The FA Cup Final Preview

by Dek Hogan

Who are we playing?
Arsenal on Saturday 30th May at 5.30pm

Where are we playing?
Wembley Stadium

Can I go?
Over 25,000 of us are! Tickets sold out but there's may be the odd spare floating about if you're bold enough to head down there without one. At least then you can soak up the pre-match atmosphere, even if you end up watching the game in a pub.

Easy to get to?

Tony Morley on Top of the Pops

If you are mad enough to drive, best bet is to park away from Wembley and get the tube. Loads of coaches going, National Express do cheap deals for big footie matches and there's extra trains.

Can I watch it on telly?
The BBC are going overboard with an old style build up including FA Cup editions of Pointless and Top of the Pops. The game is also on BT Sport.

Fab

Big game?
Well, it's the FA Cup Final, so it doesn't get much bigger.

The lunatic 5.30pm kick off time is designed to maximise TV audiences rather than cater for us poor saps that are actually attending the game and Greg Dyke is unapologetic about that.


We go into the game as cast iron underdogs. We were always going to be that but a 6-1 drubbing against Southampton followed by a completely impotent effort against lowly Burnley has served to kill the momentum that we've been building under Timbo.

Big Chris

Timbo's team selection defied logic on paper and didn't work out that well on the pitch either.

Arsenal have the players to hurt us all over the shop, so it would seem that hoping to get through the match without conceding would be folly.

We might need a Plan B

Sherwood's "let's go toe-to-toe and see what happens" attitude has to be our best chance of securing victory. We'll definitely need a Plan B if Big Chris  is manacled by the Arsenal defence so we'll be hopeful that Tom Clevertrousers and our Fab aren't shy when it comes to having a shot.

Shay Given has been our keeper throughout the FA Cup campaign and it will be a crying shame if he isn't fit to face the Gunners, whatever you may think of his recent displays.


If we win, we're back at Wembley on Sunday 2nd August to face Chelsea in the Community Shield and there will also be that pesky Europa League to contend with.

Do Arsenal have any famous fans?

Dido

Well there's maker of background music for twee dinner parties Dido, Piers Fucking Morgan and professional Gru lookalike Dara off of Mock the Week. There's also Lofty from EastEnders (ask yer Gran kids).

We've got heir to the throne the Duke of Cambridge, the newsagent from the first series of Broadchurch, the geezer that writes the Jack Reacher books AND fiddle playing scruffbox Nigel Kennedy.

So we win.

Doubtful

Who's playing for us?
We are assuming that Timbo will play his strongest available line up which may well mean he spends most of the week trying to find someone who can do a passable impression of a left back.

If the Burnley game was an audition for Gabby to stake his claim then he probably didn't do himself any favours.

We'd expect a similar line up to that which has brought us a modicum of success up until recently which may well mean Scott Sinclair has to start on the bench, but we wouldn't rule a late cameo from him being hugely significant.

Mezut Ozil

Who's playing for them?
Talent in abundance all over the park means we'll have to be on our toes throughout.

“You could see that some players are in good shape for the FA Cup final,” Wenger said. “There are no new injuries.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain is not completely ready to start a game but he can play. One more week will help him.”

Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go (you might want to skip this bit):

• We drew 1-1 in our first ever FA Cup encounter with Arsenal in a fifth round tie in 1926 at Villa Park. Billy Kirton got our goal. We lost the replay at Highbury 2-0.

• Two years later we were drawn against the Gunners again in the fifth round and they thumped us 4-1 at their place.

• In 1929 we gained our revenge with a 1-0 win in the Quarter Final clash at Villa Park. The legendary Pongo Waring got the winner.

• We faced Arsenal yet again in 3rd Round clash in 1931. Goals from Billy Walker and George Brown earned us a Villa Park replay which we duly lost 3-1 despite a Pongo goal.

• In 1934, we took on Arsenal in the Quarter Finals once more at Highbury. Goals from Dai Astley and Eric Houghton secured a 2-1 victory.

• It was twenty years before we faced Arsenal in the cup again, losing 5-1 at Highbury in a 3rd Round tie.

• A Johnny Dixon goal wasn't nearly enough in 1956 as we fell 4-1 to the Gunners in the 4th Round.

Sammy Morgan celebrates

• Sammy Morgan was the hero of our 4th Round clash with Arsenal in 1974, scoring in the 1-1 draw at Highbury and in the replay at Villa Park. Alun Evans also scored.

• Tony Woodcock was on the scoresheet as we lost 2-0 at Highbury in a 1983 Quarter Final.

• Our last FA Cup clash came at the Emirates in 2012. We took a two-nil lead thanks to goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent. Two Van Persie penalties and a Theo Walcott goal saw us crash to defeat.

Prediction
Penalties