This Sunday, the Nationwide Division One duo of Watford and Sheffield United have the chance to become the first team from outside the top flight to reach the FA Cup Final since a John Byrne-inspired Sunderland team reached Wembley in 1992.

 

Malcolm Crosby's team went down 2-0 to Liverpool, with Mark Walters and Ian Rush on target for the Reds, but despite the disappointment of defeat on the big day, their fantastic run remains a remarkable achievement. Crosby will be remembered as the caretaker manager who masterminded the underdogs cup run, but John Byrne was their cutting edge who fired goals in every round right up until the final. And while he never got his record-bagging goal in the final, he did almost walk away with a winners' medal.

"The Duchess of Kent gave the wrong medals out. We got it out after the game as we were walking around the pitch and realised we had the winners' medals. I was tempted to do a runner, but we swapped them over with the Liverpool lads in the tunnel after the game."

It was all a million miles away from the third round. Sunderland were in the wrong half of the old second division, Denis Smith had not long been sacked, with Crosby installed as caretaker, and nobody was dreaming of Wembley despite a convincing 3-0 win over Port Vale. "Vale were in the same division and it was a straight forward victory." And the Byrne goal? "It was a bizarre goal. I was laid on my back in the penalty area and the ball just dropped to me and I scissor kicked it in."

Round four saw a chance to avenge a Boxing Day League drubbing at Oxford. "The tie was postponed and we eventually played on an evening at the old Manor Ground. We won 3-2, but even that was quite emphatic as we went 3-0 up and Oxford got two very late goals. It was nice to go back after we'd got stuffed on Boxing Day - which essentially got Denis Smith the sack. I played against Steve Foster who was trying to kick lumps out of me all night."

Byrne's goal was a strike at the far post, right in front of the travelling army of Sunderland fans, but the striker remembers more about the celebrations. "I remember jumping on the fence behind the goal to celebrate with the fans. Then when I saw it replayed on television I was thinking blimey, that was a bit mad as the fence was really high!"

In round five, Sunderland met top-flight opponents for the first time in West Ham. "Mike Small, my strike partner at Brighton the previous season, was playing for West Ham. Smally scored a penalty, and I got the equaliser. It was a bit of a fluke, as I took advantage of a mix up between Martin Allen and Ludek Miklosko. At Upton Park, where West Ham were the fancied club, we beat them 3-2... I scored two, once gambling to get on the end of a bad back pass and the other was a mazy run and shot."

So Sunderland were in the quarter finals, two games from Wembley, but still Byrne and co weren't dreaming of the Cup Final. "Even then we weren't daring to think about the final. Maybe if you are Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool then it's every day stuff and you can think like that, but we weren't."

A draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge meant a replay at Roker Park, which Sunderland won in the dying minutes. "I scored in the first game at Chelsea, but didn't score in the replay, but the 2-1 win sparked amazing scenes at Roker Park."

Confidence by now was surging through the ranks at Roker Park, with fans and players looking forward to a semi-final against First Division Norwich City, but they were going very well in the League. "We scored after about 15 minutes - it was a simple header for me from close range.Then we had to hold, but we knew we could do it. Winning the semi-final was the best part of the run for me - it's probably different if you win the final - but it was brilliant because we knew we were going to Wembley and you know you're going to have a great day out."

Beneath the Twin Towers and Byrne with the sniff of equalling Peter Osgood's record of scoring in every round. "In the first half we did alright and came in 0-0 at half-time, although I missed a sitter after 13 minutes and 20 seconds," says Byrne with the accuracy of a man who's replayed that moment over and over. "At the break we came in and made the stupid mistake of saying we've got them now. Then early in the second half Walters scored and we hardly got a kick after that."

Byrne has seen first hand what difference quality can make, and with that in mind he predicts Arsenal will win this year's competition. "Cream always rises to the top and they are undoubtedly the best side left in the competition. I think they will win it, but you just never can tell with the FA Cup."

In his role as a summariser on Brighton & Hove Albion's matches for BBC Radio, Byrne has seen both Sheffield United and Watford in action this season."For me Sheffied United are the better side of the two. They have lots of talent and a geat deal of experience right through the middle of the team, but they have got the toughest of the two tasks against Arsenal and realistically Watford playing Southampton seem to have the better chance of an upset. It should be an Arsenal-Southampton final but as I have said before, and know all too well, in Cup football anything can happen."

By Paul Camillin