Last updated 11:23, Wednesday, 09 April 2008

FOR too long now the FA Cup has been as yawningly predictable as the Premiership.

Thanks to the big four, it’s been same old, same old in domestic football.

Unpredictability is what makes football exciting so hasn’t it been great to witness Cardiff City and Portsmouth’s march to Wembley?

Whoever said this season’s FA Cup has been devalued by the exit of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea clearly doesn’t have a romantic bone in their body.

It’s hard to celebrate the success of greedy Premiership clubs who have looked down their noses at the FA Cup and dismissed the competition as meaningless. But the success of homely, unpretentious clubs like Cardiff and Portsmouth has brought back some of the old magic – and a bit of the fun too.

Who would have predicted Portsmouth defeating Manchester United in the quarter-final? Or Barnsley’s stunning win over Chelsea and Cardiff’s victory at Middlesbrough?

They have neither the wealth or the power of the Premiership aristocrats which makes their success as real joy to witness.

And you know what? I reckon this year’s final will be an open game with goals, goal-mouth incidents, near-misses, excitement and maybe even a little bit of drama and controversy.

In other words, everything that last year’s drab final between Manchester United and Chelsea failed to serve up.