BIG FISH FRIED!
Grimsby Haddocks stun Saints as Blades cut down Spurs on night of Cup shocks
GRIMSBY TOWN and Sheffield United produced two huge shocks last night to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals as they both dumped out Premier League opposition.
League Two Grimsby, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, reached the sixth round for the first time since 1939 with a 2-1 win at Southampton thanks to two penalties from Gavan Holohan. It sets up a clash with Brighton in the next round.
And Iliman Ndiaye’s brilliant solo goal saw off Tottenham to send Sheffield United through to face Blackburn Rovers.
GAVAN HOLOHAN made sure something fishy went down on the south coast as Grimsby made FA Cup history. He scored penalties either side of half-time as the league Two underdogs sank Premier league Southampton, who pulled one back through Duje Caleta-Car, in a true giant-killing.
In doing so, they became the first team in FA Cup history to eliminate five different teams from a higher division in one season.
That sent their huge travelling support, armed to the teeth with inflatable fish, into dreamland —and fired Paul Hurst’s side into the quarter-finals for the first time since 1939.
Despite being the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, Grimsby must have fancied their chances when they saw Saints put out a side showing nine changes.
Premier league survival clearly took precedence over a Cup run at St Mary’s this season, with Ruben Selles and hiss team in perilous danger at the foot of the table.
But they made a confident start against the minnows, with Sekou Mara putting the ball in the net in the 18th minute only for Moussa Djenepo to be ruled offside in the build-up.
The Mariners are right at home on the docks and at times it felt like a home gamee for Grimsby with their 4,300-strong travelling army of supporters making most of the noise in an otherwise half-empty stadium.
And they went bananas when referee Thomas Bramall awarded their side a penalty after being sent to his monitor when Joshua Emmanuel’s cross struck lyanco’s arm.
Holohan tucked it away and suddenly a sea off inflatable haddocks were being waved in the away end after fans snapped up 1,200 from the club shop.
Saints were booed off by their fans at half-time — and it got even worse for them when CaletaCar was penalised for a shirt-pull on Danilo orsi and Holohan scored his second penalty of the night.
Caleta- Car was lucky as well because he lashed out and slapped the Grimbsy man on the back before Bramall pointed to the spot. Selles sent on the big guns in response, and one of them quickly got Saints back in the match when James Ward-Prowse swung in a corner which CaletaCar strolled in to volley home.
Clean through on goal, John McAtee then wasted a glorious chance to seal it when Alex McCarthy saved at his feet. Southampton Substitute Theo Walcott thought he had made him pay with an equaliser from a Ward-Prowse free-kick, but VAR Craig Pawson spotted he was just offside, and the minnows held on.