MARKED OUT OF THE GAME
1990: THE STORY BEHIND THE CUP GOAL THAT ‘SAVED’ FERGIE FA Cup hero Robins: Sparky was why I left Reds.. he never got injured
MARK ROBINS is plotting an FA Cup upset today against Mark Hughes – after admitting he quit Manchester United because of the Welshman.
Ex-trainee Robins left Old Trafford in 1992 for Norwich after 19 starts in
MARK HUGHES still bristles at the fact he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his part in Mark Robins’ rise to fame.
Hughes’ cross for Robins to score against Nottingham Forest in 1990 set Manchester United on the road to Wembley glory four months later.
But Hughes (in action against Forest, above) said: “That bit never gets mentioned. It was a great ball. It never got the recognition it should have. Outside of the foot, right on his head.
“We went on to win the FA Cup that year, so that’s a good omen.
“Coventry are in a different place to the club I remember coming up against when I was a player.
“They were one of the longestserving members of the First Division, as it was then. It’s a real shame what’s happened to them.”
Just like Alex Ferguson 28 years ago, Hughes could do with some cup joy to spark a revival, after facing calls from supporters for his sacking.
He earned a stay of execution after telling Stoke’s owners at a meeting on Thursday of his plans to turn around their fortunes – but knows he is on shaky ground.
The Potters have slipped into the Premier League relegation zone, after picking up just four points from their past seven matches. But he reckons that a cup run can get the club going again – just as it did Ferguson’s United in 1990.
Sparky (right) said: “Everybody says that the cup can be a distraction. I don’t see it that way.
“I’ve had many examples where league form wasn’t where it needed to be, and then you detach yourself in terms of a cup competition. You play better, and you resolve a couple of issues that maybe you needed to.
“I’m always of the view that a cup run enhances your ability to have a good return of form in the league. I’ve never felt it’s been detrimental.”
Stoke have every reason to be wary of their League Two opponents, having already fallen victim to one cup upset this season. Hughes’ side were dumped out of the League Cup by Championship side Bristol City in September – then saw Lee Johnson’s side go all the way to this coming week’s semi-finals. The Stoke boss added: “You’ve got to go into games like this with the right mindset. “You can’t take liberties with any opposition, whether they be top-level opposition or lowerleague opposition. “The history of the FA Cup shows you that the third round is a difficult one to navigate for Premier League clubs. So we have to be careful. “We’ve gone out of one competition to lower-league opposition. It was a catastrophe, but Bristol City have gone on to beat three other Premier League clubs, and last time out, they beat Manchester United.”