Posh players, managers and fans were all happy with the draw Posh received for the Third Round of the 2011/12 FA Cup.
With only six balls remaining in the hat, which included Posh and just two Premiership teams, many feared another disappointing draw or another Cup match against West Bromwich Albion! However, Posh`s ball was then pulled out for a home tie before ball number 37 was pulled out – Premier League outfit Sunderland!
Posh boss Darren Ferguson said: “It`s a good draw, hopefully it might be on the television. It will be a full house, they are a Premier League club and it is a tie we can all look forward to.”.
Centre-back Gaby Zakuani is convinced Posh have what it takes to beat a top-flight side in the FA Cup for just the second time in the club`s history.
Zakuani said: “I feel like we can beat Sunderland. They will have a boost with the appointment of a good manager, but we are playing very well at home and we will go into the game full of confidence.
“I fancy us to win quite strongly. The results might not say it, but we`ve been very unlucky in several games at home, especially on Saturday when we battered Barnsley to be fair.”
Director of Football Barry Fry said to www.theposh.com: “I am absolutely delighted, it is a great draw. It should be a sell-out and with Martin O’Neill going there it gives us half a chance of being on TV.
“Martin met the chairman Darragh MacAnthony for an hour ahead of the pre-season game with Villa when he was there and they got on like a house on fire. I am delighted for the chairman, he deserves a big game and it should be a sell-out,” Fry said.
Chairman Darragh MacAnthony was also happy with the draw as he said on twitter: “No trip to OT or Anfield I see but if we sell out Sunderland game at LR we have chance. Should be TV game also.”
Top Flight Win For Posh
Posh have only ever beaten a top flight team once in the FA Cup. That came back in 1965 when Posh beat Arsenal 2-1 in front of over 30,000 fans at London Road. Goals from Derek Dougan and Peter McNamee gave Posh the Fourth Round win in that season.
The full draw for the Third Round of the 2011/12 Budweiser FA Cup is:
Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury Town
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
Manchester City v Manchester United
Dagenham & Redbridge/Walsall v Millwall
Crawley Town v Bristol City
Doncaster Rovers v Notts County
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur v Cheltenham Town
Sheffield Wednesday v West Ham United
Milton Keynes Dons v Queens Park Rangers
Hull City v Ipswich Town
Coventry City v Southampton
Brighton & Hove Albion v Wrexham
Fulham v Charlton Athletic
Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Norwich City v Burnley
Arsenal v Leeds United
Derby County v Crystal Palace
Fleetwood Town/Yeovil Town v Blackpool
Swindon Town v Wigan Athletic
Barnsley v Swansea City
Chelmsford City/Macclesfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers
Everton v Tamworth
Sheffield United v Salisbury City/Grimsby Town
Liverpool v Southend United/Oldham Athletic
Gillingham v Stoke City
Chelsea v Portsmouth
Watford v Bradford City
Peterborough United v Sunderland
West Bromwich Albion v Cardiff City
Reading v Stevenage
Matches to be played over the weekend of 7th and 8th January, 2012.
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could be a shock on the cards I reckon!
It should be a very open game which if Posh play to their potential could cause an upset. It also depends on how quickly Martin O’Neil can change the fortunes of sunderland.