Third round subplots - who can cast up some Irish cup magic?

FA Cup third round action tends to produce an Irish storyline to rejoice about, from giant-killings to a youngster bouncing onto the scene. Here, we look at 10 fixtures of Irish interest over the next four days.

READY FOR ARSENAL? Franco Umeh on Ireland U21 duty. Pic: ©INPHO/Martin Seras Lima

FRIDAY

Wrexham v Nottingham Forest (7.30pm)

Investment and interest around renaissance club Wrexham continues and James McClean remains at the epicentre of their rise.

Despite a recent three-match ban, he’s considered an integral part of Phil Parkinson’s side who are within touching distance of the Championship playoffs.

McClean is vying to be restored on the left side and will fancy scalping a Forest side prone to an upset.

SATURDAY

Cheltenham Town v Leicester City (12.15pm)

Local talent in the Waterford side is difficult to find nowadays but Darragh Power was the star graduate from their system, making his debut as a teen before securing the right-back slot for four years. This time last year he made the leap to England and though his Cheltenham team are in the bottom half of League Two, they meet a Leicester team prioritising stability in the Championship. Power has returned to the starting XI and should feature.

Wolves v Shrewsbury Town (12.15pm)

At one point, the Londoner in the West Ham United ranks who the FAI worried about defecting to England was Anthony Scully, rather than Declan Rice from the same age-group. The son of the Dublin-born dad of the same name charted a different route to his peer, settling at Lincoln City. Subsequent moves to Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth failed to spark but he's been given a clean slate this year in League Two.

Doncaster Rovers v Southampton (3pm)

Eco-Power stadium could stage a clash of Manchester City former Irish goalkeepers. Ian Lawlor was already part of City’s matchday first-team and the Ireland senior panel before Gavin Bazunu was snapped up from Shamrock Rovers in 2018. Lawlor is now 31 and pushing towards a decade at Doncaster and was recently restored to the No 1 position by Grant McCann. Bazunu faces competition at the Saints from Daniel Peretz, signed this week on loan from Bayern Munich.

Manchester City v Exeter City (3pm)

An unfortunate suspension prevents club stalwart Pierce Sweeney from captaining Exeter at the Etihad but there should be an Irish presence in Jake Doyle-Hayes. The Cavan native has made 17 appearances since moving back to the UK from Sligo Rovers and will relish the midfield battle against some of City’s superstars.

Sheff Wednesday v Brentford (3pm)

Against the backdrop of ownership chaos at Sheffield Wednesday, one Corkman has managed to revel at a club still in administration. Gabriel Otegbayo is part of the Ringmahon Rangers alumni and the 20-year-old has established himself as a Championship defender. The Ireland U21 international has the job of containing a rampant Brenford side but he won’t mind if Keith Andrews opts against affording Brazilian striker Igor Thiago a rest.

Charlton Athletic v Chelsea (8pm)

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Conor Coventry since he finally left West Ham, finding himself out of the Charlton squad soon after his transfer, but he’s developed into a midfield mainstay. That was reflected in him earning his senior Ireland debut against Portugal in October and he’s out to push his claims for the vacancy created by an injury to his former clubmate Josh Cullen. Former Ireland defender Curtis Fleming will be on the Charlton staff too at Stamford Bridge.

Conor Coventry of Charlton Athletic holds off against Kieffer Moore of Wrexham during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wrexham AFC and Charlton Athletic at Racecourse Ground on November 08, 2025 in Wrexham, Wales. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis/Getty Images)

SUNDAY 

Portsmouth v Arsenal (2pm)

Another of the Ringmahon graduates, Franco Umeh, was fast-tracked into the first-team frame at Crystal Palace before Portsmouth pounced on deadline day in a £500,000. Hamstring troubles delayed his bow until recently but he made an impact, getting strung from the bench to engineer a late win over Charlton. “Eventually we’ve got to pull the band-aid off and introduce someone who has only ever played U21 football into the first-team environment,” admitted his manager John Mousinho. What better way to unleash more chaos than against the Premier League leaders.

Sheffield United v Mansfield (2.30pm)

Ireland is stacked with an abundance of options at centre-back but to many seasoned observer’s surprise Ryan Sweeney has yet to figure. He was still a teen when Stoke City shelled out a six-figure sum to take him from Wimbledon but being an Ireland U21 regular didn’t enhance his club exploits. He returned to Mansfield in the summer and will have his work cut against the Blades. Fellow Irishman Tom Cannon may well be the striker he’s tasked with curbing.

MONDAY 

Barnsley v Liverpool (8pm)

League One is a hotbed for Irish – well Cork – managers to cut their teeth. Brian Barry Murphy is up top with Cardiff City but Barnsley, led by his fellow Leesider Conor Hourihane, are playing catch-up despite him being feted with the November manager of the month. League duty is parked to welcome Pool to Oakwell and another Corkonian, new signing Eoghan O’Connell, is poised for his debut.