Cruel Optimism Sports Blog

There are no EPL games this weekend but there are a host of FA Cup ties that will soften the blow. There are two all EPL fixtures with Man City taking on Stoke and Bolton hosting Spurs, as well as that we have the south coast derby with Southampton and Portsmouth.

My picks for the weekend -

Chelsea 2 – 0 Cardiff C.
Cant see anything other than a Chelsea home win. Terry has the game off, but after losing to Everton midweek they’ll be looking to bounce back quickly.

Southampton 1 – 1 Portsmouth
With the derby factor will make this one a draw, it’ll head back to Portsmouth in the second leg and Portsmouth will advance.

Derby County 0 – 1 Birmingham C.
Derby had a great result against Newcastle this week, but Birmingham are playing very well recently and should  have enough to get to the next round.

Reading 3 – 1 West Bromwich A.
Reading will continue their good cup form to upset West Brom.

Manchester City 1 – 1 Stoke City
I like what Tony Pulis is doing with his team, they’re an organised and disciplined team that are very hard to beat. They should contain City.

Bolton 1 – 0 Tottenham
I think this will be Owen Coyle’s first big scalp as Bolton manager, Spurs have been on an off this last week, and the swap of Gudjohnsen for Keane baffles me.

Fulham 4 – 0 Notts County
Fulham with Zamora back are more potent up front and Roy Hodgson is one of the elite managers in the EPL and should have his team ready.

Crystal Palace 0 – 0 Aston Villa
I’m not really sure about this game… Villa have been one of the dullest teams I’ve watched this season, but I don’t see Palace turning them over.

I must admit I feared the worst when Leeds were drawn against United in the FA Cup. All I hoped for was that we wouldn’t get asses handed to us, and keep the confidence at the club high as we start the second half of the season.

We had already played a “top four” Premier League team this year when Liverpool came to town and they lucked their way to a 1-0 win. I would have been quite happy to have the same happen again.

Then we scored in the 19th minute.

A great cross field pass from Howson, who by the way was great again today, was latched onto by Beckford. His first touch was poor, but he managed to rescue the situation with a smart finish underneath the on rushing Kuszczak.

I’m sure that it was a great moment for Beckford personally, with him not agreeing to a contract extension, this highlights exactly the talents that he possess and on the biggest stage too. It’s hard to say what the future holds for him, Newcastle are being constantly mentioned, but I hope that he stays with Leeds for the long haul.

The second half was a nervous watch to say the least. Hope is a horrible thing when you’re a Leeds fan! Numerous changes fell United’s way – Rooney shooting high and wide, second half substitute Owen had a guilt edged chance but slipped at the last moment. In these types of cup games the underdog inevitably needs a stellar performance from their keeper, but Ankergren really wasn’t tested until injury time when he made two great stops.

Ultimately Leeds held strong and United couldn’t find a way past. 1-0 Leeds.

It’s only a year since we lost to Histon at the same stage of the FA Cup. What a difference a year makes.

Update
Reward for beating United is a tougher draw against Spurs at White Hart Lane. Where Leeds will come up against former players Woodgate, Lennon & Keane.