Although the appeal of the English FA Cup has waned over the years, the third round is still eagerly anticipated especially for the smaller clubs that have battled hard just to get this far. It is the time the heavyweights join the competition and when a minnow takes on a Premier League giant it is the essence of the Cup.
This week the freezing weather may play a role and at the time of writing it is unclear if any games could be affected. Let's hope most matches go ahead. A cold, wet and windy January afternoon is an ideal time to take on the big boys.
The inclement weather sparks memories of the 1962-63 season when the "Big Freeze" resulted in the heaviest fixture backlog ever. Snow and ice covered most of Britain from Dec 26 to well into March 1963.
This was before the days of under-pitch heating and clubs turned to drastic measures. Leicester City tried placing a giant tent over their Filbert Street pitch. That didn't work. Blackpool boldly tried flame-throwers but even that proved fruitless. Over 500 first class matches were postponed and the FA Cup 3rd round, which began on Dec 26 was not completed until March 11. The Lincoln v Coventry fixture was postponed 15 times.
The wretched conditions of 1963 also saw the introduction of the Pools Panel. After three weeks in which no matches were played, the pools companies had become desperate. They needed football results to make money. So they appointed a panel of five experts to determine, or rather "guess" the results of matches that were not played.
The panel was quite a distinguished gathering of four famous ex-players -- Ted Drake, Tommy Lawton, Tom Finney and George Young, plus former referee Arthur Ellis.
After the postponed matches for the 62/63 season were eventually played it turned out the pools panel had only got 40% of their forecasts right. This figure is an indication of just how difficult it is to predict results as the pundits on the Premier League TV shows know only too well.
This year only two non-league clubs, Tamworth, and Dagenham & Redbridge, both from the fifth tier National League, have made it to the third round.
Tamworth, a Staffordshire market town, have the most enticing fixture hosting unpredictable Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow at the 5,000 capacity Lamb Ground. The stadium is named after a former pub, hence the team's nickname, The Lambs. Tamworth have beaten two League One clubs, Huddersfield and Burton Albion, to reach the third round.
Dagenham & Redbridge, commonly known as Dag & Red, face a difficult away game on Monday at Millwall, currently 13th in the Championship.
There are other enticing fixtures in which clubs from League Two take on top flight teams. Premier League leaders Liverpool host Accrington Stanley currently struggling in 19th in League Two. Then we have Salford City, a mid-table fourth-tier side visiting Manchester City who appear to be showing signs of recovery. Bromley face a daunting trip to in-form Newcastle United.
But the biggest game is at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow where Arsenal host defending FA Cup champions Manchester United. Between them the Gunners and Man U have won 27 Cup finals with 14 of them going to Arsenal.
Will there be any major upsets this weekend? Probably not, but you never know in this weather. It certainly won't stop fans of the smaller clubs dreaming of glory.
This week the freezing weather may play a role and at the time of writing it is unclear if any games could be affected. Let's hope most matches go ahead. A cold, wet and windy January afternoon is an ideal time to take on the big boys.
The inclement weather sparks memories of the 1962-63 season when the "Big Freeze" resulted in the heaviest fixture backlog ever. Snow and ice covered most of Britain from Dec 26 to well into March 1963.
This was before the days of under-pitch heating and clubs turned to drastic measures. Leicester City tried placing a giant tent over their Filbert Street pitch. That didn't work. Blackpool boldly tried flame-throwers but even that proved fruitless. Over 500 first class matches were postponed and the FA Cup 3rd round, which began on Dec 26 was not completed until March 11. The Lincoln v Coventry fixture was postponed 15 times.
The wretched conditions of 1963 also saw the introduction of the Pools Panel. After three weeks in which no matches were played, the pools companies had become desperate. They needed football results to make money. So they appointed a panel of five experts to determine, or rather "guess" the results of matches that were not played.
The panel was quite a distinguished gathering of four famous ex-players -- Ted Drake, Tommy Lawton, Tom Finney and George Young, plus former referee Arthur Ellis.
After the postponed matches for the 62/63 season were eventually played it turned out the pools panel had only got 40% of their forecasts right. This figure is an indication of just how difficult it is to predict results as the pundits on the Premier League TV shows know only too well.
This year only two non-league clubs, Tamworth, and Dagenham & Redbridge, both from the fifth tier National League, have made it to the third round.
Tamworth, a Staffordshire market town, have the most enticing fixture hosting unpredictable Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow at the 5,000 capacity Lamb Ground. The stadium is named after a former pub, hence the team's nickname, The Lambs. Tamworth have beaten two League One clubs, Huddersfield and Burton Albion, to reach the third round.
Dagenham & Redbridge, commonly known as Dag & Red, face a difficult away game on Monday at Millwall, currently 13th in the Championship.
There are other enticing fixtures in which clubs from League Two take on top flight teams. Premier League leaders Liverpool host Accrington Stanley currently struggling in 19th in League Two. Then we have Salford City, a mid-table fourth-tier side visiting Manchester City who appear to be showing signs of recovery. Bromley face a daunting trip to in-form Newcastle United.
But the biggest game is at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow where Arsenal host defending FA Cup champions Manchester United. Between them the Gunners and Man U have won 27 Cup finals with 14 of them going to Arsenal.
Will there be any major upsets this weekend? Probably not, but you never know in this weather. It certainly won't stop fans of the smaller clubs dreaming of glory.
