Once again a National League team will have a chance to collect a giant scalp in the FA Cup third round as AFC Fylde gear up to take on Sheffield United.
This is a fantastic showcase for Non-League and the progress Fylde have made, but do they have what it takes to defeat the Blades?
Last season United were eliminated by Barnet, another National League team, so who’s to say it won’t happen again?
AFC Fylde’s performance in the FA Cup so far
First round: Nantwich 0-1 AFC Fylde
Defeating Nantwich Town 0-1, Fylde secured their place into the second round after a ball from Croasdale, that initially had fans jeering as it seemed to fly out wide, surprised everyone after it bounced across the goal line, securing the win with a goal at the end of the first half. Nantwich tried to comeback in the second half but the desperation never really grew into anything productive and the game ended in a foul by Nantwich.
Second round: Kingstonian 0-2 AFC Fylde
AFC Fylde’s second round game was again finished up in the first half with two goals from Williams early in the 9th minute and again in the last minute of the first half. Fylde only needed to hold on off a small amount of pressure in the second half by Kingstonian in order to take a simple victory. A hat-trick was in the works for Williams in the last minutes, only for his shot to hit the post, denying a perfect end for the midfielder. Despite being unable to capitalise on the hat-trick Williams is still one to watch for in the game with Sheffield. For more details on these games visit afcfylde.co.uk.
Sheffield United’s shaky Non-League history
Last year Sheffield United lost to Barnet 0-1 in a massive upset in the third round of the FA cup. Barnet and Sheffield were 84 league places apart, yet this goes to show that this means nothing in these David vs Goliath style match ups. It was a penalty that secured the upset for Barnet last year, but despite the gulf between the two sides in reputation, the victory was largely deserved in the end.
Other games
In their last five games, Sheffield United have won two (against Aston Villa and Norwich City), drawn two (against Man United and Wolves), and lost one (against Newcastle). Sheffield are currently 7th in the Premier League and are level with Man United on points. Their position is strong and with their recent win streak perhaps this will continue. Having just been promoted to the Premier League, Sheffield United are impressing everyone with their style of football. See all of Sheffield United’s game history here.
Who are the odds in favour of?
According to Paddy Power (16/12/2019) the odds are heavily in favour of Sheffield taking the win at 1/20 and Fylde at 16/1 with a draw at 12/1.
Similar odds are shown on BetVictor and Oddspedia. Football and betting has become interconnected. In the Premier League this season, half of the clubs involved have gambling sponsors on their shirts. BetWay (West Ham), DafaBet (Norwich) and ManBetX (Wolves) are three such gambling companies who sponsor the shirts of Premier League clubs. It is expected that more and more gambling firms will sponsor clubs lower down the leagues. Gambling site Labslots are reportedly interested in such a deal.
Overall it is safe to say that it will be a huge upset if Fylde win against Sheffield United, but whose to say it is not possible. Anything is possible. Watch the match on the 5th January at 14:01 kick off.
