FA Cup's magic remains enchanting

THE romance of the FA Cup has always added something special to the month of love, with the chance of an upset - not roses and candlelit dinners - getting the hearts of fans fluttering, and red cards the ones that truly matter.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The English game's oldest competition once reigned as a blazing romantic David-versus-Goliath tale. But has that glow dimmed in the modern era of football pragmatism?

Fixture congestion, squad rotations, and packed Premier League schedules mean that for some big clubs, the FA Cup is no longer the main romantic interest.

Still, if this season has taught us anything, it's that English football never quite lets the magic die especially when the underdogs get to write their own love stories.

Take the most jaw-dropping moment of this season's FA Cup: Macclesfield's shock 2-1 victory over defending champions Crystal Palace themselves the fairy-tale story of last season.

The National League North side, sitting 117 places below Palace in the football pyramid, dumped the holders out of the Cup. It is widely regarded as the biggest giant-killing act in FA Cup history.

Lower-league dreams weren't done there either. Third-tier Mansfield stunned Premier League Burnley with a 2-1 comeback win in the fourth round that will be savoured by supporters for years.