FA Cup 3rd round

[Murphy]

What an absolutely cracking cup tie and unforgettable weekend we had - one of my favourites. Playing at Goodison was immense and Liverpool is my new favourite city.

Take me back.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

well you only need 3 promotions to do so.

or I suppose 1 relegation (to Tranmere)

 

[daviejones]

Liverpool is also a great night out alongside the football bit

 

[UTS]

There is a definate step up from L2 to L1. Teams are much more clinical normally.

 

[daviejones]

I think the sides promoted last season would have had a much tougher time this time round, the likes of Portsmouth, Northampton, Oxford, Accrington and Plymouth have all upped their games a lot having been average last season as well as teams like us and Mansfield who've come from relegation battles to play-off pushes. It's a good job the teams who came down aren't doing well or else we'd be in with no chance.

 

[shoddycollins]

Talksport had a big debate saying that the top four in League 2 could easily cut it in League 1, judging on our cup performances against higher level teams. I think a number of sides could go up and be comfortably mid table.

I actually think the opposite. I don't think League 2 this season is anywhere near the standard of last season. If I'm being honest we haven't improved all that much as a team since narrowly avoiding relegation last year. We've just shed some of the dead-weight and brought in a handful of more solid players and before we decided to take a rain-break we were 5th. We'd never have been as high as 5th in last season's League 2. Neither have either of the top 4 teams I've seen (Plymouth and Portsmouth) looked streets ahead of where they were last season.

 

[EricSabin]

I'm not so sure. We've beaten Blackpool, Colchester and Coventry and drew with MK Dons in cups this year. The others have had good results in the cup against higher division sides too, and the top handful of sides play good football which I think would match many sides in the league above.

 

[Carver]

I actually think the opposite. I don't think League 2 this season is anywhere near the standard of last season. If I'm being honest we haven't improved all that much as a team since narrowly avoiding relegation last year. We've just shed some of the dead-weight and brought in a handful of more solid players and before we decided to take a rain-break we were 5th. We'd never have been as high as 5th in last season's League 2. Neither have either of the top 4 teams I've seen (Plymouth and Portsmouth) looked streets ahead of where they were last season.

Really? I don't think so. I'm sure Plymouth and Portsmouth fans will strongly disagree with you on that one, but seriously are you joking? You must be surely.

To say we haven't improved that much since last season makes me wonder about the state of your mind!

 

[shoddycollins]

Really? I don't think so. I'm sure Plymouth and Portsmouth fans will strongly disagree with you on that one, but seriously are you joking? You must be surely.

To say we haven't improved that much since last season makes me wonder about the state of your mind!

I think we've improved to what would be easily safe from relegation last season, which is an achievement, but I don't think we'd have been looking above mid-table if the quality of the division hadn't been lower than last year.

 

[PoolieTom]

I would agree with this season being of a poorer standard than last year too. I don't know if that is partly down to how utter utter dog shite we were last season or not though. I have only been impressed by one team this year, Bristol Rovers, who had 4 or 5 players who were just completely a class above anything else I have seen this season. The rest of the teams all seem just as shit as each other, but have just 1 possibly 2 players who are a cut above, and ensure these teams win more than they lose. Jabo Ibehre, Josh Windass, Jay Simpson etc. It is how these teams cope without their influential player(s) when they are injured/suspended that will determine if they finish top 7 or not. The teams at the bottom, i.e. us, D&R, York, Stevenage, we don't have that 1 really good player who can turn a loss into a draw, or a draw into a win, and that is why we are at the bottom.

 

[Carver]

I think we've improved to what would be easily safe from relegation last season, which is an achievement, but I don't think we'd have been looking above mid-table if the quality of the division hadn't been lower than last year.

So what great teams were in this league last season then?

 

[EricSabin]

2,500 sold for the replay in a week. Been on sale just over a day.

 

[Grecian O'Grecian]

Finally, our replay date with Liverpool is confirmed for Wednesday 20th.

Live on BT Sport so another welcome 70k odd.

 

[Grecian O'Grecian]

Liverpool allocation sold out. 6,000 I believe. Home areas sold out as well so should make a nice change

 

[Carver]

I'll be gutted if we don't progress to round 4, even more so if we play that pathetic excuse for a goalie Hanford again!

 

[EricSabin]

MK have sold 5,500 tickets for our replay tomorrow. Jesus their support is horrific, they need to get another 1,500 in or we'll outnumber them.

 

[Super_horns]

MK have sold 5,500 tickets for our replay tomorrow. Jesus their support is horrific, they need to get another 1,500 in or we'll outnumber them.

I remember one game the other season they did a promotional deal to get kids and families in but apparently the organisation was a shambles and the "fans" who went complained about people standing up and the language used..

Maybe that has put people off being regular fans in MK?

 

[daviejones]

I remember one game the other season they did a promotional deal to get kids and families in but apparently the organisation was a shambles and the "fans" who went complained about people standing up and the language used..

Maybe that has put people off being regular fans in MK?

I don't think that's the only off-putting thing in fairness, hope Northampton beat them (unlikely).

 

[Nelza82]

I remember one game the other season they did a promotional deal to get kids and families in but apparently the organisation was a shambles and the "fans" who went complained about people standing up and the language used..

Maybe that has put people off being regular fans in MK?

They've got a bit of a furore going on at the moment about 15 people who go to cause trouble apparently. Read a funny thread about it on their forum. As far as I can tell they've just let off a few smoke bombs. It's a really odd club, I guess that is to be expected though.

Shambolic to have less than us though for this game.

Hoping the 7k away fans can cheer us on to victory, however, I am not very confident and think we perhaps missed our chance in the 1st game. You never know though eh!

 

[EricSabin]

The ref had an absolute Reginald blinker tonight.
Wrongly disallows our goal at 0-0.
MK race down the other end and he awards a pen for a foul that clearly happened outside the box.
Wrongly gives another penalty against Adam Smith.

Harder to take when that's happened but ah well.

 

[Alan Partridge]

Wrongly disallowed? Your lad barged the 'keeper over the line with the ball already in his hands.

First pen was a foul outside the box, as you said, but the second pen was spot on. Even if he was going nowhere...

 

[thewwfc]

Outclassed by better players tonight, all I asked however was that we gave it a damn good shot and didn't give away a cheap early goal - job done, but we lost and the glamour's over for another year, back to the league.

 

[mowgli]

A very good performance away to a Premier League team even if it was only Villa.Matched them first half but run out of steam in the second. I understand that we've earned over £350,000 from our cup run which i'm well happy with being a small League 2 club owned by the fans as this sort of money is vital to keep the club running,hopefully some of it will go on a decent striker as we havn't got one as was proved by our misses last night.

 

[Don Tonberry]

We bossed Ipswich (reserves) last night and 2-1 flattered them if anything.

I think Bournemouth may take us slightly more seriously.

 

[daviejones]

The end of this video is possibly the best thing ever, closely drawn with the numerous Yeovil fans seemingly wanting Ibehre to be publicly executed for his sins last night or something. https://twitter.com/J_Walton/status/689830109025603584

 

[Nelza82]

Someone needs to watch the video of the 2nd penalty and accept it was a great save, also confirmed by the MK manager.

MK Dons deserved to win but 1-0 was fair, 3-0 wasn't. That's football though eh!

 

[Moomin]

Well that was fun.

Did well to still be in the game with 20 mins left but when I saw out lineup my optimism faded. Butterfield, Oakley and Morrison are so far past it and need to retire.

We missed Noble and Harley so so much and not having Nichols and Wheeler starting was a shame. Still, at least we gave it a go second half but the gulf was very apparent all game.

Back to the league now....back to reality with Accy next.

 

[Grecian O'Grecian]

Yeah, echoed above. They are a much better side and it showed.

It's been fun. Hopefully we won't need to wait another 11 years before we make the 3rd round again.

Anyway, back to the league.