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![]() | FA Cup's emotional ties ![]() Arsenal's last Cup date with Newcastle ended well Click here for the full draw E-mail your reaction to Football Talk It is almost as if the fickle finger of fate, and not the hands of Lawrie McMenemy and Gary Mabbutt pulled the balls out of the bag for the FA Cup sixth round draw. It was certainly a draw that not only threw up some intriguing ties, but also produced some strange coincidences. Spurs' pairing with Chelsea means their FA Cup run mirrors their progress to the Worthington Cup final. Bolton, Tranmere and Chelsea were all beaten during Tottenham's march to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Spurs fans will see that as a big omen, as they face Chelsea at White Hart Lane, having already beaten Bolton and Tranmere in previous rounds of the FA Cup.
Tottenham boss Glenn Hoddle was certainly glad to see the back of Tranmere, describing the tie as "a potential banana skin". Hoddle said: "I must give credit to Tranmere. At 4-0 down in the last minute they were still giving exactly what they were giving in the first minute. "That is probably why they have had some cup scalps over the past few seasons," said Hoddle, with burning memories of the major embarrassment he suffered at the hands of the Prenton Park outift during his time as Southampton manager. Newcastle and Arsenal have been paired together in a repeat of the 1998 final. That day, Marc Overmars and Nicholas Anelka scored in a 2-0 win for the Gunners which clinched them the double. Newcastle returned to Wembley the following year, and were again beaten by Manchester United, leading to accusations that the Magpies tended to choke on the big occasions. A quarter-final against Arsenal at St James' Park provides the perfect opportunity to dispel that theory.
For their part, Newcastle will prefer to recall the 1952 final, when George Robledo's goal clinched a 1-0 win over Arsenal. Both West Bromwich Albion and Fulham are treading a quarter-final path they have not strolled down for some years. The Baggies' win over Cheltenham put them in the last eight for the first time since 1980. That year, they reached the semi-final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Queens Park Rangers, who will be Fulham's landlords next season. Fulham will taste the quarter-final atmosphere for the first time since 1975, when Bobby Moore led to the final where they were beaten by West Ham. |
FA Cup drawWhat do you make of the fifth round ties? See also: Other top FA Cup stories: Links to more FA Cup stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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