Sheffield Wednesday should throw everything at Plymouth Argyle - the FA Cup is still magic
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And every year I’ll argue with anyone that it remains one of the best knock-out competitions in world football.
OK, from a Sheffield Wednesday perspective, we’d all rather it didn’t come around as early as it had this time around but that’s the price you pay for getting relegated to the lower leagues and have to start in the first round.
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Hide AdHowever, to me, there is still something special about the FA Cup and if I’m honest with myself I realise that is because I’m getting old.
I’m probably from the last generation that fully appreciates the old competition, grown out of a time when football wasn’t constantly on our screens and the semi-finals and final was must-watch TV.
The FA Cup really meant something then and was held in almost the same esteem as winning the league, such was the occasion that the final produced.
Fans of smaller teams dreamed of a big club with their big-name players heading to their ramshackle ground. There’s the opportunity to perhaps visit somewhere new, the chance to cause a shock, or experience the nerves of watching your side labour against much-less illustrious opponents, hoping that you’re not the Goliath in sling-swinging victory for little David.
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Hide AdOf course, nowadays, Wednesday find themselves in a position where they can be the giant slayers or the slayed but that shouldn’t dampen the spirit the cup still holds.
Plymouth at home won’t get the pulses racing but it still offers the chance to look ahead – to who might be next and then maybe after that and who knows what can happen next, because that’s the beauty of the FA Cup.
On a more practical level, it’s also a good time to garner momentum after a patchy season so far for Wednesday. The midweek win over Sunderland should be built-upon and a very strong line-up – the best available – should be what Darren Moore writes into the team sheet on Sunday.
Our Owls writer Alex Miller, yesterday described it as being like Coldplay as he missed the magic and dismissed the importance of the FA Cup. To twist the context somewhat; “God… put a smile upon your face.”