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Episode 22 of The Square Ball, recorded on 18 January 2011, arrives in the thick of FA Cup fever. Dan Moylan is joined by Michael Normanton and Daniel Chapman (Moscowhite) to work through a fortnight that has delivered something genuinely exciting: a 1-1 draw at the Emirates against Arsenal.
Michael had been at the game in north London. His account confirms what the scoreline suggests — Leeds held their own against a Premier League side, went toe to toe for long stretches, and came away with a replay to look forward to at Elland Road. The episode is recorded before that replay, and the anticipation is real.
In the league, Leeds put Scunthorpe to the sword on 15 January with a 4-0 win at Elland Road. Goals from Sanchez Watt (16’), Max Gradel (20’), Bradley Johnson (29’) and Davide Somma (88’) make it a comfortable afternoon — though Somma’s late flourish proves costly for one member of the cast whose accumulator had not accounted for it. The precise financial damage is aired at some length.
The centre-back pairing of Andy O’Brien and Alex Bruce is assessed. Both bring Premier League experience, and their combination gives the back line a solidity it has sometimes lacked. Ramón Núñez also comes into the conversation — the Honduran midfielder a regular topic at this point in the season. Lucas the Kop Cat gets a moment too, in connection with the Scunthorpe fixture.
The FA Cup replay looms over everything. What makes the episode work is the mood around it — the particular pleasure of a Championship club being allowed, just for a few days, to think bigger. Whether Leeds can actually pull it off against a full-strength Arsenal side is another matter. But the magic of the cup, as the title has it, is that for now it doesn’t have to be answered.
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