Bolton Get Blades In Cup Draw

By Mark Heys
December 2 2007

The third round of the FA Cup will see Bolton Wanderers take on Championship side Sheffield United at the Reebok Stadium following the draw which was made at the Football Association headquarters in London earlier today.

United currently lie 11th in the second tier of English football following their 1-0 win away at Coventry City yesterday and they are now managed by former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.

Ex-Wanderers players Brian Kidd and Scott Sellars are also part of the Blades coaching staff at the moment and the game scheduled for the weekend of 5/6 January 2008 promises to be a tough encounter.

Last season when the two sides met in the Premiership, the Blades came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Bramall Lane and it took a late goal from boyhood United fan Kevin Davies to give Bolton the points in the reverse fixture at the Reebok last March.

Both sides have met in the FA Cup on a half a dozen occasions, the last instance occuring in March 1963 when Sheffield United ran out 3-1 winners at Bramall Lane.

The first ever cup tie between these sides in February 1890 went 13-0 in Bolton's favour with James Cassidy helping himself to five goals, David Weir getting four, a hatrick from James Brogan and Bethel Robinson getting the other goal.