Leeds' new hope given the elbow
FA Cup fourth round: Humble Rochdale and past finalists Watford strike a blow for the romantics as Dagenham and Millwall are denied at the last
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Your support makes all the difference.Terry Venables must have known it was not going to be easy when he accepted the job as manager of Leeds United, but this difficult? When he said, "It's always been a difficult job, but it's getting harder. It's frustrating but I have to get on with it", he was talking about the way transfers have been going at Elland Road, and the possible departure of Jonathan Woodgate. That was before yesterday's trip to Gillingham where his side seemed to be coasting towards the fifth round of the FA Cup until Mark Viduka was given the elbow for illegal use of his elbow. The red card was followed by Mamady Sidibe's equaliser.
Venables, assured by Viduka that there had been no intent to do harm, sighed: "I just feel we are hard done by. Until then we didn't look in too much trouble, so it's a huge disappointment." But at least his side will have another chance at home to dispose of a First Division side who looked to have no answer to Alan Smith's accurate free-kick early in the second half.
It is one the club's chairman, Peter Ridsdale, no doubt appreciates with money in short supply and the club out of potentially lucrative European competition and the Worthington Cup before Christmas. Venables having hinted he might walk away, the pre-match protestors directed their anger towards the chairman.
Andy Hessenthaler, Gillingham player-manager and the man on the receiving end of Viduka's flailing arm, saw the Australian's dismissal rather diferently. "I think it was a deliberate elbow. He's elbowed me in the face as far as I'm concerned," he said. "We had words a few moments before and had a little scuffle."
A replay, he suggested, would satisfy his chairman on a day when there was little satisfaction for underdogs. Rochdale upheld the honour of the Third Division by making Coventry City's Cup-winning glory day in 1987 feel even longer ago by beating them 2-0 at Spotland. Rochdale's £150,000 signing Paul Connor opened the scoring in the first half, and the club captain, Gareth Griffiths, headed the second after the break to dump the First Division side in familiar territory. Not only did Coventry lose in the third round to non-League Sutton United when opening their defence of the trophy 15 year ago, but in 1971 they lost at Spotland after Noel Cantwell, their manager in those days, made himself a hostage to fortune after the draw by asking: "Where's Rochdale?"
Rochdale may have produced the day's only romance, but there was plenty of thrillers with would-be heroes being undone in the final act. Dagenham & Redbridge appeared to have given themselves the chance to extend their giant-killing exploits at the expense of Norwich City, but Zema Abbey scored the only goal in the last minute at Carrow Road to put the First Division side through.
Heidar Helguson earned First Division Watford, finalists in 1984, victory over West Bromwich Albion with an 80th-minute goal, but Southampton rescued themselves from embarrassment at home to another First Division club, Millwall, who were given an early advantage by Steve Claridge. Kevin Davies, who had been on loan at The Den earlier in the season, denied them a minute from time by following up Jo Tessem's parried shot to equalise.
Sheffield United continued their love affair with cup football in a remarkable game against Ipswich Town. Another stunning strike by Michael Brown, one of the heroes of the run to the Worthington Cup semi-finals, put the Blades 3-0 ahead after 64 minutes, but Ipswich fought back with a vengeance. Thomas Gaardsoe pulled one back, Tommy Miller converted a penalty and then Darren Bent made it 3-3, all in the space of six minutes. Drama over? Only until the 89th minute when Paul Peschisolido, who had come off the bench, earned the Blades victory.
Six goals were predictably unevenly shared at Highbury with Arsenal beating non-League Farnborough Town 5-1, but there were equal shares at Blackburn where Sunderland looked certain to enjoy a rare celebration when they led 3-1 with 17 minutes to go. However, Andy Cole added his second of the afternoon and then, as time ran out, Dwight Yorke equalised.
Blackburn Rovers 3 Sunderland 3
Norwich City 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 0
Sheffield Utd 4 Ipswich Town 3
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