Newcastle United's Shay Given was in excellent form against Tottenham.
Monday, 14 March 2005.
Five Premiership stars who made FA Cup headlines over the weekend have been nominated for The FA Cup Player of the Round award.
The five-man race to join The FA’s ‘Team of The FA Cup’ features players from all four clubs in today’s Semi-Final draw.
The famous five includes Manchester United’s captain Roy Keane, who opened United’s account against Southampton, and fellow midfielder Paul Scholes who scored two in the comprehensive 4-0 win.
Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg, who scored after just three minutes in The Gunners’ 1-0 win over Bolton, has also been nominated and is in with a chance of becoming the first player to feature in The Team of The FA Cup in consecutive years.
Blackburn’s calm and collected 83rd minute penalty taker Paul Dickov is also in the running, after scoring against his former club Leicester City in a 1-0 victory.
In contrast to the four goal scorers, Shay Given, Newcastle United’s ‘keeper who made a stringof world class saves to keep Spurs at bay in a hard-fought 1-0 victory, has also been nominated.
Now fans have just seven days to vote for their player of the round by registering a vote here on TheFA.com before 9.00am on Monday, 21 March.
The player with the most votes will be crowned FA Cup ‘Player of the Round’ and will win £1000 worth of UMBRO football kit and equipment for a local school, club or organisation of his choice, plus an engraved silver salver.
The successful player will join Bishop’s Cleeve FC’s Kevin Slack, AFC Wimbledon’s Rob Ursell, Bath City’s Scott Partridge, Halifax Town’s Craig
Midgley, Slough Town’s Alex Haddow, Exeter’s Dean Moxey and Paul Jones, Yeovil Town’s Kevin Gall and Nottingham Forest’s Kris Commons in The FA’s Team of The FA Cup.
The team will enjoy VIP status at The FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday 21 May and will be introduced to the crowd at half time.
The Team of The FA Cup will comprise Player of the Round winners from the First Qualifying Round to the Semi-Final. Last year’s team included five non-League players as well as Premiership stars Jose Antonio Reyes, Freddie Ljungberg and Bruno Cheyrou.