Football Trade Directory

FA Cup gives clubs facing Man United and Chelsea financial lifeline


 
 
 

The FA Cup offers clubs like Bradford City and Cambridge United a financial life-line with games against Premier League leaders Chelsea and FA Cup giants Manchester United.

Bradford travel to Stamford Bridge in a tie that looks set to make the club about £350,000 according to joint Chairman Mark Lawn  speaking on Talk Sport ahead of the game. Bradford are no strangers to sup upsets having reached the final of the League Cup three years ago and they will dream of taking Chelsea back to Yorkshire for a lucrative replay.

One side that have achieved that already are League Two side Cambridge United who defied the odds to hold Manchester United and earn a richly deserved FA Cup fourth-round replay on Friday night

Cambridge fully 76 places below their Premier League opponents in the football pyramid - secured a money-spinning replay at Old Trafford with a 0-0 draw in front of the TV cameras.

Cambridge have almost been rebuilt as a club, returning to the Football League this season after a nine-year absence, and this performance was testimony to all that work as they more than matched the Red Devils until tired legs inevitably took their toll late on.

And now that process will continue in "The Theatre Of Dreams" as they survived the meeting with a visiting side lacking the spark of captain Wayne Rooney, and failing to create any serious openings until the second half.

The game is reckoned to be worth approaching £1 million for Cambridge.

But the Cup has not been a universal money spinner, less than 6,000 have turned up for Blackburn's tie with Premier League Swansea - one of the smallest crowds at Ewood Park in recent seasons.

JB

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