Can FA Cup Change Our Season Again?

Denes Rosa
By Scott Cooper
January 6 2006

ARE Wolves up for the cup? Will the players put in the effort in the final third, will Hoddle go back to that 3-5-2, will the fans cheer or boo, will we be in the hat for the fourth round? Who knows.

Thats the problem with Wolves now. We just never know what is going happen. From the sublime to the ridiculous. From the first half demolition of Crewe to the pathetic first half performance against Coventry at the Ricoh Arena on Monday.

It just doesn't make any sense, we have no idea what is going to happen - however we certainly won't be happy with a draw and a horrible replay down south.

Arsenal knocked Wolves out of this competition last year but in the past - and more notably in the promotion season of 2003 - the FA Cup third round has been the turning point of seasons.

In 2003 Wolves produced two poor home displays on the bounce. A dismal 2-1 home defeat to Bradford City was followed by a bore 1-1 draw with Derby County, but just days later Newcastle visited Molineux in the third round of the FA Cup.

The game was so good that only this week has it been a key game on Sky Sports "FA Cup Classics" programme. In a game labelled as one of the best ever - and the game which won game of the tournament - Wolves took the game to a full strength Newcastle side and raced into a 2-0 lead with Paul Ince and the once attack minded Mark Kennedy scoring the goals.

Newcastle hit back with a goal from Jermain Jenas before Alan Shearer levelled the scores from the penalty spot minutes before half time. However, incredibly, the second half was even better than the first. Joleon Lescott first made a superb double save on the line before Wolves 20 seconds later raced up the other end to take the lead again. George Ndah's goal it was following a wonderful cross from Man Of The Match Mark Kennedy.

Wolves defended well - clearing off the line again - but could have won the game by more. Kevin Cooper missed a late chance and Kenny Miller had a perfectly good goal ruled out for an invisible push.

Wolves won the game 3-2 and went on to lose just two games between then and the rest of the season. One was against eventual finalists Southampton in the FA Cup whilst the other was against high flying Portsmouth. The season eventually ended up with a 3-1 aggregate win over Reading in the play-off semi finals and then a comprehensive 3-0 win over Sheffield United in the Play Off final at Cardiff.   

History sometimes repeats itself, could getting past Plymouth could be the start of a repeat?

Team News

Kenny Miller and Gabor Gyepes will both play despite picking up their fifth bookings of the season away at Coventry on Saturday (both will miss Fridays game at home to Luton). Postma will stay in goal after he completed his permanent move to Molineux earlier today and Denes Rosa could make his first start in gold and black.