[ Note: In past years I would update results in the FA Cup latter rounds by just updating the original map post, but I have come to realize that that was confusing to the reader and probably under-cut my traffic, so hence this stand-alone post. Here is the 2012-13 FA Cup 3rd Round Proper Map post. ]
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bbc.co.uk/ FA Cup (bbc.co.uk/sport/football/fa-cup).
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Further below, in a hopefully-easy-to-read chart-form, are all the results, from the first day of the 2012-13 FA Cup Third Round, which involved a lower-placed club defeating a higher-placed club (ie, all the Cup upsets). Also listed are the two best results for a lower-placed club which ended up as a draw (thus forcing a replay).
The biggest upset was Conference National/5th division side Macclesfield Town over the second-division leaders Cardiff City by the score of 2-1. Macclesfield Town will now play in the FA Cup 4th Round for the first time in the club’s 139-year history. Two goals by the Silkmen’s Matthew Barnes-Homer in a 3-minute span (in the 85th and the 88th minutes [the second goal from the spot]) saw Wales’ biggest club fall to the tiny Cheshire club, who have been suffering an otherwise trying spell stuck back in Non-League football this season. Macclesfield had maintained Football League status for 15 seasons prior to their relegation in May 2012. Attendance at Macclesfield Town’s ground, Moss Rose, has plummeted 30% or so this season (in league matches), to just 1,500 or so per game, versus 2,227 per game last year in League Two. (Attendance was 3,165 there today). And as they sat just 10th in the Conference (and now are in 11th place there), Macclesfield will most likely be stuck in Non-League football again next season. In other words, MTFC had plenty to play for, and needed this. The embattled manager of Macclesfield Town, Steve King, sure needed this, because many of the club’s more vocal supporters have recently been calling for his sacking. Meanwhile, within the Cardiff City camp, truth be told, Cardiff City had bigger fish to fry – namely, finally winning promotion to the Premier League after falling agonizingly short for 3 straight seasons. And the fact that Cardiff manager Malky Mackay fielded an entirely different XI than from the team’s previous league-match starting eleven shows you that Cardiff City were treating this Cup match with the disdain that many Premier League clubs often do. But try telling that to the rookie-laden Cardiff squad right now. Because, despite the fact that this loss will probably not put a dent in their promotion push, it’s not easy living down the fact that the Bluebirds – I mean the Red Dragons – just lost to a team that is 3 leagues below them and 81 league places below them.
From guardian.co.uk/football, from 5 January 5 2013, by Jamie Jackson, ‘Macclesfield’s Matthew Barnes-Homer gives Cardiff both barrels in Cup‘.
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The second biggest upset of the day went to another Non-League club – Luton Town (the highest-drawing club outside the Football League with regular crowds of around 6,000 per game). The Hatters of Bedfordshire, who are managed by former Torquay United and Bristol Rovers manager Paul Buckle, held their own versus struggling second-division club Wolverhampton. And the club from the northern-edge of the London commuter-belt won it with a 46th minute goal on a sublime volley by Alex Lawless, after he was set-up nicely by a Jon Shaw cross. There were 9,638 in attendance at Luton’s Kenilwoth Road. Maybe this will spur on Luton to finally put up a successful promotion drive to get back in the Football League where a club of their size belongs. Wolves’ manager Stale Solbakken was sacked 4 hours after the humiliating defeat.
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The third biggest upset of the day went to manager Paul Dickov’s Oldham Athletic, who though one goal down after 18 minutes (and playing away), ended up beating Nottingham Forest 2-3 on two goals by Robbie Simpson in a four-minute-span (54′, 58′) (the second one on an arcing header off a nice whipped cross by Dean Furman); and just 3 minutes after that, a 61st minute goal by Jose Baxter off a free kick. Nottingham Forest, the only club, anywhere, that has ever won the European title more times than their national title, look without a clue and have not won the 3 matches since they inexplicably hired that enemy-of-attractive-passing-football, Alex MacLeish, last month. As one Forest fan commented here (4th comment/glambear), ‘McLeish. You wouldn’t wish him to your worst enemy. Even Leeds. Well, maybe Leeds…’.
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The chart below will be updated (if need be) as results come in on Sunday and Monday.
[Note: league placements are as from the start of each club's 2012-13 FA Cup 3rd Round match.]
2012-13 FA Cup 3rd Round Upsets
