It will be interesting to see how Crawley manager Steve Evans approaches his team's FA Cup game with Stoke City
Crawley Town are the lowest-ranked side still standing in the FA Cup but after the way they outplayed Hull City, there was more to manager Steve Evans' post-match wish for a draw against one of the big boys than sheer bravado.
By Evans' admission, his ideal fifth-round date would have been a repeat of last season's trip to Manchester United, which brought a 1-0 defeat. It may not be United awaiting the League Two promotion-chasers in the last 16 but the prospect of the 2011 finalists Stoke City visiting the Broadfield Stadium is pretty tasty, and on Saturday's evidence Crawley will not be overawed by hosting Premier League opposition.
"When we beat Bristol City we made them look like they should be in League Two and we should be in the Championship," said Evans after Crawley had done just the same to Hull. As befits a team who flew off to a training camp in Portugal yesterday, this was not a battling underdog triumph: the Sussex side took control from the outset, showed greater urgency and purpose and, significantly, out-passed a Hull side placed sixth in the Championship.
Crawley Town are the lowest-ranked side still standing in the FA Cup but after the way they outplayed Hull City, there was more to manager Steve Evans' post-match wish for a draw against one of the big boys than sheer bravado.
By Evans' admission, his ideal fifth-round date would have been a repeat of last season's trip to Manchester United, which brought a 1-0 defeat. It may not be United awaiting the League Two promotion-chasers in the last 16 but the prospect of the 2011 finalists Stoke City visiting the Broadfield Stadium is pretty tasty, and on Saturday's evidence Crawley will not be overawed by hosting Premier League opposition.
"When we beat Bristol City we made them look like they should be in League Two and we should be in the Championship," said Evans after Crawley had done just the same to Hull. As befits a team who flew off to a training camp in Portugal yesterday, this was not a battling underdog triumph: the Sussex side took control from the outset, showed greater urgency and purpose and, significantly, out-passed a Hull side placed sixth in the Championship.
