FC Cup:Mark Robins Faces His Old Boss in The Carling Cup Tonight

FC Cup:Mark Robins Faces His Old Boss in The Carling Cup Tonight

There are sportsmen who, however unfairly, become known for one momentary incident in their lives. Eric Hollies spent a quarter of a century bowling leg spin for Warwickshire but only one of his 2,323 wickets is ever remembered: the last ball that Don Bradman ever faced in Test cricket, which dismissed him for a duck. Hollies even called his autobiography, The Hand that Bowled Bradman.Mark Robins has won an FA Cup and a League Cup, been part of the Norwich side that overcame Bayern Munich and tasted promotion with Leicester. But he accepts his playing career will be recalled for one stooping header that met a cross from Mark Hughes to ensure that Manchester United won an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, where defeat might have had terminal consequences for his manager. His autobiography might be, The Man who Saved Fergie.
Having combined to see off Wolves in the last round, the veteran and the prodigy did so once again as Barnsley manager Mark Robins was denied a victory against the manager whose job he once famously secured with a winning goal in an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest almost 20 years ago.Welbeck, the pick of United’s impressive youngsters at Oakwell, opened the scoring before Owen completed the victory for the cup holders with a magical second.Yet the game was marred by Gary Neville’s 64th minute dismissal for a studs-up challenge on Adam Hammill prior to an unsavoury injury-time incident when two Barnsley supporters entered the pitch and kicked the ball out of United goalkeeper Ben Foster’s hands.Sir Alex Ferguson arrived in Barnsley having already experienced the ignominy of a cup upset at Oakwell. Eleven years ago, his reigning league champions were on the wrong end of a 3-2 FA Cup fifth-round replay in South Yorkshire, albeit against a Barnsley side enjoying a one-season flirtation with the top flight.
Tottenham and Everton fielded near-full strength teams and produced a lively game and a bizarre goal at White Hart Lane.Spurs went ahead after 31 minutes with a superb counter- attack ending with Tom Huddlestone's powerful strike.Robbie Keane doubled the lead after 57 minutes in a mighty scramble featuring no less than four rebound attempts after his penalty had been saved.Stand-in goalkeeper Brad Guzan was Villa's hero at the Stadium of Light as he saved a penalty from Kenwyne Jones to force extra time before keeping out three Sunderland efforts in the shootout to help his side to a 3-1 penalties success.The fourth round concludes on Wednesday when Arsenal face Liverpool, Chelsea play Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City take on second division Scunthorpe, the last remaining lower league club.