Cardiff at home against Mansfield Town. Newport home to Leeds Swans away to Wolves Best draw.. Liverpool v Everton Middlesbrough v Sunderland
not a gate winner dai but a possible chance for a mix up of the team....fresh legs and all that........swans got a banana skin in waiting and Newport leeds will be pretty tasty on and off thy pitch.
Cardiff v Mansfield We have never played Mansfield in the FA Cup. We have met them twice in the League Cup in 1961 and 1990. On both occasions we played them away and both matches were drawn 1-1, before we beat them at Ninian Park 2-1 and 3-0 respectively. We last played them in 2002/03, when we did the double, winning both games 1-0 in Division Two, Peter Thorne with his magic hat scoring in the away match and Ernie netting in the home game. When we met them at home in March 2003 we were second in the league and attendance was only 13,009. We finished 6th that season before going on to beat Bristol City in the play offs (1-0 & 0-0) and that never to be forgotten match at the Millennium Stadium beating Queens Park Rangers 1-0 - Andy Campbell coming on for Ernie and scoring the winner in extra time. Attendance 66,096 Total playing record v Mansfield; Won 19, drawn 9, lost 6. Our biggest win 5-0 in 1947 and biggest loss 0-3 (three times - last in 1999). The omens are good but don't expect a 5 figure attendence
Well we had never played them in the FA Cup either. We lost 0-1 in front of a crowd of 4,782. Our forward line that day Ameobi, Macheda, Revell. From what I remember we never looked like scoring!
With a bit of luck we could see a few of the injured players back for this one. Will the Swans want to win or not ? Newport got the best draw of the Welsh sides, hope they are not playing on the same day as us, would like to attend both.
People on social media are saying this draw is a walkover for us. It's absolutely far from that. I fully expect Mansfield to up their game and give us a very tough one. Should be a good game.
I know I should be more enthusiastic, but I can't generate the interest I used to in the early Cup games. Probably more so this season with our League position as it is. City face half a dozen Championship games before that. I'd take a dozen points or better from those and put out Pilks and Co. against Mansfield as a side issue. The problem could be if we get through that, all eyes will be on the next round draw. If a "big club" comes out of the hat for us, distraction could set in. Three more Champ games in January - two of them at home against Sunderland and Bolton. If we fail to take maximum points from them through "cup dreaming" it could cost us big time. In fact, the 4th round is set for 27th January, the day we're down to play Bolton. I wouldn't want that fixture to be put back - I'd rather play it and hopefully get the points in the bin. I suppose that sounds as though I want to lose against Mansfield eh? What a bloody dilemma.....
You're assuming Bolton don' go through Sparkey. We might be kicking our heels if we lose to Mansfield. Would be a good game to start reintroducing our recovering players. A couple cup games for them to get some playing time wouldn't be all bad.
It's a couple of extra games that a strong, well-managed squad should be able to deal with and even use as a means of maintaining performance. Losing to Mansfield might be a bit of a downer and hit morale, unless they go into it seeing it as a loss from the start. It's all about self-respect and even respect for the competition. Realistically speaking, there'll come a time when it will be one team too many and we'll drop out. So long as we can hold our heads up then fine. If we go all the way, then we can get a lift from it all and push on. We have a good strong squad that can take it.
Huddersfield will beat Bolton. Le Fondre and Noone will be available for Jan 27th. I do agree about it being a decent vehicle for recovering players to get some game time, but it's a very immotive issue and sometimes practicalities have to take over. There is only going to be one winner of the FA Cup and that's unlikely to be us, but there'll be three Championship clubs who'll be playing in the Premier League next season - I'd rather be one of them. Us winning the FA cup is a very remote possibility but playing in the Premier League next season a distinct possibility - even as far as a probablity the way things are going. Maybe a bit of a clinical approach but sometimes you have to make decisions rather than shooting for the moon and missing out altogether.
well im up for the cup myself.....tiz been 90years since we last lifted it and it still separates us from our neighbours........fred keenor our captain is still celebrated and rightly so.
I recall watching City play Mansfield in div 2 in autumn 1977 when we drew 1-1 at home in front of 6-7,000 fans which was about our average back then................................ and folk today whinge about our crowds. That season the gate for the home league game with Spurs was about 9000.
I recall living in Nottingham but working in Mansfield in about 1994/5 and one of my staff came in one day and told me that at the ground on that Saturday the club had announced the next home game was v Cardiff City and asked the crowd to stay at home because they cared for their safety!!! Aber, I guess you were there!!!!
Didn't that season see the end of Jimmy Andrews ? we had 10 years of falling gates after so many false promises from chairman after chairman and our better players sold from Toshack on. I can only just recall gates of under 3000 for Welsh Cup games, I often thought we had more travelling away than at home games.
our reputation went before us in them days dude....always got over hyped by the old bill and press of course (set up).......but what we had in our favour was a solid backbone(from some at least) that didn't take abuse from the locals or local constabulary.....Albright never forget your welsh.
I think he got booted out for Ritchie Morgan who kept us up. Should have been Toshack as manager but Andrews persuaded the club he was the better manager. Yeah right. Mind you I thought Ritchie Morgan was great and we played some great football in 78-78 season.
Jimmy Andrews was the first manager I remember but Morgan filled my formative years as a city supporter.
