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Sixth Round Proper
Saturday 8 March 2008
Winning clubs will receive £300,000 from The FA
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FA Cup hero Geoff Thomas was present at Soho Square on Monday afternoon to help conduct the Sixth Round draw, after taking a break from his training for April’s London Marathon.

The former Crystal Palace skipper, who led the Eagles out at Wembley in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United, is entering the race to raise funds for his Geoff Thomas Foundation after previously participating in the Tour de France twice over the last two years.

The Foundation aims to raise money for the treatment of leukaemia, following Geoff’s successful battle against the disease a couple of years ago.
The former England star was initially told he had three years to live when being diagnosed with chronic myleod leukaemia, but made a complete recovery and set off on his fundraising mission whilst in remission.

After twice training for and completing the Tour de France after making his recovery, work towards the Marathon is taking Thomas back to his sporting roots. He admits the work being done now is more than reminiscent of the pre-season training he was used to as a player.

“I’m a bit apprehensive about the Marathon, but it’s all a matter of challenging myself and challenging a few other people too,” admitted Geoff, who drew out another of his former clubs Barnsley to face Chelsea in the draw on Monday.

“After years of football, running is a little more difficult now after all the pounding on the legs.

“I’m finding 14 miles is my limit at the moment and then the knees start to say ‘come on, give me a rest!’”

As well as the two Tour De France circuits that were completed by Geoff and his team, they have also organised replays of The FA Cup Final with Manchester United from 1990 and the Semi-Final of that year with Liverpool, which were played at Palace’s Selhurst Park and raised even more funds for what Geoff believes is a vital cause.

“I’ve been busy with the new foundation and it’s there to focus on clinical research,” he revealed.

“We’ve got five leading teams in the country who have agreed to work together and make use of their resources.

“It’s a very important message that we’re trying to get across and we keep hammering away at the doors of everybody and hopefully we can get through and start making some major changes in the treatment of what is a horrible disease.”

This season’s FA Cup has also impressed Thomas, who was delighted to see Barnsley edge out Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday and also to help make the draw which will see at least one non-Premiership side reach the Semi-Final stage at least.

“It’s what The Cup is all about,” he said.

“A lot of clubs would have been looking to get the big ties a couple of rounds ago, but now Wembley is there and is a target to go for in the competition and a destination that they will all believe they can get to.

“All of the teams have proved that given their day, they can beat anybody, so all it takes is for a Premiership side to take their foot off the pedal a little bit and they might get a nasty shock.”

With only Manchester United and Chelsea of the so-called ‘Big Four’ remaining in the competition now, Thomas sees it as a good chance for another team to take advantage and land a spot in the Wembley Final.

“I think it happened a couple of years ago with Millwall and again when West Ham played Middlesbrough in the Semi-Final and got to the Final,” he recalled.

“The Final is a tremendous occasion and I remember the first game with Palace against Manchester United.

“I’ve met (opposing captain) Bryan Robson a couple of times since and the first game was when we both went to really enjoy and make the most of it, and obviously to try to win.

“The replay was a bit of a non-event really, as we were both trying not to lose the game. It turned into a bit of a stale game, but it’s a day I’ll never forget.

“The competition’s been quite exciting this year though, with Havant & Waterlooville going to Anfield and doing so well in the previous round, but with Barnsley going there and actually winning, it’s all credit to those who have worked so hard.”

For more details on the Geoff Thomas Foundation and how to sponsor him on the London Marathon, click here.

The Sixth Round Proper

1

Sheffield United or Middlesbrough

v

Cardiff City

2

Manchester United

v

Portsmouth

3

Bristol Rovers

v

West Bromwich Albion

4

Barnsley

v

Chelsea