Not a bad draw altogether although shame on ITV for referring to Bristol City and Nottingham Forest as ‘Bristol’ and ‘Nottingham’, who are rugby union clubs in the egg chasing version of the Championship: I hope whoever got that wrong got a talking to.
Anyway, here’s how it breaks down:
Championship v Premier League
Aston Villa v Ipswich
Bolton v Sunderland
Brighton v Newcastle
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Fulham v Blackpool
Manchester City v Watford
Peterborough v Norwich
This already looks like the end of the road for both Ipswich and Peterborough: although Brighton beat Newcastle in the competition last season, both they and Watford would probably exchange a cup run for a place in the playoffs. Zola v Mancini looks very tasty to me.
All Championship Games
Barnsley v Burnley
Blackburn v Bristol City
Charlton v Huddersfield
Leeds v Birmingham
The interesting aspect of this group of games is that two of the current bottom five have to play other Championship sides. It would appear that Bristol City and Barnsley may have to wait another year for cup glory: Blackburn could go a long way in the competition this season.
Championship v League 1
Derby v Tranmere
Hull v Leyton Orient
Millwall v Preston
Nottingham Forest v Oldham
Sheffield Wednesday v Milton Keynes Dons
The last game was a league match in League 1 last season: I suppose this is a potential upset, but with only a few places between the sides I wouldn’t be surprised if the last thing the hosts want is a run in the FA Cup. If Millwall and Nottingham Forest win their ties, they must stand a reasonable chance of having a decent cup run.
Championship v League 2
Leicester v Burton
Championship v Non League
Barrow/Macclesfield Town v Cardiff
Luton v Wolves
Middlesbrough v Harrogate Town/Hastings
I’d be amazed if there are any shocks here, but it’ s significant that four of the top five teams have games they ought to win easily. Cardiff in particular may be worth keeping an eye on: a nasty looking Christmas programme (Leicester, Crystal Palace and Millwall in succession), then a visit to a non-league team.
Back at the end of the week to take a look at the league games this weekend.
2 comments so far
1 Cardiff Win Christmas And Probably The Championship Too | Buzzin Championship Football // Jan 5, 2013 at 10:18 am
[...] the 3rd Round of the FA Cup (with Budweiser – which is what you’re supposed to say) in this post at the start of last month, so there’s probably no need to go over the same ground today. The [...]
2 FA Cup Quarter Finals: A Championship Perspective | Buzzin Championship Football // Mar 8, 2013 at 6:05 pm
[...] must admit I’m feeling a bit pleased with myself – I wrote this post in December and I felt both Blackburn and Millwall were in with a chance of decent FA Cup runs this season, [...]