Only Fulham and Crystal Palace of our Premier London Derbies (PLDs) Clubs are through to the 5th Round of the F A Cup after last weekend’s protracted 4th Round. Fulham won 1-2 away at EFL League One Wigan with a goal in each half. Their reward is a 5th Round tie away to F A Cup holders Manchester United – who put out Arsenal– on 1 March. Crystal Palace also won away (0-2) at EFL League Two Doncaster Rovers. This has brought the intriguing 5th Round tie of Crystal Palace v Millwall of the EFL Championship who are the only other London Club left in the last 16. It is at Selhurst Park so at least The Eagles are not being thrown to The Lions in their Den! Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur lost tamely away to Aston Villa and Brighton respectively. They can now concentrate on different ends of the Premier League!
There is a full Premier League (PL) programme this weekend and it’s West Ham United v Brentford on Saturday 15 February 2025. Both Clubs went out in the 3rd Round of the F A Cup. The Hammers won 4-2 last season with a Jarrod Bowen hat-trick. This fixture has been played twice more since The Bees came into the PL in 2021-22 and both have been away wins (0-2 and 1-2). Both Clubs will be looking for a win, Brentford to consolidate and West Ham United to climb the table. The home fans may still be there and smiling at the end – and that takes some doing these days!
Until next time, “Keep Safe” and enjoy your football, Andrew at PLDs.