The Cinderella Story Continues: Wrexham is not out of the FA Cup just yet
Photo via Goal.com
After Wrexham’s stunning upset over Championship League side Coventry City, the team returned home to the Racecourse to face an even more difficult challenge. That challenge came in the form of Sheffield United, a team that sits in second place in the Championship League and is poised to return to the Premier League next season.
Despite being separated by 71 positions on the English Football ladder, Wrexham proved that they belong far higher than the National League “basement” in which they currently reside. With a final score of 3-3, the two sides will compete in a replay match on February 7, although this time, it’ll be played in Bramall Lane, the 32,000-seat home of Sheffield United.
From the off, it looked like Wrexham may have been a bit out of their depth. The Blades converted a corner kick into a goal just 62 seconds into the game. However, that would be the only score of the first half. Despite conceding the early goal, Wrexham tightened up, and created plenty of chances in the closing minutes of the half, although none of them found the back of the net.
After resuming from half-time, Wrexham answered quickly. James Jones found the end of a Ben Tozer long throw and poked it just past the goalkeeper. The score was now 1-1, and there was hope back in the Racecourse. Just ten minutes later, Thomas O’Connor swept in a goal following a beautiful corner kick, and suddenly Wrexham was leading the game. Sheffield would equalize with a second effort shot by Oliver Norwood in the 65th minute, but then, controversy.
One important thing to note about the Racecourse is that it does not have VAR capabilities. VAR, or “Video Assistant Referee,” is an extra official dedicated to reviewing foul calls or missed calls on a video monitor. VAR has become a staple in the modern game and has been incredibly important in certain situations.
Despite this, a kick out foul in the 71st minute by Sheffield’s Daniel Jebbison that initially went unnoticed was brought to the main official’s attention by the side official. As a result, it was decided that Jebbison would receive a red card, leaving the Blades with 10 men for the rest of the match.
The commentators also noted the lack of VAR, particularly in the 80th minute, when an obvious handball occurred in the Sheffield box, but play continued. One can only wonder how a penalty kick may have changed the course of this game. Even so, Wrexham would score just four minutes later, and it was the man himself, “Super” Paul Mullin doing the honors this time.
After quickly collecting himself inside the box, he put the ball through a defender’s and the goalkeeper’s legs before it found the back of the net. With just six minutes of regular time remaining, it looked like Wrexham were poised to accomplish the impossible once more.
But alas, what is football if not unpredictable?
Despite playing with 10 men in a raucous stadium full of Wrexham fans, John Egan scored off a corner kick for Sheffield in the 95th minute, all but shattering Wrexham’s hopes of a win. The final score remained 3-3 until the final whistle.
Here’s where things get a bit more interesting, though. Unlike in most American sports, where ties are very uncommon, the English system works a bit differently. An entire replay match is scheduled from the beginning of FA cup qualifying up until the fourth round proper, when a tie occurs, instead of adding extra time or going to penalties. Because of this, Wrexham and Sheffield United will clash once again on February 7, but this time at the home of the Blades.
Wrexham remains the only non-league team still competing in the tournament, and the team will hope to advance to the fifth round for the first time since 1995. And although Wrexham didn’t win today, they didn’t lose, and they’ll live to fight another day as the Cinderella story of this year's FA Cup.
