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FA Cup third round: Sunderland 3-0 Barrow

Late in the second half Steve Bruce stretched both arms out to two substitutes and asked them to guess whether his right or left hand held a coveted prize. The correct answer would result in one long-awaited first-team debut and Michael Liddle duly beat Adam Reed for the honour."That was a first...

FA Cup Third round: Wigan Athletic 4-1 Hull City

For Wigan and Hull, indifference to the FA Cup has rarely been as embarrassing as it was here, where the former's home was four-fifths empty. The gate of 5,335 was a depressing palindrome for both clubs.This was not a match for agoraphobics. Supporters had elbow and leg room in abundance, players a...

FA Cup third round: Milton Keynes Dons 1-2 Burnley

The official word from inside the Burnley dressing room after a relatively comfortable passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup at Stadium MK was that Owen Coyle left the ground immediately after the final whistle to catch a plane to Scotland to celebrate Hogmanay with his parents.Never mind...

FA Cup third round Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Lincoln City 0

The atmosphere was totally different to that at the end of last Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Hull City, and it was not down simply to the fact that half as many people were there. The decision to replace Ivan Klasnic in the second half, with the score still at a distinctly unimpressive 2-0, was met...

FA Cup third round: Middlesbrough 0-1 Manchester City

Roberto Mancini said: "I respect the FA Cup, it gets you into Europe. I respect the Carling Cup as well. At Manchester City we want to try to win everything." If that sounds like a gloat in the direction of Old Trafford, it was made before Manchester United tripped up against Leeds. City too have a...

FA Cup third round: Aston Villa 3-1 Blackburn Rovers

Incidents and talking points there may have been, and plenty of them, but as an occasion, which the third round of the FA Cup used to be, this was a flat and depressing affair. The much-changed line-ups, the lack of real bite in the tackle and, consequently, the almost surreal quietness of a much...

FA Cup third round: Everton 3-1 Carlisle United

David Moyes has said that an apology from Jô would not be sufficient to save the striker's Everton career. When he was asked if it would be enough if he said sorry for his unauthorised Christmas trip to his native Brazil, the Everton manager considered his reply before saying emphatically:...

FA Cup third round: Portsmouth 1-1 Coventry City

While around 150 Portsmouth fans could be heard protesting outside against the owner, Ali al-Faraj, Avram Grant's sense of humour was holding up fine. Being bottom of the Premier League with his players unpaid while facing an unwanted replay with a transfer embargo still in place, it inevitably...