I imagine the first round of the FA Cup is a day of great excitement for some.
Not least the non-league sides who can bankroll their club’s very existence with a short run in the competition.
And it’s because of plucky underdogs like Boreham Wood and Dover Athletic that I feel guilty for admitting I was barely interested.
Were you?
I don’t think the tie itself helped matters. Oldham away was probably the most uninspiring fixture the footballing gods could have handed down.
Maybe a game against one of the minnows, a local derby or a head-to-head to with one of our promotion rivals would have got the juices flowing.
But a blustery November afternoon at a half empty Boundary Park didn’t really appeal. Hats off to the hardcore that made that particular trip.
For these reasons, I suppose it would have been easy for Wolves to sink after conceding a sloppy early goal.
The fact they didn’t is characteristic of the renewed spirit Kenny Jackett has injected into the squad.
A period of neat football rewarded Dave Edwards with two presentable chances but after good runs forward, his finishes lacked bite.
Fortunately Scott Golbourne was less profligate, smartly flicking home the equaliser with his head/oblong barnet.
He could have won it too had he been as ruthless late on, but fired high into the cloudy sky after steaming in late at the back post. Maybe he should have gone with his haircut?
Carl Ikeme performed his usual heroics to keep the Latics out and force what’s sure to be a sell-out replay at Molineux.
Mansfield await in round two. I was hoping for Dover.
Highlights
Talking point
I’m probably the worst kind of supporter when it comes to the cup competitions. I moan about the early stages, but happily jump on the bandwagon if it gets interesting. What do you think about the FA Cup? Do you still feel the romance?
Romance? Hard to say really – I follow any Wolves game best I can ‘cos until Notts County I haven’t had any chance to go to any game! We never seem to do that well in these cup games anyway especially when we’ve a depleted squad!
All the same a cup run can’t be a bad thing really so long as it doesn’t impact the league!
A loss to Oldham in the first round of the FA cup is just as painful for me as a defeat against Man Utd in the premier league.. If we want to play in the big leagues again we must assert our dominance to lower leagues
Since the Premier League became the centre of the football universe, all other competitions have come a poor second. Premier League clubs can’t be arsed ’cause all they care about is winning\staying in the Prem’. Lower League clubs just want to draw a PL club to make money irrespective of what they call the competition. They’re not going to win it after all.
Personally, I still love the FA Cup and would rather watch two real teams going at it hammer and tongs than the same old PL prima donnas I get forced down my neck by the media.
I couldn’t agree more. I look forward to a good cup run every year and am usually disappointed.
The major prize in football these days is to either win the Premiership or qualify for the Champions league and this has totally devalued the FA Cup as the ‘Europa’ Cup is considered secondary and a ‘cup run’ a potential ‘banana skin’, against being in the top four of the Premiership.
Like it or not the FA Cup has become a secondary competition.
It might be a commentary on today’s domestic football landscape that I couldn’t rouse myself for this one.
And yet, when thinking of my most memorable games as a fan (since I first went in 1988), two of my top five would feature:
* Sheffield Wednesday shoot-out win in the early/mid 90s at Molineux – goosebumps
* Newcastle 3-2 victory in 2003
It’s a real shame.
I could even throw in an unforgettable 3-2 win at Field Mill, funnily enough, in the same season we beat Sheff Wed on pens, when we bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Mansfield Town, featuring a Dennison 25 yard pearler.
Maybe it’ll hot up in round 3 – if we get there!
Those two cup games are also etched in my top 5 mate, as was the quarter final win at Elland Road in 1998, which I was fortunate enough to attend.
I also remember a David Kelly diving header goal against Leicester (94?) and a fabulous extra time victory over Wimbledon with goals from Dougie Freedman, again in the 98 cup run.
We were gagging to get into the Prem throughout the 90s so any top flight opponents were cause for excitement. The cup was generally more popular then too.
The Premier League has killed the cup. The early rounds at least. Once the top brass started playing their second string, it was inevitable. Still gets interesting from about the quarter finals.
I’m not really a fan of cup competitions either. Lets face it, we’re hardly likely to win one (although I did secretly harbour hopes that we I might have a repeat of my 1988 Wembley joy!). So, if we’re not going to win it, we’re going to end up playing a small team with the potential for an embarrassing loss, or a big team with the potential for an embarrassing loss… There’s a small possibility we might actually BEAT a big team, but that hasn’t really happened since 1998, so I do find it difficult to look forward to these games.
I do feel this year we needed the extra games of the cup to bed side in though.
WolvesDave
CT, USA.
PS Just saw the comment about Newcastle in 2003 – forgot about that one, I was there, and it was bloody brilliant!
I was surprised to find that we started without Griffiths and Doherty, having read in the E&S that we wouldn’t be making any changes, except the return of Doherty and a first start for O’Hara. It was suggested that we didn’t want O’Hara cup-tied ?
I don’t think Edwards is going to be the answer to our midfield problems, as today’s E&S has it.
I hope KJ will have learned something from this; the weather was atrocious of course, that didn’t help.
Please, please play a full strength team to beat Oldham in the replay, and lets first get back to winning ways against Notts County
Lets face it if we cant win the JPT or aren’t interested in it then we don’t have a cat in hells chance of winning the FA Cup..
Team selection was baffling… Clearly the whole JH saga is what I thought. M&M clearly have told Jackett to get him playing so we can move him on in Jan. No other explaination for not being on the bench. (cup tied). Even though he is now officially off the transfer list ??
Cassidy is disappointing and I really think we are thin on the ground when it comes to strength in depth.
As for the competition itself the early rounds are a waste of time till the big Boys come in at round 3
Simply cannot get exicted about it.
Think about 1998 we beat wimbledon at home in a replay, beat leeds away ( finished 5th in league) and fell to Arsenal (Champions and cup winners) at Villa park, remeber Vinny Jones walking up to the southbank after scoring arms raised like he was gonna take us all on, only to be celebrating with confidence prematurely wooo hooo…. Jimmy Floyds contraversial penalty, Keith Curle grabbing him round the throat and Hans “Saveus” Segers saved it oh and lets noty forget Mr Goodman grabbing a great goal from a through ball from Carl Robinson (i think) some of the best memorys as a fan, for me anyway……..
Yeh the premier leagues rammed down your throat and with the coverage now if you just watch the top 4 -6 play you get spoiled with the quality of football, but the cup none the less has a place in the calendar if only to allow the small teams to dream of punching above their weight like we did in 1998 so consider this;
That year we beat Darlington (3rd round) to play Wimbledon.
However, Darlington beat Hendesford town to play us (2nd Round)
Before that Darlington were forced into a replay by Solihul borough (1st Round)… incidently Hendesford beat Hull to play Darlington (1st Round)
so for me put like that you see how the magic of the cup works at all levels whether we like the first few rounds or not.
oh and on the other side that year Shefield united were giving it a go getting to the semis too
anyway just my opinion!!!!
Unless and until the FA asserts itseld (which will never happen) and secures a Champions league place for the FA Cup Winners. The FA Cup will become pretty meaningless. Just think how important ir would be if teams couls see it as a way to enter the promised land.
Fuck me – Edwards really is shit isn’t he?
Glad to see you back after your brief Sabbatical Thomas.
There are a myriad reasons why the magic has gone from the FA Cup ‘with Budweiser’….. and that’s one of them.
As soon as a sponsor’s name is attached it becomes more about money than glory.
Another reason is that, years ago, an FA Cup Final was probably the only chance that most players would ever get of playing on the hallowed Wembley turf.
And the only chance that the fans of less fashionable clubs would ever get to support their heroes.
Now that play off finals and FA Cup semi finals are played there, it has become almost routine.
I don’t think that the old glory will ever come back now but I agree with NY Wolf when he says that a Champions League spot for the winners would transform the top clubs’ approach to the competition.
Having said all that, I would love Wolves to have a good cup run and drawing one of the top Premiership clubs in the third round would guarantee possibly the only sell out crowd at Molineux this season.
Right on Doog, it is “The FA Cup” nothing at all to do with a near beer that is like having sex in a canoe (F*****g close to water).
Also bang on about play off finals and FA Cup Semis all a load of bollocks having them at Wembley.
I still cannot accept why two teams that finished 3rd.4th,5th or 6th in say the Championship get to go to Wembley and play the most financially valuable one time game in the World, while the true Champions are sat at home or on the beach totally out of the spotlight. Yes of course i know the answer and excuses but it is all just amount the money. Still a complete load of bollocks to me though.
And another thing!
On behalf of the present Mrs DG’er and myself –
Happy birthday Thomas!
Good to see Kj reacting to the problem in midfield by getting Michael Jacobs from Derby until January a creative attacking midfielder. A nice change from previous managers who stuck their heads in the sand and didn’t solve the defensive,midfield and attacking problems that we had at the time.
I took a much more cynical view of this at first reading: that’s Sako gone to Forest then!
Still, better to plug the gap before you sell rather than after. Hope I’m wrong; if I am then Zeli surely deserves a loan spell if we’re not going to play him.
So its Replay on Tuesday Then….
Wolves v Oldham
or
England V Germany..
Good timing again I see
Don’t know if anyone has bothered to look at the JPT Area Quarter Finals results tonight but they make interesting reading. Peterborough won 1-0 against Dagenham at home , Oldham 5-1 Notts County and Stevenage 3-2 Leyton Orient. Makes our own league results look interesting, don’t you think?