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Hammers off to the FA Cup land of bad haircuts :)

 

By Simon Leyland

 

Fresh from their League Cup win or whatever they call it these days, we journey up to the land of shell suits and bad haircuts to play Manchester United this evening.

Our ashen faced supremo returns to familiar territory as the former United boss bids to avoid a third successive elimination with the Hammers at this stage of the competition.

The Red Devils have progressed from more FA Cup fifth-round ties than any other team (41) in the competition’s current format (dating back to 1925-26), but they failed to even reach this stage last season after losing to Championship side Middlesbrough on penalties in the fourth round.

The 12-time FA Cup winners will be full of confidence when they take to the pitch against West Ham, but extending their unbeaten run is not a given considering their struggles against the Hammers in recent cup meetings.

Indeed, Man United scraped past West Ham with a 1-0 extra-time win in their last FA Cup meeting in February 2021, before losing 1-0 at home in the EFL Cup fourth round seven months later.

We have now climbed out of the relegation zone and are sitting clear of the dotted line, and while top-flight survival remains a priority, our focus now shifts to the FA Cup – a competition that we last won way, way back in 1980 when Sir Trevor scored possibly the only header in his career in a 1-0 win over Arsenal.

Seeking to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the only the first time in seven years, we have already had success on the road in this season’s competition, with a 1-0 away win over Brentford in the third round followed by a 2-0 fourth-round victory against Derby County at Pride Park at the end of January.

However, the Hammers head into Wednesday’s clash having won only one of their last 20 visits to Old Trafford across all competitions, while they have lost each of their last four FA Cup meetings with them since the wonderful Paolo Di Canio bamboozled Barthez in a 1-0 fourth-round triumph back in January 2001.

Irrespective of the result, it would be a welcome change if we returned to London without any injuries. But it is the FA Cup… and we can but dream !

 

2 comments on “Hammers off to the FA Cup land of bad haircuts :)

  1. Brookings only career headed goal? I think not ! Us old’uns will remember his fine effort against our old chums Eintracht Frankfurt back in the Cup Winners Cup 1976. In front of the Upton Park South bank – Frankie Lampard assist.(as they say these days.)

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