By 4two
October 8 2002

The 3rd round tie at Blackburn has all the necessary ingredients for a cup upset. Rovers are the holders, but are expected to field a weakened side. Walsall on the other hand have a pedigree for big cup ties. TheSaddlersFC takes a look at this pedigree.

The Saddlers face a stern test when they travel to Ewood Park on Wednesday 6th November. It was only 3 years ago that Blackburn were our opponents  in the First Division with us losing  at Ewood Park 2-0 in Mid September, while the return fixture  ended as a draw after Michael Ricketts  equalised with five minutes of time left.

Both sides have changed considerably since then, as Blackburn have attracted some world class players, and nurtured there own superstars, while the Saddlers have experienced Relegation, Promotion and another relegation battle. 

The Saddlers have a fantastic cup pedigree. We all know about great  giant killing act of 1933 when we put the might Arsenal too the sword.  Then there are the 70's and 80's when Newcastle, Man Utd and Arsenal (again) were victims of the Saddlers. The early 80's saw us reach the Semi-Final of the league cup only to be beaten by Liverpool at Fellow Park (2-0) despite us managing to bring a 2-2 draw home from  Anfield in the first leg.

The 90's saw a glut of gutsy performances against big clubs in the cup from the Saddlers. September 1994 saw the Saddlers beat West Ham 2-1 at the Bescot in the League Cup, before eventually going out 3-2 on aggregate. January 1994 saw the Saddlers hold Leeds United twice  before going out after extra time in the repay. Fans will also remember Colin Lee's first game in charge with fondness as we knocked Premiership Charlton out of the FA Cup when we supposed to be a club in turmoil.

Every fan has their own memory of a cup upset, or a giant killing. These are just a few of the ties that have become part of  Saddlers folklore, and we can only hope that we can consign Wednesday November 6th to Walsall FC folklore. Blackburn are the current holders, and with the fixture congestion coming their way no one would bet against Mr Souness fielding an under strength side against us. But, at the end of the day, if we manage to put the holders out, the history books will not say that Rovers were under strength, just that little Walsall knocked out the holders.