The FA Cup. It is a competition that has faced some issues in recent years, from semi-finals at Wembley to some clubs playing a second team. But, the cup remains a special one for all clubs, all the way down to non-league.
West Ham United are no different. During the tricky spell of form where Europe is looking less likely, the FA Cup becomes ever more important.
The recent draw pits them against a formidable cup team: Aston Villa, which isn’t ideal for a third round – not least being a Friday night match. Sports betting bookmakers have West Ham at 16/5 to beat Villa, and around 25/1 to win the competition outright.
A long shot it may be, but it’s looking increasingly like these games, even in the third round, will be season-defining. More so for us than Villa, too.
The Draw
The early December FA Cup draw isn’t usually a big day in the calendar. Although fans didn’t seem too pleased to draw Villa, especially away from home in an evening game, it’s not like Villa fans were excited at the prospect either.
League positioning can be deceiving before Christmas – we should know that when Bournemouth are 6th, and Manchester United are 13th. West Ham are only 6 points behind Villa, and both teams have two wins in their last five games. Villa actually have an extra loss in their recent form, and the tide may continue to turn in the lead up to the fixture – particularly during the busy Christmas schedule.
Away Ticket Allocation
West Ham United have received a substantial allocation of 6,500 tickets for the third round clash at Villa Park, which is a boost to the ego as it highlights our significant away support presence. The allocation has been met with a lot of enthusiasm, with an official announcement already in December of a complete sellout.
It’s an impressive response, particularly given the awkward Friday night timing of the game, which will be difficult to get home from. The rapid sellout really shows the size of West Ham’s travelling support, reinforcing the club’s reputation for having some of the strongest away support in English football.
Hopefully, it will be indicative of our no-field performance too, with a loud away end. Getting past Villa likely means an easier fixture in the next draw, with plenty of Championship teams still in the competition. In fact, there’s more than a handful of League One and Two clubs. Tamworth from the National League North would be quite the draw…
Conclusion
With recent form ever so slightly picking up, and with few injuries to moan about, West Ham’s rapid selling out of the away Villa game – despite being so awkwardly placed on a Friday evening – is indicative of its importance. Though there is still a lot of hope for a Conference League placement, Villa away feels far bigger than a third-round game should feel. After all, it’s been three and a half decades since our last FA Cup trophy, which is far too long.
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