When Minnows rise to the Surface

By: Bob | October 26th, 2006

Perhaps one of the problems with football attendance is that there are simply too many games. Between league matches, domestic competitions and European competitions the play never seems to end. The abundance of action makes it pretty easy to tune out to the early rounds of competitions like the Carling Cup in England and the Copa del Rey in Spain.

For my money, the early rounds are usually the most interesting. Sure you’ll always see teams like Tottenham spank Milton Keynes Dons 5-0, but that is more than made up for when you see games like the one that took place between Manchester United and Crewe Alexandra yesterday. If not for a goal in the 119th minute, the leaders of the Premiership would have faced a penalty shootout against a side currently in 12th place in League One.

There are also games like the one that took place on the outskirts of Sevilla. Playing in the wind and rain and on a pitch that would be an embarrassment if it were situated in your backyard, the tiny and obscure Third Division Ecija side held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw. That is the same Real Madrid that entered the match flying high after beating Barcelona in El Clasico.

Both Real Madrid and Manchester United rested some of their stars and both could still go on to win their respective competitions, but none of that takes anything away from the efforts of minnows like Ecija and Crew Alexandra whose play lends credence to the old cliché that on any given day any team can beat another.