Notts County produced an FA Cup replay shock with a 2-0 win at Premier League Wigan Athletic on Tuesday to earn a place in the fifth round.
The League Two (fourth division) side bridged a gap of 59 positions in English soccer’s standings to stun Wigan with a Stephen Hunt header and an own-goal by Gary Caldwell — both goals coming in three minutes in the second half.
Notts County, who last week secured investment to ward off administration after they were issued with a High Court winding up order, will get another crack at Premier League opposition in the fifth round against Fulham.
PHOTO:AFP
County began the season with lofty ambitions after former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson became director of football, but hopes of a rapid rise through the divisions after the club’s takeover by a Middle East consortium have petered out.
Off-field financial concerns — the owners who appointed Eriksson have left the club — and the departure of two managers as well as the ill-fated signing of former England defender Sol Campbell have made it a chaotic season at Meadow Lane, but a first FA Cup victory over a top flight side since 1991 is a welcome boost.
Hunt put the visitors ahead with 15 minutes remaining, heading in a corner, before Caldwell sealed Wigan’s fate when he headed into his own net while attempting a clearance.
Another fourth round replay also produced a shock, with Championship (second division) Crystal Palace, who were recently plunged into a relegation dogfight after a 10-point deduction for going into administration, ousted top flight Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
Danny Butterfield netted a second-half hat-trick for Palace, who will take on Aston Villa for a place in the quarter-finals.
“We are fighting together and we showed people around the country tonight that we are far from dead,” Palace manager Neil Warnock told ITV Sport.
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