FA Cup Third Round Draw

The FA Cup proved to be an early theme of this blog so it seems only right to return to it now as the Third Round draw for this year's competition was made this evening. I watched it at work. Apparently it's frowned upon to shout "Fuck off, fuck off" and bang your desk as your team get the second worst possible draw from 126 separate combinations*. I made so much commotion that one of the youths in the shop asked if I was a Sunderland fan. Indeed I was, lamenting their away tie to Arsenal where they lost two days previously. Manchester United have a more favourable draw at home to Sheffield United but it's difficult to feel optimistic about any of their fixtures at the minute.

My boss is a Yeovil fan and his team were drawn away to Carlisle, a 328 mile journey to an area currently badly affected by flooding. The Carlisle team announced yesterday that they were willing to offer assistance to anyone in the local area who requires it. Kudos to them for acknowledging that they have an important role to play in their community. It's a throwback to a time that now feels distant where footballers had a much stronger connection to their cities and towns and those who lived in them.

Day off and Manchester United getting knocked out of the Champions League tomorrow. Woo, hooray.

* I look forward to my mathematician friend coming forward and explaining to me why this is wrong.

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