United to face Northampton in F.A Cup
It's Northampton...
By Chris O'Brien
January 13 2004
Manchester United will play Northampton Town in the fourth round of the F.A Cup, following the Cobblers' shock 2-1 replay victory over Rotherham. Sir Alex Ferguson's side can expect a tough visit at Sixfields, as the F.A Cup throws up another potential major shock.
| United to face Northampton as Cobblers Stun Rotherham |
|
Manchester United will travel to the Sixfields in the fourth round of the F.A Cup, following Northampton Town’s surprise victory over Rotherham in the third round replay at Milmoor.
Paul Hirst gave the hosts the lead, as the dream tie at home to United looked to be heading to the favourites, but Walker equalised before the break to the delight of the travelling Cobblers supporters.
In the harsh winter conditions Northampton battled hard and got the goal that proved to be the winner with 54 minutes on the clock. Smith got the strike that turned the game around for the visitors, and Town held out for a memorable victory that will result in a huge cash windfall for the struggling side.
Northampton started the seasons as won of the sides favoured to gain promotion in the Third Division, however they have had a less than promising first half to the season and currently sit 17th in the division, 85th in the Football League pyramid.
Despite the huge difference in ability between the two sides, the game is a potential banana skin for United and as we all know anything can happen in a Cup tie! Sir Alex Ferguson will have to show a respect to Town if his side wish to advance to the final 16 of the Cup that we haven’t won since the treble winning season in 1999.
I would imagine the game will be one of the televised ties, with the obvious chance of a huge Cup shock. The last Cup meeting between the two sides was United’s 8-2 victory over Northampton back in 1970. George Best netted a fantastic 6 goals in a game still fondly remembered by many United supporters today.
There were a number of surprises in the other F.A Cup replays, with Tranmere Rovers victory against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium the other major Cup upset of the night. Scunthorpe United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Colchester United all had home victories, with Wimbledon and Preston North End joining Tranmere and Northampton as travelling victors.
Scunthorpe United 2-0 Barnsley Rotherham United 1-2 Northampton Town Stoke City 0-1 Wimbledon Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Kidderminster Harriers Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Tranmere Rovers (AET) Colchester United 2-1 Accrington Stanley Reading 1-2 Preston North End |