It seems there are ever more things in the world to moan about, though in truth that might be more about some of us entering our “Grumpy Old Man” phase than the world itself. What happened to jumpers for goal posts, games kicking off at 3 pm on a Saturday and tickets costing £10? OK, the “good old days” did also see shocking facilities for supporters, fighting in the stands and lots more verbal abuse, but at least we didn’t have to put up with the draw for the FA Cup being on the bloody The One Show. On a Monday! With games from the previous round still taking place on the Tuesday… after the draw!
As if it wasn’t bad enough that the early stages of the competition seem to be spread out over about six days, we have to put up with the likes of Roman Kemp and Ronan Keating being involved with the draw. All of which would be almost tolerable if the draw itself produced some games we actually got excited about. But that is resolutely not the case for the fifth round of the 2024/25 FA Cup, with some suggesting this could be the worst draw ever at this stage of the competition.
Much as we would love to spend six days checking every past draw at this stage, we have better things to do, so rather than trying to verify such claims, we will instead simply detail this season’s eight ties. We will also take a brief look back at the fourth round, which did at least produce one huge shock to remind us that there is still a little magic left in the old dog that is the FA Cup.
The Draw in Full
We can point the finger of blame at Alex Scott and Theo Walcott for the eight ties that follow as they made the draw on Monday night. That was before the Doncaster versus Crystal Palace game later that day and then Tuesday’s Exeter versus Nottingham Forest clash but let’s not let logistics and common sense get in the way of good telly.
The fifth round, last 16, or “Round of 16” (as seems to be the annoying, modern term – there we go again), will take place at the start of March. We hope that means Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd but we won’t be at all surprised if there are games on the Friday and/or Monday.
- Preston North End v Burnley
- Aston Villa v Cardiff City
- Crystal Palace v Millwall
- Manchester United v Fulham
- Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
- AFC Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
- Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town
As you can see, there is not a great deal there for the neutral to get excited about. Fans of the 16 teams above will all be hopeful that maybe, just maybe, this could be their year. There are five Championship sides and 11 PL ones in the mix, with Plymouth the lowest-ranked side left, propping up the second-tier table.
However, even Plymouth, who beat Liverpool (more on that below) in the fourth round, will genuinely feel they could lift the cup, if they are able to get past Man City. That’s a big ask, especially with the game taking place at the Etihad, but with the form City are in, who knows what might happen?
With Liverpool and Arsenal eliminated – the Gunners were beaten by Man United in the third round – the competition really is wide open. Forest are third in the Premier League table but will not strike fear into many clubs, whilst Chelsea are also out. With Man City really struggling, there is a great chance for teams like Newcastle (who are also in the EFL Cup final), Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Man United or Fulham to land the FA Cup.
Of course, we could yet see a Manchester derby in the Wembley showpiece for the third season in a row! But whilst the fifth round offers little for the neutral to get excited about, the chance for a side that has won little in recent times to end their trophy drought is at least something we can hope for.
Perhaps the most exciting tie of the round is one that also guarantees we will have second-tier involvement in the quarter finals. The Lancashire derby between Preston and Burnley is always a big match and both, but especially Burnley, will feel that if they can win, they can give just about any of the remaining clubs in the FA Cup a decent game, especially if they were drawn at home in the quarters.
On paper it certainly looks like there is a shortage of intriguing games in this year’s fifth round. But who knows, maybe Plymouth can cause another shock at the Etihad, or perhaps one of the other games will prove a surprise thriller. We can but hope!
Fourth Round Review
The undoubted highlight of the fourth round was Plymouth’s cupset win over high-flying Liverpool. The Premier League leaders were deservedly beaten by the side 24th in the second tier. Whilst Arne Slot fielded a much-changed side, it still featured stars such as Luis Dias and Diogo Jota, plus several others with first-team experience, whilst Darwin Nunez came on before the hour mark.
Exeter also came very close to causing a massive shock in their game against Nottingham Forest, third in the PL. The Grecians took the lead after just five minutes, then came from 2-1 down to force penalties. Sadly it wasn’t to be for the League One side but they pushed the Nottingham giants all the way.
The first game of the round took place on Friday night and saw Man United come from behind to win 2-1, the winner coming in the 93rd minute against Leicester at Old Trafford. Burnley caused an upset of sorts, winning away at PL Southampton, although those two clubs may swap divisions in the spring.
Man City survived a real scare against Leyton Orient, coming from behind to win 2-1, whilst Newcastle were given a fright at League One big boys Birmingham but won 3-2 in the end. Brighton beat Chelsea 2-1, with Villa prevailing by the same score at home against beleaguered Tottenham. There really wasn’t much to get too excited about in that round either overall, though Millwall will have enjoyed their 2-0 win away at Championship leaders Leeds, a team they – somewhat oddly – have a rivalry with.
And so to the fifth round, where 16 decidedly average sides play each other in eight largely forgettable matches. We can hardly wait… can you tell?