Why the romance of the FA Cup still thrives for Irish players

Anyone doubting the value of the FA Cup would be hard-pressed to apply their theory on a clutch of Irish players involved over the weekend in the third round, particularly two of Plymouth’s Anfield heroes.

Graham Carey and Connor Smith played their part in holding the Premier League title contenders scoreless, forcing them into an unwanted replay in Dorset on Wednesday week, and the duo may well have thought their days of gracing a massive stage of its ilk were over.

Like the vast majority of their compatriots operating across English football, Carey and Smith will never line out to the booming soundtrack of the Champions League. Competing at the upper echelons of the Premier League too is beyond the realistic objectives of the Irish brigade in the modern era of the globalised top-flight.