nothing when disaster rips out

A fateful crush means 96 lives are tragically cut

The pain can be felt through anyone’s gut

And now, we must stick together in an oblivious hut.

Enquiries and appeals have meant we can’t dismiss the pain

The results have meant there can be no gain

And as the sunshine is replaced by the April pouring rain

The gloom around the place feels like we live down the drain.

Twenty-two years on, and justice is still being chased

Hopes of the unforgotten being rested have been dashed

Consequently, we will fight till the bitter end

Waiting for someone under pressure to crack and bend.

For many, we can get on with our lives

But for the 96 families, the grief will remain forever

Nevertheless, support will be there for all, ever and ever

As a community, we stick together, side-by-side.

Now it is time to hold hands and show our united front

Not just Merseyside, but the passionate game we all love

Man and woman, hand-in hand, heading for the move

Anfield waits, to remember the unforgotten heroes

We remember those who Liverpool lost

The game has improved, but at 96’s cost

From the deceased, no e-mails, no calls, no post

Whatever happens though, their unconditional love will remain

THE UNFORGOTTEN 96, You’ll Never Walk Alone!

HILLSBOROUGH VICTIMS

John ALFRED Anderson (62)                                

Colin MARK Ashcroft (19)                                       

James GARY Aspinall (18)                                        

Kester ROGER MARCUS Ball (16)                       

Gerald BERNARD PATRICK Baron (67)             

Simon BELL (17)                                                        

Barry SIDNEY Bennett (26)                                     

David JOHN Benson (22)                                         

David WILLIAM Birtle (22)                                    

Tony Bland (22)                                                          

Paul DAVID Brady (21)                                            

Andrew MARK Brookes (26)                               

Carl Brown (18)                                                         

David STEVEN Brown (25)                                      

Henry THOMAS Burke (47)

Peter ANDREW Burkett (24)                                    

Paul WILLIAM Carlile (19)                                       

Raymond THOMAS Chapman (50)                     

Gary CHRISTOPHER Church (19)                         

Joseph Clark (29)                                                       

Paul Clark (18)                                                             

Gary Collins (22)                                                         

Stephen PETER Copoc (20)                                      

Tracey ELIZABETH Cox (23)                                 

James PHILIP Delaney (19)                                      

Christopher BARRY Devonside (18)                      

Christopher Edwards (29)                                          

Vincent MICHAEL Fitzsimmons (34)                     

Thomas STEVEN Fox (21)                                       

Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)                                            

Barry Glover (27)                                                         

Ian THOMAS Glover 20)                                         

Derrick GEORGE Godwin (24)                  

Roy HARRY Hamilton (34)                                     

Philip Hammond (14)                                                 

Eric Hankin (33)                                                          

Gary Harrison (27)                                                      

Peter ANDREW Harrison (15)                                   

Stephen FRANCIS Harrison (31)                             

David Hawley (39)                                                    

James ROBERT Hennessy (29)                                               

Paul ANTHONY Hewitson (26)                               

Carl DARREN Hewitt (17)                                        

Nicholas MICHAEL Hewitt (16)                             

Sarah LOUISE Hicks (19)                                         

Victoria JANE Hicks (15)                                                  

Gordon RODNEY Horn (20)                                     

Arthur Horrocks (41)                                                          

Thomas ANTHONY Howard (14)                         

Thomas Howard (39)                                                

Eric GEORGE Hughes (42)

Alan Johnston (29)                                                     

Christine ANNE Jones (27)                                       

Gary PHILIP Jones (18)                                             

Richard Jones (25)                                                       

Nicholas PETER Joynes (27)                                    

Anthony PETER Kelly (29)                                       

Michael DAVID Kelly (38)                                        

Carl DAVID Lewis (18)                                              

David WILLIAM Mather (19)                                  

Brian CHRISTOPHER Mathews (38)                     

Francis JOSEPH McAllister (27)                               

John McBrien (18)                                                       

Marion HAZEL McCabe (21)                                   

Joseph DANIEL McCarthy (21)                               

Peter McDonnell (21)                                                  

Alan McGlone (28)                                                      

Keith McGrath (17)                                                     

Paul BRIAN Murray (14)                                           

Lee NICOL (14)                                                           

Stephen FRANCIS O’Neil (17)                                 

Jonathan Owens (18)                                                 

William ROY Pemberton (23)                                   

Carl WILLIAM Rimmer (21)                                    

David GEORGE Rimmer (38)                                   

Graham JOHN Roberts (24)                                     

Steven JOSEPH Robinson (17)                               

Henry CHARLES Rogers (17)                                 

Colin ANDREW HUGH WILLIAM Sefton (23)

Inger Shah (38)                                                            

Paula ANN Smith (26)                                                

Adam EDWARD Spearritt (14)                                 

Philip JOHN Steele (15)                                              

David LEONARD Thomas (23)                                

Patrik JOHN Thompson (35)                                     

Peter REUBEN Thompson (30)                                

Stuart PAUL WILLIAM Thompson (17)                

Peter FRANCIS Tootle (21)                                       

Christopher JAMES Traynor (26)                            

Martin KEVIN Traynor (16)                                      

Kevin Tyrrell (15)                                                         

Colin Wafer (19)                                                          

Ian DAVID Whelan (19)                                            

Martin KENNETH Wild (22)                                     

Kevin DANIEL Williams (15)                                    

Graham JOHN Wright (17)                                        

JUSTICE FOR THE 96

R.I.P: YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

FA Cup 6th Round Review - And now, only four remain

FOUR teams now remain in the quest for FA Cup glory this season.  Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, Stoke City and Manchester City can all look forward to a Wembley trip for the semi-finals next month, but who will have a second visit in May.

DYING: Lee Chung Young earns Bolton a rare semi-final

     Bolton Wanderers became the first side through to the semi-finals, after securing a last gasp 3-2 win over Carling Cup winners Birmingham City at St. Andrews.  Twice, Birmingham fought back from falling behind, but Lee Chung-Young’s header in the dying stages earnt Bolton a semi-final in this competition for the first time since 2000.  Bolton have been the better side in the Premiership this season, but were made to work very hard by a Birmingham team that has been decimated by injuries and fatigue since their League Cup triumph a fortnight ago.  Johan Elmander had Wanderers infront after ten minutes, before Cameron Jerome’s delightful volley had the home side back on terms.  Curtis Davies daft foul on his namesake Kevin allowed Bolton the chance to get back ahead, which the striker didn’t waste from the penalty spot.  With ten minutes to go, Kevin Phillips produced a quality volley with the instinct to goal that he has shown throughout his amazing career, before Davies beat Jean Beausejour to head a free-kick across the box and allow Korean Lee to nod in from close range to settle a pulsating tie.

     The standout tie was the meeting of the Premiership top two on Saturday night.  However, it turned out to be a comfortable 2-0 success for Manchester United against Arsenal at Old Trafford.  The Gunners had plenty of crafty build-up play and produced several good opportunities.  Edwin van der Sar being named man of the match highlights the fact that Arsenal looked better going forward.  However, Wenger’s men couldn’t provide the final touch, which is starting to become a very familiar story.  Brazilian left-back Fabio steered Manchester United infront on 25 minutes, turning in from close range once his twin Rafael had been denied by the valiant Manuel Almunia.  Wayne Rooney looked somewhere near his best and the striker sealed the match as a contest five minutes into the second half, as Arsenal failed to deal with a trademark United counter-attack.  Wenger’s mood wouldn’t be helped by a nasty collision between Bakary Sagna and Johan Djourou in their desperate attempts to stop Javier Hernandez score a third.  Djourou came off worse; the Swiss defender out for the remainder of the season with a fractured shoulder.  Arsenal are now a wounded club, knocked out of three competitions in the space of a fortnight and are likely to end up without a trophy AGAIN!  For Sir Alex Ferguson, a repeat of that historic treble in 1999 is still potentially on the cards.

HOBBLED: Piquionne limps off as the Hammers lose at Stoke

     Stoke City made their first FA Cup semi-final in 39 years, edging out West Ham United 2-1 in the game of the weekend.  It was a tie full of controversy, and Avram Grant has since been charged by the FA for improper conduct.  This followed his comments about the referee Mike Jones, who it must be said, had a terrible game.  Stoke’s formula one was to score from a long throw-in and this they achieved in the eighth minute.  Rory Delap’s throw-in found the head of Robert Huth who powered Stoke infront.  In a nine-year career, Huth had scored only seven goals before this season, but he has eight in this season alone.  The Hammers equaliser was very controversial on the half hour mark.  Thomas Hitzlsperger’s wonderful diagonal ball found Frederic Piquionne, who controlled the ball with his arm.  Accidentally or not, the goal should have been ruled out.  Piquionne did well to finish with the ball in the net, but a collision with Danny Pugh finished his afternoon prematurely.  Tony Pulis was furious with the decision, but 18 seconds into the second half, parity was restored.  Matthew Etherington went down under the minimalist of contact from Scott Parker and Jones amazingly gave a penalty!  Justice was done as the excellent Robert Green saved Etherington’s penalty.  On the hour mark, Danny Higginbotham’s fierce free-kick took a deflection off Parker and just crossed the line before Green could keep it out.  Ultimately, it settled the tie, although Stoke survived a late penalty claim and Matthew Upson rattled the crossbar with a bullet of a header.  No glory for Grant this year in his specialist subject, and now, only a tense battle to beat the drop faces West Ham. 

     They may not be playing their best football of the season, but Manchester City has a habit to juggle out results on a regular basis.  They secured the final semi-final berth, at the expense of Championship play-off contenders Reading.  Reading’s resistance was broken in the final fifteen minutes as David Silva’s corner was powered in by Micah Richards.  It was Richards’s third goal of the season and it finally found a way past Alex McCarthy.  He produced several top-class stops to keep City out for long periods. 

     All that means we have a semi-final weekend of Manchester City v Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City on April 17 and April 18.  Wembley has arrived for the last four, but who will be feeling the joy and pain.  The countdown to the semi-finals has begun . . .  

FA Cup 5th round review - Orient earn stunning replay

THE FA Cup continues to rip up the formbook every season and it did so again at the weekend.  Leyton Orient took the main honours, holding mighty Arsenal to a draw at Brisbane Road.

CHANCE: A second go for Leyton Orient after Tehoue's leveller

The Gunners were coming off the back of a famous win over Barcelona in the Champions League and Arsene Wenger made ten changes to his line-up from midweek, with Alex Song the only participant to start both of these games.  They dominated possession for much of the game, but with the changes made, lacked the cutting edge infront of goal.  However, Tomas Rosicky’s second half header looked to be good enough to send Wenger’s team into the quarter-finals.  However, Orient, who came into the match in excellent form, having only lost one out of their last 20 matches dug in and found an unlikely equaliser.  Substitute Jonathan Tehoue powered past two weak Arsenal challenges then fired a shot underneath Manuel Almunia’s legs.  It earned the League One side a 1-1 draw and a money-spinning replay at the Emirates, but it will be an extra game that Arsenal could do without, considering they are the only club in England to still be fighting it out on four different fronts.

At least Arsenal remain in the competition, as London rivals and cup holders Chelsea bowed out in a dramatic penalty shootout against Everton.  Fixture congestion has meant that this fourth round replay was played on fifth round weekend, three weeks after the initial 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.  Chelsea got on top for large periods, but once again, struggled to put their opponents away.  In extra-time, Frank Lampard had the Blues ahead for the first time in the tie and it looked to be good enough, despite Maroualine Fellani having a goal ruled out for offside.  Another unfriendly twist was in the way for the under pressure Carlo Ancelotti and it came in the 118^th minute.  Branislav Ivanovic’s unnecessary challenge on Phil Jagielka gave Everton a soft free-kick.  England left-back Leighton Baines went on to produce a stunning curling shot, which left Petr Cech flat-footed.  Although Baines saw his penalty saved by Cech in the shootout, Chelsea went on to gift Everton a passage through into the next round.  Nicolas Anelka’s very casual run-up was punished, as his effort was saved by Tim Howard.  After an accidental clash with Johnny Heitinga, Ashley Cole looked unsettled and his penalty was truly shocking.  He leaned back, went for power and the ball headed towards Gatwick airport!  Everton skipper Phil Neville dispatched the Toffees final kick with consummate ease, to set-up a fifth round tie at home to Reading.  It was Everton’s first win at Stamford Bridge since November 1994 and inflicted Chelsea’s seventh penalty shootout defeat in their last eight encounters.  Surely, Ancelotti must now win the Champions League if he doesn’t want to be collecting his P45 from Roman Abramovich at the end of the season.

Manchester United can consider being very fortunate that they are still in this season’s FA Cup, after limping past brave Crawley Town at Old Trafford on Saturday night.  Sir Alex Ferguson admitted afterwards that Crawley were very unlucky to not earn what would have been a deserved replay.  Wes Brown headed home the only goal, flicking in Darren Gibson’s cross on 29 minutes.  After the break, Crawley’s performance was so good; it looked more Premiership than non-league.  In stoppage time, Richard Brodie eluded a sleeping Wayne Rooney at the back post and powered his header over Andreas Lindgaard, but onto the crossbar and out of play.  Sometimes, this competition can show its cruelty alongside the epic romance stories.  The plaudits deservedly went to Crawley, but it was Manchester United who claimed the prize of a place in the sixth round.

COOL: Another goal for Tevez, another win for Man City

Manchester rivals City overcame a stubborn Notts County outfit on Sunday afternoon in their fourth round replay.  Despite Roberto Mancini’s team deserving their victory and a clash with Aston Villa next week, the 5-0 scoreline did flatter them massively.  County controlled the early exchanges and were very unlucky not to be ahead, when Karl Hawley’s wonderful curling drive struck the woodwork.  Patrick Vieira headed in two goals from corners; one in both halves and it was only in the last five minutes that the League One side opened the floodgates.  Carlos Tevez, who came on for the broody and lazy Mario Balotelli, scored the third, then set-up the fourth for new strike partner Edin Dzeko.  A powerful volley from Micah Richards completed the scoring in injury time.  There were positive signs of Tevez and Dzeko beginning to form a deadly strike force on Sunday and I’d suggest Balotelli begins to drop his disgusting attitude if he doesn’t want to be warming his backside on the seats at the City of Manchester stadium on a regular basis.

In other results, Bolton Wanderers made the sixth round for the first time since 2005.  They overcame Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.  Ivan Klasnic, who scored the winner in a fourth round replay at Wigan the previous Wednesday, got the deciding goal in West London.  The only consolation for Mark Hughes was the return to first-team action for Bobby Zamora, five months after a sickening injury he picked up against Wolves.  Zamora looked fairly sharp and with more games and fitness, could be the tonic Fulham need to lift their dispiriting campaign so far.  West Ham’s poor league position was forgotten on Monday night, as the demolished Burnley 5-1 at Upton Park.  There was a stunning goal from Thomas Hitzlsperger on his Hammers debut; this also after a frustrating spell out through injury and two goals from Carlton Cole.  Birmingham City and Stoke City complete the teams to make the last eight, after comprehensive 3-0 home successes against Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton respectively.

For some teams, Wembley is now only one game away.  A Premiership dominated final eight looks more likely now, so if you want a giant-killing, cheer on Reading and Leyton Orient to produce.

FA Cup 4th round review - Crawley continue their stunning run

Non-league Crawley Town took the main plaudits after another pulsating weekend of FA Cup action and now, have a dream tie at Old Trafford as a major reward.

HISTORY: Crawley are the first since 1994 to reach the last 16

The Blue Square Premier side, conquerors of Swindon Town and Derby County in earlier rounds, took their third league scalp of the competition in the form of Torquay United.  The League Two side were beaten 1-0 at Plainmoor, with the only goal coming from Matt Tubbs, his 25^th goal of a prolific season.  Some of Crawley’s playacting wasn’t welcomed by the opposition, with two red cards and the non-league side also seeing two penalties being saved by the experienced Scott Bevan.  Nevertheless, they deserve their day out at Manchester United in round five, becoming the first non-league side since Kidderminster Harriers in 1994 to reach the last 16.

Manchester United got to round five after another efficient if unconvincing performance, this time at Southampton.  Sir Alex Ferguson had to bring Nani and Ryan Giggs on to turnaround a match that they looked destined to lose, once Richard Chaplow had fired the Saints into a lead on the stroke of half-time.  Once they had width available, the Premiership leaders were on top for large parts of the second half, with Michael Owen equalising and poacher Javier Hernandez snatching another goal from Giggs cute pass, sealing a 2-1 victory.  If the Mexican continues his rich vein of form, Wayne Rooney will be getting concerned about his place as a permanent fixture in the Manchester United starting 11. 

Crawley weren’t the only side to do some giantklling at the weekend, as both Leyton Orient and Brighton dumped out Championship opposition away from home.  Orient put in an incredible performance at Championship promotion contenders Swansea City, and ended up on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline.  They needed some luck, courtesy of an 88^th minute own goal from the Swans skipper Alan Tate.  You had to feel for Tate; it was the perfect own goal, which he probably couldn’t execute any better if he had done it another 90 times!  Brighton, League One leaders went to high-flying Watford and won 1-0.  Like Orient, they needed some fortune.  Ashley Barnes’s 14^th minute winner was a tame effort, which Watford goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin let through his fingers like a bar of soap!  Even Peter Enckleman could have saved Barnes’s shot, it was that bad!

Leyton Orient will now encounter a London derby against Arsenal in the next round.  Once again, the Gunners needed a late Cesc Fabregas penalty to keep them alive.  This time, it was enough to see off a brave Huddersfield Town challenge, 2-1 at the Emirates.  Nicolas Bendtner broke the deadlock, but once Sebastian Squillaci was sent off, Arsenal looked on the backfoot throughout.  Alan Lee equalised for Huddersfield, but Fabregas broke their hearts and keeps Arsene Wenger’s side fighting in all four competitions.  

THRASHING: Fulham crushed Spurs, with Danny Murphy on target twice

At least they didn’t crumble like North London rivals Tottenham.  Spurs put in a defensive display of such inepitutde, it will put smiles on the faces of their next Champions League opponents, AC Milan in a fortnight’s time.  Tottenham lost 4-0 at Fulham; Danny Murphy scoring two penalties against his former side.  Michael Dawson made two rare errors and got sent off for the second mistake, whilst Sebastian Bassong and William Gallas looked disorganised and disjointed throughout; terrorised by the power of Moussa Dembele.  Dembele completed the rout before half-time and the dejection could be written all over Harry Redknapp’s face.

RESCUE: Edin Dzeko's first goal saved Man City at Notts County

Another high-profile side that struggled was Manchester City.  Roberto Mancini’s millionaires struggled to a 1-1 draw at the oldest club in the Football League, Notts County.  For the likes of David Silva, it must be seen as a nightmare to play at Meadow Lane, when it was Soccer City in Johannesburg last summer.  Neil Bishop headed County infront with an hour gone, and Paul Ince’s side got within ten minutes of an upset, before £27million January signing Edin Dzeko spared City’s blushes, with a priceless equaliser.  Notts County showed great commitment throughout and deserve their second bite at the cherry.  Cup holders Chelsea also have to play again, scrapping to a 1-1 draw in Merseyside against Everton.  Louis Saha took advantage of some slack marking by John Terry to head the Toffees infront, just as he did in the 2009 final between these two sides.  Carlo Ancelotti turned to Salomon Kalou to rescue a replay.  The Ivorian scoring just three minutes after coming off the substitute’s bench.  Ramires hit the post in the dying stages, but a draw was the fair result.

Coventry City may not have won in eight Championship matches, but they came mighty close to upsetting Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City.  Having been 2-0 up in 25 minutes, through Marlon King and Richard Wood, Aidy Boothroyd will be disappointed to have not forced the Premiership side at least back to the Ricoh Arena.  David Bentley scored a stunner before half-time, and in the second half, Birmingham had recovered from their hangover, with the pesky Kevin Phillips scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory.  Nottingham Forest also came close, but not quite good enough.  They were defeated 3-2 at West Ham; Nigerian Victor Obinha scoring a hat-trick.  Elsewhere, Reading won a bruising match at Stevenage Borough, coming through 2-1; Shane Long scoring an 87^th minute winner and Stoke City won 1-0 at Wolves, through the head of lanky German defender Robert Huth.  The Potters can have Thomas Sorensen to thank though, for saving a stoppage time penalty from Nenad Mijias. 

Nineteen teams remain, with three replays required.  Wembley is getting ever closer in the 2010/11 FA Cup sponsored by Eon, and Crawley Town can see it as; ‘We’re only 2 games away!’  Well done to them, they deserve all the plaudits as the romance of the cup continues to inspire us all.