On the 18th of February 1989, arguably Hull City’s most famous post-war FA Cup tie occurred. The memories and anecdotes from the 3-2 defeat to reigning champions Liverpool in the fifth round are still fresh in the memory and quick to be recalled. Though it ended in defeat, it gave the Tigers what was then a spot of rare national exposure and, given that we led 2-1 at the break, for just a brief period we looked close to one of the biggest shocks the competition had seen.
On the 18th of February 2012, the FA Cup fifth round (or, at least, most of it) will occur once again. It would be very, very nice to be there, be it for another occasion against one of the mightiest names in global club football or a team of clogging nonentities. Since that day at the Ark 23 years ago, we have only been to the fifth round once more and, although that tie ended in victory, the manner of defeat in the consequent quarter final against Arsenal and the general spite and controversy that surrounded our whole FA Cup run (arguments on the touchline at Newcastle; violence from Millwall supporters; a goal that shouldn’t have been given against Sheffield United; the awful display by Mike Riley and conduct of Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates) means that 1989 remains the FA Cup benchmark year of many of the more aged City fans.
To get to the last 16 again, we need to beat Crawley Town. They are led by a total oaf in Steve Evans and have managed to emerge from the non-league pyramid while making absolutely no friends whatsoever, which is some feat, and they make a first ever visit to the KC Stadium as, quite rightly, considerable long shots. City will be runaway favourites to win when one considers status, form and venue, but nevertheless we’ve struggled in cup ties against glorified pub sides in the past – hello Hednesford, hello just about any Carling Cup opponent in the last decade – and their playing staff, if not their existence, should be respected.
Nick Barmby has an opportunity to select a few fringe players but he needs to strike a balance between giving stiffs their chance to impress and not rocking the boat too much. He achieved this in the third round tie against Ipswich Town, which allowed a handful of players usually in the dugout the chance to stretch their legs while still keeping the likes of Jack Hobbs, Cameron Stewart and Aaron Mclean in the team. A similar policy would appear to be the best approach for Barmby, with the likes of Richard Garcia, Tom Cairney, Liam Cooper, Joe Dudgeon and others all having a right to hope for a place.
Crawley, for their part, have much to crow about. They are second in League Two and are aiming for a second successive appearance in the fifth round of the FA Cup, having famously pushed Manchester United at Old Trafford last season, eventually losing just 1-0. However, they should be beaten well tomorrow. Defeat is unthinkable while a draw will provide just one mild consolation (for those fools who place importance on such things); that of a first-ever visit to the Broadfield Stadium for the replay, and a tick of the box.
A well-known bookmaker offers 5/6 on a City win, with Crawley’s prospects of victory measured at 16/5. The draw – an occurrence not yet seen at the KC – is 13/5. Please gamble responsibly and all that, and hope for no dramas and a place in the last 16. A City victory will mean that the Championship game against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Circle will have to be re-arranged; that said, an unthinkable result for the Tigers may still result in that re-arrangement, as Brighton are also partaking in this weekend’s FA Cup ties.
Interesting choice of ‘most-famous FA cup-tie’. I suggest that the away tie against Chelsea in 1966 (I think), when we came back from 2-0 down, or even the tie against Stoke City, Gordon Banks and all, were more worthy of the title.
Comment by Brian Hudson — January 27, 2012 @ 5:49 pm
Famous as in ‘beyond the consciousness of the Tiger Nation’. We were a lead game on Match Of The Day in 1989, whereas the 1966 game only made Pathe News and in 1971 we had second-string ITV coverage and, although the game was controversial, the opposition were not headline-grabbers.
Comment by Matt — January 27, 2012 @ 5:55 pm
Have to agree with point 1 and almost none of Matt’s response!…..Maybe because I don’t know what the H*** his first sentence means!! Anglia TV had the rights to the Chelsea game which could be seen on Sunday afternoon in Humberside/East Riding. Excellent when you’d had a late return from London….team on the train I seem to remember. Chelsea’s side were full of “headline grabbers” and their manager was probably chief amongst this band. After the game he was forced to say that he didn’t think Hull could play so well!! The replay featured the biggest gate I’ve been in at BP….draw conclusions from that!!
As for the Liverpool game, I think their first(?) goal arose from a blatant foul on Askew(?) just inside our half. As it was Liverpool, the ref thought this OK. This point is always cut out of any repeat screenings seen on TV!!!!
The ’66 game had Wagstaff and Chilton and we were denied a penalty when Boyle(?) handled a header from Houghton from a corner off the line!! Better than any Big Bill game imo!!! Privilege to be there!! The looks on the Chelsea supporters faces on the tube …priceless!!
Comment by gjhdurham — January 28, 2012 @ 4:13 pm