Leeds eye second upset at Spurs
Reuters - Thursday 21 January 2010, 02:00
LONDON - Leeds United's victory at
Manchester United gave their fans a taste of the stage they
feel their club should still be playing on, and Saturday's FA
Cup fourth round tie at Tottenham Hotspur offers a juicy second
bite.
The fourth round draw was short on blockbuster ties but the
clash between a club still climbing off the canvas after a
spectacular fall from grace since reaching the Champions League
semi-final in 2001, and one with a massive Cup pedigree, will
guarantee an old-fashioned atmosphere at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, whose side lost 2-0 at
Liverpool on Wednesday, can never be accused of taking the Cup
lightly and will have his sights set on a May afternoon at
Wembley.
"Cup final day is the best day of the year for me,"
Redknapp, who won the competition with Portsmouth in 2008, told
www.thefa.com.
"When I was growing up, everyone looked forward to watching
the Cup final. For me, it will always have great importance and
I know what it means."
With Jermaine Beckford's goal having dispatched 11-times
winners United and seven-times winners Liverpool humbled by
Reading, two of English football's big four have already bitten
the dust.
Chelsea and Arsenal will not be taking anything for granted
either, as they face testing away ties.
Arsenal, top of the Premier League after a 4-2 win over
Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday, are away at Stoke City on
Sunday, while Chelsea travel to Championship Preston North End on Saturday.
"It gives you a better chance with two of the big guns
out," Redknapp added. "But we've drawn a team in Leeds which
will present a difficult game for us.
"I know just how hard it's going to be. They were fantastic
that day at Manchester United, their work rate and the way they
played, they looked more like a Premier League team than a
League One team."
Leeds's joy at beating United was tempered by league
slip-ups against Wycombe Wanderers and Exeter City but they
have been boosted by the news that the prolific Beckford is
staying at Elland Road, despite interest from Everton.
"It's another away draw for us," Leeds manager Simon
Grayson told the club's website.
"But
we'll take great confidence from our win at Manchester United."
Portsmouth face Sunderland and Everton host Birmingham City
in the other all Premier League ties.
The competition's lowest placed survivors, League Two
Accrington Stanley, have a dream tie at home
to top flight Fulham.
More than just a chance to get one over a team packed with
household names, the match at Fraser Eagle Stadium could be the
difference between staying afloat and going under for
Accrington.
This week they managed to pay a tax bill after a High Court
winding up order was issued against the Lancashire club.
"Financially it's a great boost for us," manager John
Coleman told BBC radio. "I'd like to think we'd have a bumper
crowd on Saturday. My lads have given everything all season."