Scott Murray's Blog

Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City... Manchester United 1-0 Watford: FA Cup...

FA Cup third round: Blackpool knock out West Brom on penalties – as it happened

Blackpool boing Big Sam and the Baggies out of the FA Cup on an entertaining afternoon in the third round

5.54pm GMT

The 3pm kick-off results.

5.50pm GMT

KaiKai has the chance to put Blackpool through, after misses by Edwards and Furlong. He sends the keeper the wrong way ... but his shot clatters off the base of the left-hand post and out! Head in hands. No matter, though, because Pereira’s preposterous stuttering run-up ensures the shock still happens. A dismal easy-to-read effort is snaffled by Maxwell and the 1953 winners are through! Oh Sam.

5.44pm GMT

Bardsley sends the Clarets into the fourth round with the decisive kick.

5.39pm GMT

A tedious match enlivened by a couple of lovely Fulham goals in extra time.

5.36pm GMT

EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Blackpool 2-2 WBA. That draw at Anfield really did take it out of Albion’s players, didn’t it. Another poor performance. Allardyce chewing gum like billy-o. Can the Premier League save themselves in the penalty shoot-out?

5.33pm GMT

EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Burnley 1-1 MK Dons. There must be something wrong with the Guardian clock. Batteries cost a few quid, to be fair. It’s going to penalties at Turf Moor.

5.30pm GMT

We’re six or seven minutes away from full time in extra time at Blackpool and Burnley. The game down at QPR is a few minutes behind, though. Penalties looming in Lancashire.

5.23pm GMT

HALF TIME, EXTRA TIME: QPR 0-2 Fulham. A double whammy just before the break in extra time has surely done for the Hoops.

5.23pm GMT

GOAL! QPR 0-2 Fulham (Kebano 105+3). The ball shuttled across the front of the QPR box, left to right. Kebano lashes home from a tight angle, and that is surely that.

5.20pm GMT

HALF TIME, EXTRA TIME: Burnley 1-1 MK Dons. It’s the visitors who have come closest to scoring.

5.19pm GMT

HALF TIME, EXTRA TIME: Blackpool 2-2 WBA. The hosts have been giving as good as they’ve been getting. Big Sam continues to chew a wasp.

5.18pm GMT

GOAL! QPR 0-1 Fulham (Decordova-Reid 104). The deadlock is finally broken at Loftus Road, and this is a gem! Decordova-Reid one-twos with Mitrovic down the middle, opens his body, and curls a forensic sidefoot into the bottom right.

5.16pm GMT

MK Dons midfielder Ben Gladwin is inches away from recreating Ronnie Radford’s famous goal for Hereford against Newcastle in 1972. He whistles an ambitious 30-yard effort towards the top left of the Burnley goal. A smidgen to the right, and it would have been in. As it is, it cannons off the post and away. Ah well. It’s a thin line between a decent effort and FA Cup immortality.

5.10pm GMT

Not a great deal of action to report from the three matches that have gone to extra time. You come this far, you hunker down.

5.05pm GMT

The 3pm full-times.

5.01pm GMT

Classified check coming up in a second. But for clarity’s sake ... there are three of the 3pm kick-offs going to extra time, and possibly penalties: Blackpool v WBA, Burnley v MK Dons, and QPR v Fulham. More excitement ahoy!

5.00pm GMT

FULL TIME: QPR 0-0 Fulham. So much for tempting fate.
FULL TIME: Bristol Rovers 2-3 Sheffield United. A much-needed win for the Blades.

5.00pm GMT

Something of a shock, given both sides’ Championship form.

4.59pm GMT

Yep, three in a row for the visitors.

4.58pm GMT

No real drama as the League Two strugglers are clinically dispatched by the high-flying Swans.

4.57pm GMT

FULL TIME: Blackpool 2-2 WBA. See also the third-tier Seasiders versus the Premier League’s Big Sam.

4.56pm GMT

FULL TIME: Burnley 1-1 MK Dons. And that’s the final gasp of the 90! Burnley save themselves at the death, and this one’s going to extra time.

4.55pm GMT

GOAL! Burnley 1-1 MK Dons (Vydra 90+4). Bardsley is needlessly fouled out on the right. From the free kick, the Clarets save themselves! The ball’s whipped into the mixer, and rammed home by Vydra, sliding in at the right-hand post!

4.54pm GMT

Easy in the end for the home side. Or the away side, depending on how you look at it.

4.53pm GMT

A shock as the League One side see off Championship outfit Rovers.

4.52pm GMT

Easy for Brendan Rodgers’ men.

4.51pm GMT

GOAL! Exeter 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday (Paterson 90). It’s going to be three wins on the bounce for previously floundering Wednesday. Penny for the thoughts of Tony Pulis.

4.50pm GMT

Let’s see if we can tempt fate and tease out some last-minute drama in the west London derby between QPR and Fulham. Bugger all has happened in that one.

4.47pm GMT

GOAL! Bournemouth 4-1 Oldham (King 86). A shot not so much belted past but through the keeper. King doesn’t bother celebrating.

4.46pm GMT

GOAL! Wycombe 4-1 Preston (Samuel 82). The 1889 and 1938 winners are toast. Samuel enters the box down the right and slots home calmly in the Buckinghamshire fog.

4.45pm GMT

Stevenage spurn a great chance to get back into it against Swansea. A penalty kick, dispatched towards the bottom left by Norris, but turned around the post brilliantly by Swans keeper Woodman.

4.42pm GMT

GOAL! Blackpool 2-2 WBA (Pereira 80 pen). A lifeline for Big Sam! A cross hits Turton’s arm. Nowhere near his silhouette, and it’s a penalty kick. Pereira lashes it into the bottom right, the keeper guessing correctly but given no chance.

4.40pm GMT

GOAL! Stoke 0-4 Leicester (Barnes 81). This is a rout now. Some pinball in the Stoke area. The ball breaks to Barnes, who slams home from 12 yards.

4.39pm GMT

GOAL! Stoke 0-3 Leicester (Perez 79). Bragging rights in ATVLand confirmed for the Foxes. A lovely move, the ball shuttled in from the right by a couple of blue shirts, then slammed home from the penalty spot by Perez. This is over.

4.37pm GMT

GOAL! Bournemouth 3-1 Oldham (King 74) or Oldham 1-3 Bournemouth (King 74), whichever you prefer. Quite a few headed goals this afternoon. Here’s another!

4.36pm GMT

Still plenty of time to go in the 3pm kick-offs. But there’s a big match kicking off in just under an hour, and the teams contesting it have landed. Barry Glendenning has the details of The Arsenal v Newcastle United.

4.33pm GMT

BREAKING NEWS: Big Sam continues to stomp about the technical area with a face on.

4.32pm GMT

Burke continues to shine against Bristol Rovers. He drives down the left and sends a shot across Day and off the base of the right-hand post. Meanwhile another near miss, this time at Ewood Park, where Blackburn still trail Doncaster. Harvey Elliott has come on, and goes close with a curler towards the top left. Balcombe in the Donny goal fingertips spectacularly, then parries the rebound as well. Magnificent play all round.

4.29pm GMT

GOAL! Blackpool 2-1 WBA (Madine 66). A lovely sweeping move by the 1953 winners, and Big Sam is under pressure again! Lovely combination play between Yates and Madine, and the latter moves into space down the middle before whistling a low shot into the bottom left! Anyone interested in the aforementioned Matthews Final should click below, or perhaps consider this.

4.25pm GMT

Whatever happens in Bristol, this should serve Sheffield United well. They’ve been so constipated in the Premier League, with just eight goals in 17 matches. This should blow a few cobwebs off, and yes, it’s for the best that I mixed metaphors there.

4.23pm GMT

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 2-3 Sheffield United (Bogle 63). More good work by Burke, followed by a smooth run into the area by Bogle down the inside-right channel. He slots home at the near post, and this is turning into a classic!

4.22pm GMT

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 2-2 Sheffield United (Ehmer 62). A corner from the right. A flick-on at the near post, and Ehmer can’t miss from a couple of yards. Dismal defending. However ...

4.21pm GMT

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 1-2 Sheffield United (Burke 59). The latest jinking genius off the Scottish conveyor belt is sent scampering down the middle. No mistake. He slots home. However...

4.20pm GMT

GOAL! Stoke 0-2 Leicester (Albrighton 59). A lovely goal this, as the ever-underrated Albrighton swans in from the right, drops a shoulder, and whips a lovely curler into the bottom left. Could this be Leicester’s year in the FA Cup at long last? Four losing appearances out of four in the final. It has to happen sometime, surely.

4.18pm GMT

Just in case you’ve been as confused as me ... and if that’s that case, I feel for you ... but the Oldham-Bournemouth tie is being played at the Vitality Stadium, on account of the Boundary Park being frozen. So we’ve been referring to Bournemouth-Oldham as well as Oldham-Bournemouth. No idea what the official line is. I suspect traditionalists will go with the latter, as per the draw, but for clarity I may keep on with the former. In either instance, feel free to sue us.

4.13pm GMT

GOAL! Blackpool 1-1 WBA (Ajayi 52). See Swansea’s second, just there. Easy as that, with the assist going to Big Sam’s Half-Time Hairdryer.

4.12pm GMT

GOAL! Stevenage 0-2 Swansea (Gyokeres 50). Cross from the right. Header down. In!

4.10pm GMT

GOAL! Oldham 1-2 Bournemouth. (Riquelme 49). A few cute triangles down the right, and Riquelme is on hand to slam home a low cross. Lovely move.

4.05pm GMT

Second halves underway again, y’all. Remember, extra time and penalties could be coming up. Almost certainly will be, somewhere or other. Here we go, then.

3.56pm GMT

The half-times, then. A very entertaining first 45.

3.54pm GMT

At Burnley, Richard Keogh is shown the red card when the ball hits his hand as he covers as last man. Has a clear scoring opportunity been denied? Not according to VAR, because Chris Wood, who would otherwise have been sent clear, was offside. Or was Wood in the process of fouling Keogh? Either way, the decision is overturned.

3.52pm GMT

GOAL! Oldham 1-1 Bournemouth (Bahamboula pen 45). Keillor-Dunn is brought down by Dennis - or was it a dive? It’s soft, put it that way. Bahamboula smashes the gift home.

3.50pm GMT

GOAL! Wycombe 3-1 Preston (Jakobsen pen 43). A lifeline for Preston just before the break, as Allsop rashly brings down Riis. Jakobsen slams the penalty home.

3.47pm GMT

GOAL! Blackburn 0-1 Doncaster (Richards 42). A speculative long-range effort by Richards finds the bottom right, Pears in the Blackburn goal at fault for weak hands.

3.45pm GMT

GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Oldham (Brooks 43). Not long after nearly going behind, saved by the woodwork, the Cherries take the lead with a deflected long-range effort from Brooks.

3.45pm GMT

GOAL! Blackpool 1-0 WBA (Yates 41). The Seasiders work the ball down the left. A low cross is whistled along the corridor of uncertainty. West Brom’s defence does what it usually does, standing stock still to a man. Yates comes in from the other flank to slam home from close range. On the touchline, Big Sam fumes. He’ll run out of lug-steam soon, the way this season is going. One man can only generate so much. But a shock is on!

3.42pm GMT

Oldham hit the woodwork against Bournemouth! Barnett drifts in from the left, and curls with purpose towards the top right. The ball caroms off the upright and away. What an effort that was.

3.40pm GMT

Sheffield United have the ball in the Bristol Rovers net, but it’s disallowed. Egan rises to smash a header goalwards. Day parries. Mousset slams home. But Egan is penalised for climbing all over his opponent. BREAKING NEWS: On BT Sport, Peter Walton agrees with the referee’s decision. To be fair, it is the correct outcome, but you get the wider point.

3.37pm GMT

WHAT A GOAL! Stoke 0-1 Leicester (Justin 34). James Justin cuts in from the left, beats two Stoke players, then curls a vicious shot into the top-right bin. Slightly surprised that the net, plus the entire frame of the goal, isn’t currently flying over the Stanley Matthews statue. That was one hell of a strike. And to think some were worried about missing Ben Chilwell.

3.34pm GMT

It could be one of those days for Burnley. They should equalise in short order, but somehow Tarkowski manages to hit the post from a couple of yards. What a miss!

3.33pm GMT

GOAL! Burnley 0-1 MK Dons (Jerome 29). The ball sent in from the left. A couple of flick-ons, and then Jerome sends a Houchenesque diving header back across goal and into the bottom left! A shock on here, as the mid-table League One franchise lead the Premier League club.

3.31pm GMT

GOAL! Exeter 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Reach 27). A lovely goal this, lashed into the net with Van Bastenesque confidence from a tight angle on the right by Reach. Wednesday are suddenly enjoying a rich vein of form under caretaker Neil Thompson.

3.30pm GMT

GOAL! Wycombe 3-0 Preston (Knight 25). A shock developing, of sorts, between these two Championship sides. A free kick sent out right is hoicked back into the six-yard box. Knight extends a telescopic leg to guide home from close range. This is over.

3.27pm GMT

There are going to be a lot of matches going to extra time at this rate. A reminder that there are no replays this season. Straight to extra time then penalties if needs be. Ah, the days of the multiple replay. There’s one of those old-school marathons in this JoS, which admittedly is mainly worth reading for an on-form Smyth wading in below the line throwing hands. Those were the days.

3.24pm GMT

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 1-1 Sheffield United (Kilgour 21). There are two divisions between Rovers and United, but the scoreline is level at the Memorial Stadium. A deep right-wing cross is met by Kilgour, who rises regally and plants a glorious header into the top left. Keeper no chance! That is a lovely finish.

3.20pm GMT

Ah the magic of the long third-round lull. Don’t shoot the messenger.

3.14pm GMT

GOAL! Wycombe 2-0 Preston (Jacobson 9 pen). Ikpeazu is bundled over by a small pocket of air, or maybe the nearby Earl. It’s soft, but it’s given. Jacobson lashes it down the middle, and Wycombe have wandered out of the blocks at Olympic pace.

3.11pm GMT

GOAL! Stevenage 0-1 Swansea (Routledge 7). The second successful downward header of the afternoon, and the Swans take the lead against the League Two strugglers.

3.10pm GMT

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 0-1 Sheffield United (Day og 6). Osborn crosses dangerously from the left. Mousset rises and slams a header off the crossbar. The ball drops down and twangs off the back of the unfortunate Rovers keeper Day, who was sprawling mid-dive. That’s unfortunate for poor Day, but the cross and header deserved reward.

3.07pm GMT

GOAL! Wycombe 1-0 Preston (Onyedinma 3). The first goal of the 3pms didn’t take long. A right-wing cross slung into the Preston box; Fred Onyedinma rises at the far post and heads back across goal and into the bottom right. What a start for the Championship’s bottom side against 12th-placed Preston.

3.05pm GMT

Burnley have flown out of the box. A ball whipped into the Franchise FC box from the left; Chris Wood has his header tipped over after a mere 23 seconds.

3.00pm GMT

As we prepare for the 3pms, then, a reminder of all the early results:

2.56pm GMT

Anything spring out at you there? Seeing we’re under no obligation to get the pom-poms out and cheerlead for the FA, the answer is surely no. Not that we’re resorting to that tiresome old jaded-contrarian schtick; it’s just that a lot of the participants really could do with Concentrating On The League in this concertinaed campaign for one reason or another. Of the 20 teams in action, five are making serious promotion pushes (Blackburn, Doncaster, Bournemouth, Swansea, Stoke); one has legitimate Premier League ambitions (Leicester); and ten are looking over their shoulders, sweating like someone who might have just blown his chances of getting his presidential pension (West Brom, Bristol Rovers, Sheffield United, Burnley, MK Dons, Sheffield Wednesday, QPR, Fulham, Stevenage and Wycombe). But on the flip side, there are no replays this season, so teams may go hell for leather anyway. Entertainment ahoy? Ach, why not. Entertainment ahoy!

2.44pm GMT

Good old Bob, eh kids? He’s already furnished you with the team news of all the upcoming kick-offs, but here’s an almost certainly redundant reminder of the 3pm fixture list, just in case, or for the record, or whatever.

2.40pm GMT

That’s it for the lunchtime games. Time for me to hand over to Scott Murray for the 3pm matches. Bye!

2.40pm GMT

Wycombe v Preston North End team news

Wycombe Allsop, McCarthy, Tafazolli, Knight, Jacobson, Wheeler, Adeniran, Bloomfield, Onyedinma, Ikpeazu, Muskwe. Subs: Grimmer, Gape, Kashket, Horgan, Akinfenwa, Charles, Samuel, Stockdale, Mehmeti.

2.38pm GMT

Exeter v Sheff Wed team news

Exeter Ward, Key, Parkes, Caprice, McArdle, Page, Taylor, Collins, Randall, Bowman, Jay. Subs: Sparkes, Atangana, Law, Seymour, Fisher, Maxted, Ajose, Kite, Hartridge.

2.37pm GMT

Full time: Everton 2-1 Rotherham Everton are through to the fourth round. It was hard work against an impressive Rotherham, who were the better team in normal time. But Everton flexed their Premier League muscles in extra time and won the match with a good goal from the substitute Abdoulaye Doucoure.

2.32pm GMT

“Afternoon Scott,” says Simon McMahon. “The KLF should sponsor the Premier League. Burning a million pounds is a weekly routine for most clubs. And maybe a symbolic dead sheep in one of the pundits chairs in the Soccer Saturday studio?”

2.29pm GMT

Here’s more on Chorley’s historic victory

2.28pm GMT

Bristol Rovers v Sheff Utd team news

Bristol Rovers Day, Ehmer, Kilgour, Baldwin, Leahy, Westbrooke, Upson, McCormick, Oztumer, Hanlan, Ayunga. Subs: van Stappershoef, Little, Grant, Kelly, Hargreaves, Harries, Rodman, Barrett, Koiki.

2.27pm GMT

Blackpool v West Brom team news

Blackpool Maxwell, Turton, Gretarsson, Ballard, Husband, Kemp, Ward, Dougall, Lubala, Madine, Yates. Subs: Lawrence-Gabriel, Thorniley, Robson, KaiKai, Sims, Mitchell, Virtue, Ekpiteta, Woodburn.

2.26pm GMT

Everton 2-1 Rotherham Seven minutes remaining at Goodison. Rotherham are having a decent spell, their best in extra time, but Everton still lead.

2.26pm GMT

Burnley v MK Dons team news

Burnley Norris, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters, Gudmundsson, Cork, Stephens, Brady, Barnes, Wood. Subs: Pope, Lowton, Vydra, Mancini, Thomas, Benson, Driscoll-Glennon, Mumbongo, Nartey.

2.25pm GMT

Stoke v Leicester team news

Stoke Bursik, Shawcross, Souttar, Batth, Smith, Allen, Clucas, Mikel, McClean, Brown, Vokes. Subs: Matondo, Lindsay, Ince, Oakley-Boothe, Verlinden, Cousins, Thompson, Collins, Nna Noukeu.

2.24pm GMT

Oldham v AFC Bournemouth team news

Oldham Lawlor, Clarke, Piergianni, Diarra, Barnett, McCalmont, Ntambwe, Hamer, Keillor-Dunn, Garrity, Bahamboula. Subs: Jombati, Whelan, Fage, Jameson, McAleny, Dearnley, Badan, Luamba, Bilboe.

2.23pm GMT

QPR v Fulham team news

QPR Dieng, Kane, Dickie, Cameron, Barbet, Bonne, Chair, Ball, Carroll, Dykes, Samuel. Subs: Thomas, Willock, Masterson, Hamalainen, Bettache, Kelman, Barnes, Adomah.

2.22pm GMT

Everton 2-1 Rotherham There’s another long break in play. This time Yerry Mina is down after being elbowed in the face by George Hirst. Mina is conscious and having his head bandaged; Hirst was booked.

2.20pm GMT

“Re: the main photo of Matthew Olosunde scoring - gosh, that really is an example of hyper-extension,” says Bill Hargreaves. “See the man’s knee.”

No thanks!

2.19pm GMT

Stevenage v Swansea team news

Stevenage Cumming, Wildin, Vancooten, Cuthbert, Coker, Lines, Smith, Read, Pett, Carter, Newton. Subs: Norris, Vincelot, Prosser, Marsh, Johnson, List, Marshall, Aitchison, Oteh.

2.17pm GMT

Half time in extra time: Everton 2-1 Rotherham There was a long break in play when Angus MacDonald fell face first after colliding with another Rotherham defender and Cenk Tosun as they challenged for a cross. It looked pretty worrying at first, but he is on his feet and is going to continue.

2.15pm GMT

Blackburn v Doncaster team news

Blackburn Pears, Buckley, Lenihan, Johnson, Bell, Trybull, Travis, Downing, Dack, Dolan, Brereton. Subs: Kaminski, Armstrong, Rothwell, Gallagher, Douglas, Elliott, Davenport, Grayson, Pike.

2.11pm GMT

All the early ties are over except Everton v Rotherham, which has gone to extra time. Everton lead 2-1 with a couple of minutes remaining in the first period.

2.10pm GMT

Full time: Chorley 2-0 Derby

National League North side Chorley are into the last 32 after a relatively comfortable win over Derby’s teenagers.

2.05pm GMT

Everton 2-1 Rotherham: Bernard hits the post! Everton are well on top now. The substitute Niles Nkounkou’s cross was only half cleared to Bernard, whose first-time shot on the run slapped off the post.

2.03pm GMT

Full time: Nottm Forest 1-0 Cardiff Lyle Taylor’s classy third-minute volley has put Forest into the hat for the fourth-round draw, which will be live on Radio 2 at lunchtime on Monday.

2.01pm GMT

The substitute Abdoulaye Doucoure has put Everton into the lead, finishing calmly from the edge of the area after a lovely through pass from James Rodriguez. VAR has a look but there’s nothing wrong with the goal. Everton are in front!

2.00pm GMT

There’s been another goal at Chorley. Is it on? It’s on!

1.57pm GMT

Full time: Luton 1-0 Reading George Moncur’s first-half goal was enough to see off Reading.

1.56pm GMT

Full time: Boreham Wood 0-2 Millwall A comfortable afternoon for Millwall, who dominated throughout.

1.54pm GMT

Full time: Everton 1-1 Rotherham There will be extra-time at Goodison.

1.53pm GMT

Full time: Norwich 2-0 Coventry Two early goals from Kenny McLean and Jordan Hugill have Norwich into the last 32.

1.53pm GMT

Chorley still lead Derby 1-0 at Victory Park. Barry Glendenning has his hooks tentered.

1.51pm GMT

Everton 1-1 Rotherham They’re into the final minute of added time at Goodison Park. It looks like this intriguing match is going to extra-time.

1.47pm GMT

Everton 1-1 Rotherham Cenk Tosun has had a goal disallowed for offside. He poked James Rodriguez’s free-kick into the net, but VAR had the final say. It usually does.

1.42pm GMT

Everton 1-1 Rotherham Everton have improved since Carlo Ancelotti made all those substitutions, but they are still susceptible to a late sting. So much for the easy home win that most of us expected.

1.35pm GMT

GOAL! Boreham Wood 0-2 Millwall (Hutchinson 74) Millwall have been much the better team and Shaun Hutchinson’s goal should secure a place in the fourth round.

1.30pm GMT

With around 20 minutes remaining in the midday kick-offs, these are the latest scores.

1.28pm GMT

SPL The match between Dundee United and St Johnstone is off because of a frozen (bit of the) pitch.

1.24pm GMT

Everton 1-1 Rotherham Yerry Mina and Gylfi Sigurdsson are on now, with Lucas Digne and Tom Davies doing one.

1.23pm GMT

Everton 1-1 Rotherham Bernard and Abdoulaye Doucoure have come on for Everton in place of Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi. I’d love to hear Carlo Ancelotti’s internal monologue right now.

1.22pm GMT

“It’s past 2am in New Zealand,” says Everton fan Oliver Robinson. “I thought it would be worth staying up to watch the lads hopefully get an easy win against lower-league opposition (and the FA Cup’s always a good time to watch isn’t it?). Instead we’ve given up a goal to a man with no number or name on his shirt. It’s worked out well.”

He’s got no number on his back? I love that some of the readers are able to see the game, and I’m not.

1.19pm GMT

There are no replays in the third round, though drawn matches will go extra-time and then penalties.

1.17pm GMT

Hello! Matthew Olosunde has squeezed in a deserved equaliser for Rotherham at Goodison Park, and a big shock could be on. It’s Olosunde’s first goal for Rotherham. Who says romance is etc?

1.16pm GMT

“Now that my personal interest in the third round has been sorted out (during last night’s weirdly entertaining match between a handful of school children and a selection of the Best Male Footballers In The World 2020), I can enjoy a stress-free day of checking results,” says Matt Dony. “In celebration of the KLF making music available on streaming platforms, I’ll be supporting any team in the (Grim Up) North. And finding yet more ways to imagine it’s still the 90s.”

Mmmm-hmmmm-hmmmm-yeah. Mmmmm-hmmmm-hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

1.11pm GMT

Everton 1-0 Rotherham It’s still all Rotherham at Goodison Park. It’s not quite Telford 1985 or Woking 1991 - Rotherham are a Championship side - but Everton are being given a bit of a scare.

1.08pm GMT

Peep peep! The second halves are underway. Everton were out early, which suggests Carlo Ancelotti has access to a hairdryer.

1.07pm GMT

Chorley 1-0 Derby is the half-time score at Victory Park. I don’t know what it is, but it’s on!

1.03pm GMT

Some more half-time reading

12.59pm GMT

Half-time reading

“At Rossett Road a little girl can shout and be heard.” @frankcottrell_b’s story about his local football club, #Marine, facing Jose Mourinho tomorrow, starts with a doting-dad anecdote and ends up reprising his #London2012 opening ceremony https://t.co/AA6NB2ZaPO

12.49pm GMT

It’s half-time in the midday kick-offs. If you don’t want to know the scores, bloody well log off this instant.

12.46pm GMT

“Evening Rob,” says Phil Withall. “I believe you have violated rule 7 subsection 3b, of the football reporter’s code. This clearly states that Derby are no longer a team named after a city but are a team named after a manager. Simply not good enough...”

I have no idea what you’re talking about, but in the interests of world peace, I have tendered my resignation forthwith.

12.44pm GMT

There are ten more FA Cup ties kicking off at 3pm.

12.37pm GMT

The latest scores

12.35pm GMT

Everton 1-0 Rotherham It’s been a very good 10 minutes for Rotherham, who are putting Everton under all sorts of pressure. At least that’s what it says here.

12.34pm GMT

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Cardiff I’ve just seen Lyle Taylor’s early goal. It was a beautiful volley, sidefooted into the roof of the net after a quick adjustment of his feet.

12.33pm GMT

GOAL! Luton 1-0 Reading (Moncur 30) It’s there!

GOAL! Boreham Wood 0-1 Millwall (Zohore 31) It’s also there!

12.31pm GMT

League Two Scunthorpe v Bradford has been postponed because of a frozen pitch. I don’t know what else to tell you.

12.27pm GMT

GOAL! Chorley 1-0 Derby (Hall 10) The National League North side have taken the lead at Victory Park! Connor Hall has put them in front with a close-range finish after a game of head tennis in the Derby area. What a moment for Chorley! Drink it in with Barry Glendenning.

12.26pm GMT

Everton 1-0 Rotherham Robin Olsen has made a fine double save to keep Everton in front at Goodison Park.

12.25pm GMT

Anyone out there? If so, I hope you’re all well. It’s feels weird to type that and mean it.

12.22pm GMT

And here are six FA Cup third-round wrong’uns

12.22pm GMT

While we wait for more goals, why not let my serotonin twin Scott Murray talk you through six classic third-round ties.

12.20pm GMT

Chorley 0-0 Derby Almost a very early goal, and a farcical one to boot, at Chorley.

12.15pm GMT

The latest scores

12.12pm GMT

GOAL! Everton 1-0 Rotherham (Tosun 9) Anthony Gordon does very well to set up Cenk Tosun, who coolly chips the ball over the outrushing goalkeeper. That’s his first goal for Everton since November 2019.

12.09pm GMT

GOALS PLURAL! Norwich 2-0 Coventry (McLean 6, Hugill 7) Well that escalated quickly.

12.08pm GMT

Everton 0-0 Rotherham Carlo Ancelotti has picked a strong side, which includes James Rodriguez and Lucas Digne, and Everton have made a fast start.

12.06pm GMT

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Cardiff (Taylor 3) Lyle Taylor has scored the first goal of the day, putting Forest ahead in the all-Championship match at the City Ground.

11.48am GMT

Chorley v Derby is the televised game this lunchtime. Barry Glendenning’s hands are all over that one.

11.47am GMT

A bit of pre-match reading

9.54am GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of today’s FA Cup third round marathon: 20 games from lunch till dusk. At Guardian Towers we’re all wearing our MTFACGA baseball caps, even though deep down we know it’s a futile exercise. The FA Cup will never regain its old lustre, because that relied on a purity that can’t exist in a world of unapologetic avarice. But it still refreshes the parts other competitions - even the Premier League and the Champions League - cannot reach. (Where else can you lose 4-1 at home and still cover yourselves in glory?)

Tomorrow’s match between Marine and Spurs registers a perfect 10.0 on the romanceo’thecupometer. While a shock in that match is nigh-on impossible, we know that, at some stage this weekend, David will land a decisive blow on Goliath’s confused, entitled coupon. And when it does, just for a wee while, the world will feel like a better place.

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Published on January 09, 2021 11:38

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Scott Murray isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.

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