Road to the English and Welsh Cup Finals

CUP football this weekend but more about Cardiff City in a later blog. However, its time to get back on the road to Wembley and the Welsh Cup final after the last round of games in the FA Cup my team is now Tottenham Hotspur and in the Welsh Cup Pontypridd Town.

Tottenham will be making the trip today to face Division 2 club Newport County who will be looking to be the talk of the round by beating the Premiership club. Tottenham will be in for a bit of a shock facilities wise and the pitch they could find challenging to say the least. Rodney Parade is a rugby ground as Leeds found out in the last round.

Tottenham could be forced to make a number of changes for the trip to Newport because of injury doubts has the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said, "We will take the best players to try to win”. What team will he play and is there a place for the player of the moment Harry Kane I think Newport fans would be happy to see him left home.

The game will be a big payday for Newport with a sell-out crowd and all that brings with other match day revenues, plus competition monies and TV cash. A win for Newport is the best option but a replay would also be welcome I expect. Tottenham may be my team but I have fingers crossed for a Newport win.

Route to Date (Bold type my team)

Fourth Round (Replay) Tottenham Hotspur v Newport County Att

Fourth Round – Newport County 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur Att

Third Round - Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 AFC Wimbledon Att 47,527

Second Round - AFC Wimbledon 3-1 Charlton Att 3,270

First Round – Charlton 3-1 Truro City Att 4,494

Fourth Round Qualifying – Hampton & Richmond 0-2 Truro City Att 784

Third Round Qualifying - Truro City 4 – 1 AFC Sudbury Att 359

Second Qualifying Round - AFC Sudbury 3-0 Chipstead Att - 169

First Qualifying Round (Reply) - Chipstead 4-0 Littlehampton Town Att 129

First Qualifying Round - Littlehampton Town 2-2 Chipstead Att 229

Preliminary Round – Littlehampton Town 3-2 Eastbourne Att 177

Extra Preliminary Round - Little Common 1-3 Eastbourne Att – 200 Played at The Oval, Eastbourne

Pontypridd Town would love the kind of cash Newport will make for their FA Cup fixture for their game against Penydarren BGC but will be lucky to see 1% of that kind a cash. These two are the lowest ranked sides left in the competition so one will be in the hat for the next draw with Penydarren BGC plying their football in the South Wales Alliance League Premier Division. They are on a 24-game winning run in all competitions so far in 2017-18, and are FAW Trophy quarter-finalists as well as having got to this stage.

Pontypridd currently sit top of the Welsh League Division Two and are favourites going into the game the hosts though are no stranger to big games, having pushed Cardiff Met all the way in the Nathaniel MG Cup back in October.

The Dragons will be eager to grab a great opportunity to make the last eight of the JD Welsh Cup. Whoever wins this one, the Cup will have a team from at least Tier 3 or below in the last eight for the first time since 2016, when Cwmbran Celtic got to that stage.

The only Cardiff based team Cardiff Met have a home tie against Aberystwyth Town the only all Welsh Premier League tie.

Route to Date (Bold type my team)

Fourth Round - Pontypridd Town 1-2 Penydarren Boys & Girls FC

Third Round - Pontypridd Town 3-1 Penybont Att

Second Round – Pencoed Athletic 1-3 Pontypridd Town Att

First Round - Pontyclun FC 0-0 Pencoed Athletic (AET) (7-8 pens) Att

Qualifier Round Two – Pencoed Athletic 2-0 Llantwit Fardre Att

Qualifier Round One - Llantwit Fardre 1-0 Grange Allstars Att