Footy on TV - FA Cup special
FA Cup semi-finals weekend threw up two fairly dull games for the neutral
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Sunday, 06, Apr 2008 12:31
With the FA Cup semi-finals weekend now over, inthenews.co.uk's Alistair Potter casts his eye back over the two Wembley matches.
Semi-final one:
Portsmouth 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
A solitary goal from Kanu gave Portsmouth a berth in the FA Cup final at Wembley in May, although the Baggies will feel aggrieved at the manner of the defeat.
Not only were the Championship side the better team for large parts of the game, particularly in the first half, there was also some controversy about the build-up to the goal.
Replays showed that Milan Baros used his hand to control the ball as he was played in on goal, before his shot was only parried by Dean Kiely for the Nigerian to fire home.
Although West Brom were the more dominant team in terms of possession, in large part they failed to turn this into attempts on goal and they ultimately paid the price.
Aside from hitting the bar late on, the second tier outfit rarely threatened David James' goal and the closest they came before hitting the woodwork was from the veteran stopper's own error as he pushed a tame shot back out into the middle of the penalty area and only just smothered it in time at the second attempt.
However, Harry Redknapp will now get the opportunity to lead a team out in a domestic final for the first time and few will begrudge the old wheeler dealer that chance after years of hard graft in his chosen trade.
Semi-final two:
Cardiff City 1-0 Barnsley
Welsh side Cardiff City will be the Championship team given the chance to become the first from outside the top flight to win the FA Cup since 1980. Joe Ledley's goal was fitting to win any match - a looping volley that soared into the net after he hooked his foot around the dropping ball following a long throw.
The Bluebirds have a handy mix of youth an experience, with the goalscorer aged just 21 compared to his side's ageing strikeforce of Trevor Sinclair and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that started the game.
Another veteran forward, Robbie Fowler, could also return from injury in time to be considered for selection in the final and after the performance of Dave Jones' men in this match, his inclusion looks likely.
Barnsley arguably had the better of this game for long periods. And Tykes hitman Kayode Odejayi had the perfect opportunity to grab an equaliser but he fired wide when clean through on goal in the second half. That miss ensured there were two relatively undeserved winners of the semi-finals, although this fact is unlikely to dent the enjoyment of Cardiff and Portsmouth fans' in the final by any small amount whatsoever.