Sticking Up for the FA Cup

In the last decade, it's become fashionable to wail about the impending death of the FA Cup.

It's not what it used to be, the critics cry—managers don't care, fans don't care, players don't care.

Reading striker Dave Kitson, for his part, gave journalists plenty of copy before the third round of this year's competition.

"We are not going to win the FA Cup," Kitson said, "and I could not care less about it, to be honest."

Well, after another great third-round weekend, its time to forget the doom and gloom and give the FA Cup the praise it deserves.

This season's competition has been a great one, for many reasons.

First, there were the 14 non-league teams that reached the second round—the most since 1975-1976. Three cheers for Forest Green Rovers, Staines Town, Cambridge United, Weymouth, Torquay, Harrogate Raliway, Horsham, Havant and Waterlooville, Kidderminster Harriers, Oxford United, Chasetown, Rushden and Diamonds, Burton Albion, and Exeter City.

Three of those 14 beat the odds again to make the third round. Cambridge led at the home of more illustrious rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers until the last half hour, before eventually going down 2-1. Chasetown also sensationally led Cardiff City on their tiny home patch, before falling 3-1...and celebrating the defeat as if they'd won the Cup itself.

Havant and Waterlooville, meanwhile, turned in an amazing performance to draw 1-1 at League One table-topping Swansea City, giving themselves a chance of a dream fourth-round tie at Liverpool.

And it wasn't just the non-league teams that re-ignited the Cup flames.

League One's Oldham Athletic defeated Everton at Goodison Park—an Everton side that had only previously been beaten by Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Elsewhere, Huddersfield Town knocked out Birmingham City, Coventry hammered Blackburn, Luton held Liverpool, and League Two's Peterborough won comfortably at Championship outfit Colchester.

In 22 ties between teams from different divisions, the lower-ranked team triumphed on six occasions, with eight draws. It's fair to expect at least two or three of those replays to be won by the lower-ranked team—but in any event, the results pours scorn on the popular notion there are huge gulfs between divisions.

My message here is clear: Ignore the apocalyptic hype, and don't worry about the ultimate outcome. The FA Cup has always been about the journey, not the final—and the journey is still as thrilling as ever.

Couldn't care less about the FA Cup, Dave Kitson?

Tell that to Rocky Baptiste (Havant and Waterlooville), Gary McDonald (Oldham Athletic), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), Aaron McLean (Peterborough United), Chris Brandon (Huddersfield Town), and all of the other heroes from another superb weekend of Cup football.

Give me an FA Cup tie over a league encounter any day of the week.