No advert for the FA Cup

THE Football Association intend to close a little-known loophole that allows clubs to avoid the need for an FA Cup replay by agreeing to play an immediate period of extratime instead. On the evidence of Saturday’s dour draw at the Stadium of Light, perhaps they should make the regulation a requirement rather than an impossibility.

If there was one thing worse than watching Sunderland and Blackburn play out an uninspiring stalemate, it was the knowledge that they would be doing exactly the same thing again 11 days later.

The managers don’t want it, most of the players don’t want it, and judging by the swathes of empty seats at the Stadium of Light, a significant section of the paying public weren’t exactly enthused about the original tie, let alone a rerun at Ewood Park.

Next week’s replay will be the fifth meeting between Sunderland and Blackburn this season. Even the magic of the FA Cup is insufficient to prevent familiarity breeding contempt.

“It’s a game we could both do without,” admitted a candid Sam Allardyce. “A draw leaves us both in the hat, but I don’t really think a replay does anyone any favours.”

“We’re still in the hat, but this means we’ve got four games in the space of 12 days,”

agreed Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia. “Neither side wanted a replay, but that’s what we’ve got and we’ll just have to handle it the best we can.”

So much for the self-styled greatest cup competition in the world.

The only thing worse than being out of the FA Cup at this stage of the season is being in it, and while you won’t find too many on Wearside complaining if Sunderland are still involved in the competition come May, Saturday’s fourth-round tie felt like something of an unwanted irrelevance.

For all Sbragia’s platitudes about treating the FA Cup with the respect it deserves, the Scotsman’s primary focus has to be the battle for Premier League survival and with tomorrow night’s relegation battle with Fulham looming large, a degree of prioritisation was always going to be required.

“I picked a side I thought could win the game,” said Sbragia. Possibly true, but it’s safe to assume it will not be the side he thinks will beat Fulham tomorrow.

On the whole, the Black Cats boss just about got away with his balancing act, even if three or four of Sunderland’s fringe players failed to make a compelling case for their inclusion in his first-choice XI.

Michael Chopra, making his second Sunderland start of the season, was anonymous, while David Healy, making his first non-international start of any description since mid-September, was equally unproductive.

The Northern Irishman had a second-half effort rightly disallowed for offside and forced a routine double save from Paul Robinson before the break, but appeared understandably rusty after such a lengthy absence.

It was no coincidence that Sunderland’s attacking improved following the 67thminute introduction of Kenwyne Jones, and the hosts’ toothless efforts to that stage underlined the importance of keeping Jones and Djibril Cisse fit in the remaining four months of the season.

With their attack misfiring, and their midfield lacking the creative spark needed to unlock a typically resolute Rovers defence, much of the Black Cats’ play was both pedestrian and predictable.

Chances were few and far between, and when a giltedged opportunity eventually presented itself in the 89th minute, predictably enough it fell to a defender.

Pascal Chimbonda failed to exploit Carlos Edwards’ cut back, guiding a close-range side-foot wide of the righthand post, but by that stage he could be excused his error thanks to two previous interventions at the opposite end of the field.

Twice the Frenchman thwarted promising Blackburn attacks, first clearing Morten Gamst Pedersen’s shot off the line after the Norwegian had juggled his way into a shooting position in the box, then producing an excellent last-ditch challenge to block a goalbound effort from the same Rovers midfielder.

With Anton Ferdinand exuding authority at the heart of defence, and George Mc- Cartney making a welcome return from the substitutes’ bench following a two-month lay-off with a foot injury, Sbragia could at least be satisfied with the shape of his backline. Perhaps the search for those elusive “two or three defenders” is not so crucial after all.

“George’s 20-minute cameo was probably the best thing about the day,” said Sbragia.

“He’ll certainly improve our options once he’s up to full speed.”