Romance of the FA Cup alive and well

CHELSEA and Manchester City, the top two teams in the English Premier League (EPL), won't be in action this weekend. Neither are Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and six other top flight clubs.

The FA Cup enters its fifth round this weekend with half of the 20 teams in the EPL already eliminated, a statistic that speaks volumes of just how unpredictable the world's oldest football knockout competition can be.

The previous round three weeks ago conjured up one shock result after another. Chelsea, the team on top of the EPL, surrendered a two-goal advantage at home to lose to unfancied Bradford City, a club from the third tier of English football.