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The FFA Cup has created a universal love-in among football fans – casual and hardcore – that has exceeded Football Federation Australia’s wildest expectations.
Throughout the round of 32, the crowds have been great, Adam Peacock slopped cevapi down his Fox Sports jacket, Mark Bosnich had a ride in a fire truck, and grassroots clubs have had at least 90 minutes of fame – six times more than Andy Warhol ever imagined.
The crowd of 5000 at Leichhardt Oval for the Balmain Tigers vs Melbourne Victory game was a community endorsement of the competition like no other.
On a freezing night in Sydney, a club that usually can greet their fans by individual name made a magnificent fist of the opportunity the Cup gave them. The Tigers did end up on the wrong side of a predictable scoreline but the result was secondary to the event.
However, a future result, somewhere, sometime, needs to matter. What the competition could really do with soon is a giant-killing act, akin to those we see replayed year after year in FA Cup highlights.
You know the ones; Hereford United’s elimination of Newcastle United. Cambridge United’s vanquishing of then-champions Leeds United. Wrexham’s famous win over Arsenal. Then-third division Bournemouth’s win over Manchester United. All those results happened 20, 30 and 40 years ago, but they are recalled instantly whenever cup upsets are mentioned.
You don’t have to go back that far though. Only last season Bradford City caused an extraordinary shock when they did what no Premier League team can – beat a Jose Mourinho-coached Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Can it happen here? Edgeworth Eagles came very close this week against Melbourne City. And last year Adelaide City eliminated Western Sydney Wanderers in the round of 32 in the inaugural FFA Cup. However, that is the only time an A-League side has fallen to non-A-League opponents, and Adelaide City’s pedigree and history is such that it probably wasn’t treated with the shock that it might have been.
Even close calls would be favourable to giant scorelines, which is not to denigrate the efforts of clubs like Balmain and Darwin Olympic. There is a gulf in standard between the full-time A-League clubs and the part-timers from the various State Leagues which is in part due to that very fact. The firefighters, plumbers, lawyers and council workers that make up grassroots clubs simply can’t commit the time.
21 years ago, the NSW Waratah Cup, in an unprecedented move, included the National Soccer League clubs in the final rounds of its competition. This gave rise to matches between minnows and giants in a round of 16. The biggest club in the country at the time, Marconi, drew State League 1 side North Ryde. Sydney’s other powerhouse, Sydney Olympic, faced the third tier Southern Minotaurs.
On an almost-famous Friday night in September at Marconi Stadium, North Ryde (who still ply their trade in the Gladesville-Hornsby competition), led the Stallions 2-0 with 10 minutes to go. It was to be an upset of monumental proportions. A late Marconi goal to Andy Harper brought the 1993 National League champions back into the game. An inexplicable 13 minutes of injury time saw the Stallions steal the result with two late goals. Notably, Marconi drew State League opposition in the quarter finals, and were beaten by Warringah Dolphins.
Across town, the Southern Minotaurs took Sydney Olympic to extra time, having drawn 2-2 in regulation, but were finally beaten 5-2.
On that night, two clubs seized the moment and gave their all against two of the biggest clubs in the land.
The football landscape has shifted dramatically since the mid-nineties. But the seeds of cup football drama were sown. We love the FFA Cup now but we’re going to adore it when a group of part-timers go all David on an A-League Goliath.
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