The draw for the 3rd round of this season’s FA Cup took place earlier this afternoon after. The games will be played over the weekend of 3-4 January 2009. Portsmouth the current FA Cup holders were first to be drawn.
FA Cup 3rd Round 2008/09:
Portsmouth v Bristol City
Sheffield Wed v Fulham
Preston v Liverpool
Birmingham v Wolves
West Ham v Barnsley
Middlesbrough v Barrow
Hull City v Newcastle
Hartlepool v Stoke
Chelsea v Southend
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest
Cardiff v Reading
Ipswich v Chesterfield or Droylsden
Charlton v Norwich
West Brom v Peterborough or Tranmere
Torquay v Blackpool
Leyton Orient v Sheffield United
Southampton v Manchester United
Millwall v Carlisle or Crewe
Histon v Swansea
Forest Green Rovers v Derby
QPR v Burnley
Leicester v Crystal Palace
Tottenham v Wigan
Morecambe or Cheltenham v Doncaster
Arsenal v Plymouth
Notts County or Kettering v Eastwood Town
Bournemouth or Blyth Spartans v Blackburn
Macclesfield v Everton
Watford v Scunthorpe
Sunderland v Bolton
Coventry v Kidderminster
Gillingham or Stockport v Aston Villa
To be honest, none of the ties jump out at me as being the obvious choice for ‘tie of the round’, though a repeat of the 1976 FA Cup final between Southampton and Manchester United offers a trip down Memory Lane when odds on favourites, Man Utd lost to the unfancied team from the old Second Division, only to be beaten 1-0 by a Bobby Stokes goal.
3 comments so far
1 Dave Stopher // Nov 30, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Newcastle have a tough test against Hull City!!
2 Dave Stopher // Dec 4, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I hope Blyth Spartans win against Blackburn!!
3 Fa Cup Tickets // Dec 12, 2008 at 2:48 pm
There is nothing that can beat the romance of the FA cup, especially the third round. The postponed games that go on for weeks, the giant killings all make it the best competition in the world. Well done to Histon for beating Leeds.