FA Cup memories flooding back as Collins seeks seventh heaven repeat

SINCE I joined Sheffield United early in 2011, we have had a couple of decent runs in the FA Cup, says defender Neill Collins.

In my first full season, we got through to the fourth round before losing to a very good Birmingham City side. Then, last term, we got to the same stage before going out to Reading, who were then in the Premier League.

We would love to go on a similar run this time around, starting with this Saturday’s visit to Colchester United in the first round.

When the draw was made last month, I couldn’t help but think back to the previous time I faced Colchester in the Cup. It is one of my best memories.

I had been at Preston North End for just four or five months when we were drawn against Colchester in the third round. The tie took place on January 2, 2010, which was just three or four days after Alan Irvine had been sacked as our manager.

As a squad, we’d all liked Alan so were gutted. As the Cup tie came round, there was a feeling among the lads of: ‘This game couldn’t have come at a worse time’.

Preston were in the Championship at the time but Colchester were a tough side to face under Aidy Boothroyd. They were well known for being a physical side so the game was seen as a real test of character.

By half-time, we were 2-0 up (thanks to goals from Chris Brown and Chris Sedgwick). We were obviously happy. But because our league form hadn’t been too good (Preston had only won once in what turned out to be Irvine’s final 10 games) there was still a feeling that one slip could let Colchester back in. That was the message as we went back out: ‘Don’t give them a sniff’.

Thankfully, we got a third goal really quickly after half-time (through Jon Parkin) and after that there was only ever going to be one winner.

Our confidence was really up and we started to stroke the ball around. The goals just kept coming (courtesy of two more for Parkin, a Ben Williams own goal and a strike by Darren Carter) as we bossed the game.

At one stage, I even went on a mazy run and beat four or five of their players. But then I think Colchester thought I was show-boating and one of their lads clattered me to the ground. Which is fair enough, I suppose. I’d have done the same in his shoes.

In the end, we won 7-0. And believe me, wins like that have been few and far between in my career – which is why this one really stands out.

Even now, I can’t explain what happened. Football can just be like that.

Days like that just come along out of nowhere, often without any explanation.

People will often ask, ‘where did it go right?’ or ‘where did it go wrong?’ But sometimes there is no explanation. It just happens.

I’d definitely put the Colchester game in that category. Preston got Chelsea in the next round, too, so the club got its reward for such a big victory.

As for this weekend and our first-round tie, it is all about getting a win under our belts and building some momentum. The FA Cup is our next match so there will be no better place to start that run than at Colchester.

I can’t say I’ll be thinking too much of what happened in 2010 at Deepdale when the whistle blows on Saturday. But it would be great to kick-start our season with any kind of win.

Until the last couple of seasons with Sheffield United, I’d been used to starting in the third round every year.

But, as we have shown in the last two seasons, a run to the later rounds is possible. And if we can do that, it can only help our League One campaign.

MARK LAWN

Joint chairman of Bradford City since the summer of 2007 and life-long fan

the FA Cup isn’t a competition Bradford City have done too well in down the years but there is one game I will never forget.

It came during our run to the quarter-finals as a Fourth Division club in 1976. We lost to eventual winners Southampton in the last eight to a ‘goal’ that definitely shouldn’t have been allowed but it is the previous round that I and every other City fan there that night loved.

We had been drawn against Norwich City and their manager, John Bond, started to make some really nasty comments about us after the original tie had to be postponed (due to a flu epidemic in the Bradford camp).

He was saying things like: ‘Bradford shouldn’t even be in the League if they can’t put a team out’.

I was about 15 at the time and travelled down with a few mates. Don Hutchins put us 1-0 up with a goal that, even now when I speak to Don at our home games, he refuses to admit whether he meant it or not.

To me, it looked like Don was trying to cross the ball but, instead, it flew over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net at the back post.

Unfortunately, Norwich equalised but, then, Billy McGinley scored the winner. Everyone from Bradford – and there were a few thousand who made the trip – went mad. As we did again at the final whistle. In contrast, Bond did not have much to say for himself.

The journey home flew by. Everyone was so excited at having a home tie in the quarter-finals against Southampton, who were in Division Two at the time.

Unfortunately, we lost a tight game 1-0 to a free-kick that was later proved to have been illegal because Peter Osgood flicked the ball up for Jim McCalliog.

After the euphoria of Carrow Road, losing like that was a big blow.

Especially as Southampton then drew Third Division Crystal Palace in the semi-finals. City would have had a chance, even though we ended up finishing in the bottom half of Division Four that season ourselves.

BOBBY HAM

FC Halifax Town director since the club was formed in 2008

THE biggest game in the new club’s history is, without, doubt the first-round tie against Charlton Athletic in 2011.

As the leaders of League One, Charlton were the highest ranked team in the first round while we were in Conference North.

So, in that respect, it couldn’t have been a better draw for us.

We hoped the tie would be attractive to the TV companies and, thankfully, that proved to be the case.

It was a huge thing for a club like ourselves, who were trying to establish ourselves after having to start again as a new club.

Obviously, the income we got from the TV and a crowd of 4,601 was very welcome. We put it to good use, with some going on strengthening the squad and the rest being put away for a rainy day.

But, as well as the money, what the Charlton tie did for FC Halifax was give the club’s profile a huge, huge lift. During the build-up, the players, manager and directors were interviewed by all manner of newspapers, including ones in London I hadn’t even heard of.

Come the day, a lot of people in Halifax came along who maybe hadn’t seen the new club and were surprised at how professional our set-up was.

I was told later by a few people that they had been gob-smacked by both the facilities and the atmosphere. So, in that respect, you can’t put a figure on how much good it did for us as a club.

The only disappointing part was having a man sent off with 10 minutes to go and then conceding a couple of late goals to lose 4-0. We didn’t deserve that.

SOPHIE HICKS

Life-long fan and York City director for the past decade

AS a club, York City have had some great moments in the FA Cup, including reaching the semi-finals in 1955 and beating Arsenal in 1985.

During my tenure as director, we have also played Premier League opposition in Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers – and they were fantastic ties to be involved in as a club.

But, on a personal level and as a long-standing fan, my standout memory from the FA Cup is a goal by Wayne Hall against Tranmere Rovers in December, 1991.

I was in my early teens at the time, and at that age you can be a little bit obsessive as a football fan. I certainly was and maybe that is why I remember the goal so fondly.

The weather was freezing cold and I’d gone along in totally inappropriate shoes with leather soles. My feet were like blocks of ice.

Tranmere were a couple of divisions above us and had John Aldridge in their side so we were very much the underdogs, despite being at home.

We were 1-0 down when the ball came to Wayne, who was a real stalwart and the man who scored the winning penalty in the 1993 play-off final against Crewe Alexandra.

He took a couple of touches on the left flank before hitting this unbelievable shot that flew into the top corner of the net. The goalkeeper stood no chance and, suddenly, I’d forgotten my cold feet. The game finished 1-1 and we lost the replay but I still consider that goal to be my favourite Cup memory.

PAUL WARNE

Fitness/first team coach with the Millers, whom he made almost 300 appearances for in two spells

When Rotherham United played Liverpool in the FA Cup, I remember sitting in the dressing room beforehand and we were all sniggering as Ronnie Moore ran through their team.

He was giving us our instructions, things like, ‘Don’t give Michael Owen any room’ and ‘pick up Emile Heskey at corners’. But all we could do was snigger, as it just seemed so ridiculous that we were up against these big name players.

We had a good side at Rotherham in those days (2000-01) and were about to win our second promotion. But this was a different world altogether and all we could do was laugh, even though we knew it was a deadly serious business.

In the end, we lost 3-0 but we didn’t disgrace ourselves. We hit the crossbar at one stage.

But, again, one of the big memories I have is of standing in the tunnel waiting to go out. Guy Branston, our centre-half, had received a text when the draw was made from Heskey, asking him to get in touch.

‘Brano’ thought the message was a wind-up from one of the lads so ignored it. But then Heskey, who had been at Leicester with ‘Brano’ as a kid, looked across and asked, ‘Why didn’t you text me back?’ ‘Brano’ was gutted.

My other big memory of the FA Cup is from my days at Oldham. We drew Chasetown away and the BBC showed up, hoping we would go out. The dressing rooms were freezing and they went 1-0 up. Thankfully, we got a draw and won the replay but it was a close run thing.