Gunners and Saints will kill FA Cup romance

FOR all sorts of reasons there is cause to hope that at least one of Sheffield United and Watford progress to the FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on May 17.

It would supply the tournament with a dash of romance.

It would be a slap in the face for those Premiership clubs who believe all they have to do is turn up with under-strength sides and little respect to waltz off with football’s top prizes.

It might embolden the FA to treasure the history and reverence of their competition rather than allow the big boys to trample all over its tradition.

Unfortunately, it won’t happen. Not at Old Trafford, anyway, where Yorkshire grit meets French polish when first division Sheffield United take on the might of Arsenal.

In many ways Sheffield have been the story of this cup season. Not only have they beaten Leeds in both domestic cups they also dispatched Liverpool in the Worthington Cup in a tie marred by verbal jousting between manager Neil Warnock and Liverpool’s Gerard Houllier and an unseemly row over an apparent spitting incident involving Stephane Henchoz.

Arsenal, however, will prove a bridge too far, even if there have been signs of uncharacteristic tension in the work of the Gunners these past few weeks as they have been steadily reeled in by Manchester United at the top of the Premiership.

Since being dispatched from the Champions League by Valencia, becoming the first English side to retain the Double has become an issue of pride in a season at the start of which Arsene Wenger was foolish enough to suggest Arsenal could remain unbeaten.

There is no doubt Wenger would rather lose tomorrow than surrender next Wednesday night in what is potentially the Premiership decider against Manchester United at Highbury.

But whether Wenger decides to play his best side, or more likely keep such as Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp fresh for Wednesday, Arsenal will have too much firepower for Sheffield.

The tie between Southampton and Watford is more delicately balanced, though if there was one character from all four semi-final clubs who would paint the Millennium Stadium in its brightest hue it is Saints manager Gordon Strachan.

Strachan has turned a club renowned for its perennial relegation dogfights into a solid mid-table side with a neat, passing style which is pleasing on the eye.

The undisputed jewel has been James Beattie who has regularly led the Premiership scoring charts and broken, albeit briefly, into the England squad.

With 21 goals this season Southampton are perhaps overly reliant on his striking power but Watford manager Ray Lewington knows the big striker will be a huge handful.

What a story it could be for Watford, 19 years after they last appeared in an FA Cup final when then-chairman Elton John blubbed as Everton won 2-0.

In recent times the club has been concerned with merely staying afloat such was the financial mess they allowed themselves to be dragged into by the short and misguided reign of Italian Gianluca Vialli.

But their recent 7-4 victory over Burnley is proof of their potential venom. Realistic hope abounds but, in truth, it probably won’t happen.