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Talking of Anfield, here’s the man of the moment waiting for the 6.35pm draw.
One of the subplots at Anfield tonight will be the former Liverpool academy players in the Barnsley side, Adam Phillips and Vimal Yoganathan. The pair came through the youth system, with Yoganathan spending seven years at the club and Phillips eight before they were released.
When the draw was made and Phillips knew he was heading back to Anfield, he told BBC Sport: “I ran upstairs screaming at my missus. I couldn’t believe it, I’m still a massive Liverpool fan. I’ll get goosebumps when You’ll Never Walk Alone is played. The dream was always to play for Liverpool but not many make it, so I’m happy to play there for Barnsley. It’ll be a special experience.”
The grand old Cup may have its detractors but one of the most attractive qualities it currently offers is a lack of VARness. Suddenly, you can actually celebrate a goal without fear of those lines or 10-minute delays while players work on their muscle injuries while standing around in the cold. VAR comes into play for every tie from the fifth round and will be available for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
Also, semi-automated offside technology (SAOT as some people like to call it) will not be used until the fifth round and then only at Premier League grounds.
The breaking news of Xabi Alonso being axed by Real Madrid may not immediately remind you of the FA Cup … but he was in the Liverpool team the last time the eight-time Cup winners played Barnsley at Anfield and suffered a shock 2-1 defeat in 2008. Everything today revolves around the FA Cup, apparently. Reflecting on that loss, this is quite a fun read from Andy Hunter – 17 years ago! Gulp
Barnsley, bird and fortune conspire to nail Benítez
And if you’re not Macc-ed out, this is another view from lifelong fan Richard Snape …
‘It’s just surreal’: jubilant Macclesfield fans reflect on FA Cup heroics
While we are in the FA Cup universe, if anybody missed this piece over the weekend, it’s worth a read from Mr Macclesfield himself John Brewin.
Macclesfield realise impossible dream in rise from ashes to a day of historic glory
‘From extinction to the impossible dream of becoming the greatest FA Cup giantkillers of all, Macclesfield’s story reminds that community will forever be football’s greatest asset.’
Preamble
Evening all, and welcome to the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup. After a weekend of sublime shocks and ridiculous results, all eyes are on Anfield for the 6.35pm draw before Liverpool take on League One strugglers Barnsley. Reds legend Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will be pulling out the balls with obvious attention on those Silkmen, 40 miles down the road, after their astonishing 2-1 win over the holders Crystal Palace.
Apart from the heroes from Moss Rose, there are banana skins still lurking for the 14 remaining top-flight teams. League Two’s Salford and Swindon feature after their third-round tie was frozen off while Grimsby will be eyeing another giant-killing effort following their Carabao Cup glory at the expense of Manchester United back in August (that feels like years ago now but that was THIS SEASON).
Some numbers to look out for:
30 Macclesfield
20 Salford City/Swindon Town
22 Grimsby Town
7 Wrexham
8 Chelsea
9 Manchester City
14 Liverpool/Barnsley
17 Arsenal
