Is The Magic Still There?

This weekend was the fourth round of the FA cup. The next round after that potential banana skin third round, you know when you’ve draw a non-league side and struggled to see them off. There are still a few sides in it from all over the leagues but its now only 5 games to the final.

But, the question still often pops up has the magic of the FA cup gone? Is it really the cup of dreams for clubs from all over the country or just a competition where it will be the same old teams at the final in May?

Well, the answer is really yes and no. Chelsea will have to replay Everton, but both Manchester United and Arsenal went through, although both had a few shaky moments.

Big-money club Manchester City nearly fell at Notts County only scoring near the end to earn a replay and my club Spurs received a sound thrashing at Fulham, totally deserved by the cottagers.

In fact so emphatic was their victory that I even considered contacting ESPN to see if I could get my money back, after all they did advertise a football match and Spurs didn't show any signs of playing football.

But it was further down the fixtures that the sparkle of the FA cup shone brightest. With the tie of the round undoubtedly being Torquay United against Crawley Town.

A cup game that sparked memories of old. A full on affair with a dodgy looking pitch, tackles sliding in and end to end football. The game also boasted two dismissals, and two missed penalties.

It reminded me of those cup ties of old when even the big teams rolled up their sleeves and went for it.

So even though sometimes it may just seem that the FA cup has turned into just another big corporate event for the TV media if you look hard enough there are often enough great games along the way to ensure the magic never really goes away.