The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Fourth Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 26 January 2008
Anfield, Liverpool FC
Winning clubs will receive £60,000 from The FA
Click here to see the fixtures
Havant and Waterlooville manager Shaun Gale paid tribute after his team of binmen, taxi drivers and bricklayers gave Liverpool the FA Cup fright of their lives at Anfield.
Liverpool, 123 places above their opponents, almost suffered the biggest shock in the history of the competition when Gale's men took an early 1-0 lead and the Reds' woes did not stop there when they again fell behind 2-1 halfway through the first half.
Although Havant and Waterlooville eventually lost 5-2, Gale was proud of his players. He said:" I am immensely proud of the team for the way they have to come to Anfield and produced a performance of that magnitude.
"People laughed at us when we said we would come to Anfield and give it a go but we were superb and for it to end in a stadium like that is something you accept.
"We create chances and we had some good ones and when you go ahead at Anfield you just want them to keep doing what they are doing.
"I think we frustrated them in the first half but unfortunately in the end class shone through.
"It's been fantastic for the players, I told them to come here and enjoy it but don't treat it as a party - they can have a party afterwards."
Gale, who has only been manager of Havant for four months - his first job - continued: "It shows you how we played when you get a standing ovation from the whole ground and they deserved that. We haven't disgraced ourselves which is a big thing as well. We could have come here and get battered but we didn't - I am so proud of them.
"It's been a fantastic achievement and I don't think it will be achieved by many non-league clubs over the next few years.
"I'm very proud to be the manager of Havant and Waterlooville tonight."
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez admitted his team had been pushed to the limit by the part-timers from the Conference South.
He said: "You must give credit to them, they started well, scored an early goal and they had hope so we had to work really hard.
"In the end it was a professional job but they played very well.
"It is a fantastic competition, you can see a team like them progressing to play at Anfield from five leagues below and that shows how special it is."