Non-league York City will visit the Britannia Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup, it emerged as this afternoon’s draw was made at Wembley. The Conference club, who have seen off Stoke’s local rivals Crewe, as well as Cambridge United, have been rewarded with a money-spinning draw, with the tie to be played on the weekend of the second of January.
Former Port Vale manager Martin Foyle’s Minstermen, who currently sit third in the Conference and are well tipped for promotion back to the Football League this season, are no stranger to Wembley finals, after losing 2-0 to Stevenage in this year’s FA Trophy, but, though the FA Cup is renowned for its romance, reaching the final of the competition proper may just be a step too far for the club. For Stoke, it’s a more realistic possibility, though given our recent form in the competition, only just. Over the last few seasons, we have fallen foul of playing weakened sides in FA Cup matches, and crashed out at the first hurdle against League One Hartlepool a year ago. Though the league is our priority, I hope Stoke manager Tony Pulis fields a strong side in the competition, which will provide our best chance of silverware this season, and that his side goes about progressing in it professionally and effectively, starting with the game against York.
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November 29th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Alec just read the message you left Northy,who are the parties involved?How far along have things gone,and what do they want from you or has it gone beyond compromise.I know I’ve only been posting on your site since summer but yours and Northys are the best sites around.Have all avenues been explored I hope not,good luck mate.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
What’s the problem Alec?
November 29th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thanks for the concern guys. About a week ago I received a message from the Football Data Co who represent the Premier League in copyright cases. They told me that in order to display fixtures and match photos on my site I need to acquire a license. The fixtures license costs £206 + VAT and though I’m not certain, I’ve read that the photos one may cost as much as £500 + VAT. I’ve also read of cases where sites have been shut down as a result of fans refusing to pay such fees.
It’s by no means beyond compromise, the discussions have been pretty civil. I found out there’s a scheme whereby each club can nominate one site to by given a license to show the fixtures for a fee of £1, and I’m persuing that, though it’s not ideal as it compromises my independence. I’m hopeful that everything can be sorted out, and I’ll definitely continue to run the site in some form, though it may have to be stripped down a bit. The written content will all be the same.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Any updates from when we last spoke?
November 29th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
No, not really, what I said above is basically the situation.