FA CUP ROUND-UP
FALLING foul of football’s law-makers is the least of Jaidon Anthony’s concerns right now. There was a backlash when the LEEDS winger was booked for removing his jersey after he opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with PLYMOUTH to reveal an emotional tribute to his mum Donna, who died earlier this month. ‘You’d like to think the referee would show a little bit of compassion in a situation like that,’ said former Leeds forward Jermaine Beckford. ‘I had a situation not that different when my cousin passed away a few years back and I had to play a game the day after when the emotions were still very fresh. ‘Every single one of those players acknowledges the situation Jaidon finds himself in, the heartache he has and they want him to know, “You’re not alone”.’ Leeds failed to build on Anthony’s spectacular second goal of his loan spell from Bournemouth and now face two trips to Devon within 12 days next month after Adam Randell’s late equaliser ensured a replay, coming soon before they meet in the Championship.
Plymouth boss Ian Foster said: ‘Home Park is a difficult place to come for anyone and if we play like we did in the second half then we’ll fancy our chances.’ EVERTON fans jeered one old boy in Ross Barkley and cheered another, Andros Townsend, but were left wishing both were still at Goodison Park to help their own battle against relegation as they crashed out the FA Cup to LUTON. Barkley’s passing and Townsend’s dribbling were pivotal as Luton sealed their fifth-round spot thanks to Cauley Woodrow’s winner in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win. It’s now one win in eight for Sean Dyche’s side, who endured boos at the final whistle. Vitalii Mykolenko’s own goal had given the visitors a half-time lead, but Jack Harrison levelled following a Tim Krul blunder. Woodrow pounced decisively after 96 minutes for Luton, who are back in Premier League action tomorrow when they host Brighton with a chance to escape the bottom three. ‘Teams were taking us for granted at the beginning of the season, and we used it to our advantage,’ said Townsend. On his reception by the Everton fans, he added: ‘It was amazing. I’m so grateful to them, I wish them all the best for the season.’ Elsewhere, BRIGHTON fans are dreaming of silverware after a 5-2 win over SHEFFIELD UNITED on Saturday. The Seagulls have never lifted a major trophy and suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the Cup last year after a shootout defeat by Manchester United. It is proving a driving force and defender Adam Webster said: ‘That still hurts now because we felt we should have won that game. We want to get back to Wembley and go a step further by winning a trophy, that’s our motivation.’ Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck scored either side of Joao Pedro’s hattrick as the Blades were cut to pieces. LEICESTER veterans combined as Marc Albrighton teed up Jamie Vardy for the opener in the 3-0 win over BIRMINGHAM. Dennis Praet and Yunus Akgun got the other goals and afterwards Albrighton hailed 37-year-old Vardy, saying: ‘He is still as energetic as ever, he’s got more in him. I don’t know why you would ever write him off, I find that baffling. It will be a sad day when he eventually does go.’