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New Beesotted contributor, Luke Blake, gives his thoughts on Brentford’s FA Cup clash with Chelsea and feels the magic of the FA Cup is still alive and kicking, even among younger fans.

After spending the afternoon, watching our 5-1 demolition of Eastleigh, the conversation amongst my friends and I swiftly turned onto our dream opponents for the next round. As I’m sure you can imagine United, Chelsea, Liverpool/ Plymouth Argyle and Arsenal were all mentioned.

So when ball number 27 was pulled out, meaning a return to Stamford Bridge, jubilant messages were sent with high fives all round exchanged at the prospect of testing ourselves against the big dogs.

 

In response to a recent article posted on Beesotted suggesting that the magic of the cup is vanishing, especially in the younger generation, I would say that moments, and especially draws like this for fans of clubs around the country, proves the magic is still there.

My Brentford-supporting friends are aged 15-16 and their reactions to the draw are a clear indication of everything that is great and unique about the competition: a chance for lower league teams and their fans to test themselves against the giants of English football, especially when reaching Wembley is very improbable.

Admittedly, for fans of Premier Leagueteams, there is much less appeal, especially until the Quarter Final stage. For a team like West Brom, they have nothing to gain until Wembley beckons, and there are no dream ties, with a visit to Old Trafford being a yearly occurrence.

Yet for fans of teams below the Premier League, notably younger fans, a dream draw is a late Christmas present. Due to ticket prices and availability they would rarely get a chance to see such big teams play. Nothing beats seeing your childhood team live on TV or at one of the most prestigious grounds in the country.

The FA Cup will never be what it once was due to way football has evolved, but some of the old clichés about ‘giant-killings’ and ‘the magic of the cup’, are still true. Just ask Plymouth Argyle fans!

The Cup, and the draw, is something many young fans look forward to and hopefully our second recent trip to Stamford Bridge will live up to our expectations.

I wonder who we’ll get in the fifth round?

Luke Blake