Magic of the F.A. Cup? No Magic in the Draw

Liverpool v Everton
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Hull/Newcastle v Millwall/Crewe
Sunderland v Blyth/Blackburn
Hartlepool v West Ham
Leyton Orient/Sheff Utd v Charlton/Norwich
Cardiff v Arsenal
Portsmouth/Bristol City v Histon/Swansea
Chelsea/Southend v Ipswich
Cheltenham/Doncaster v Aston Villa
West Brom/Peterborough v QPR/Burnley
Torquay v Coventry
Kettering Town v Fulham
Watford v Leicester/Crystal Palace
Derby County v Nottingham Forest
Birmingham City/Wolves v Middlesbrough

For the second season in a row, Tottenham have drawn the Premiership champions in the fourth round of the F.A. Cup. A trip to Old Trafford is the reward for defeating Wigan. The draw was made yesterday, before United’s fixture against Southampton, meaning the Saints gained thousands of new fans in the space of a few seconds.

Harry Redknapp’s side will feel quite hard done by, as it has been years since Spurs last faced League 1 or below opposition in one of the domestic competitions. The opposition in the first two rounds of the Carling Cup: Newcastle and Liverpool; and now the opposition for the first two rounds of the F.A. Cup: Wigan and Manchester United. Redknapp, holder of the F.A. Cup, and his team, will travel to Old Trafford when the Red Devils’ fixtures start to pile up. Should Spurs manage to take United to a replay,the fixture would probably be sandwhiched betwean the club’s Champions League fixtures.