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Analyst, TSN Radio 690 Montreal

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London - As Canada celebrates Victoria Day weekend, it’s rather fitting Victoria was Queen of England when the FA Cup - the oldest knockout competition in all of world sport – crowned its first champion back in 1872. 

In those days, similar to English football today, the so-called ‘Big Four’ dominated. The only difference in the Victorian era was that those clubs went by their names – the Old Etonians, Royal Engineers, Wanderers and Oxford University. In the infancy of this competition, these four clubs completely dominated the FA Cup Final for a remarkable seven straight seasons.

In an extensive online poll earlier this year, the FA Cup – nearing its 150th anniversary – was placed alongside other iconic English emblems like Stonehenge, the pub, Big Ben, the stiff upper lip and a cup of tea. 

Ironically, the long tradition of a 3 p.m. kick-off has been replaced in recent seasons by a kick-off time more in keeping with tea time. Crystal Palace and Manchester United will hit the hallowed Wembley pitch at 5:30 p.m. local time in London on Saturday. 

And that time is far more suitable for the significant and still growing global audience to see the Glaziers take on the team owned by the Glazers. Palace was nicknamed the Glaziers in recognition of the centre piece at the 1905 World Expo – a palace made out of cut glass – hence Crystal Palace. 

The entire nation may no longer hold its collective breath once a year on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of May, as the replay (in the event of a draw) has been dispensed with since 1993 and new Wembley no longer boasts the fabled Twin Towers. But the lustre of an FA Cup Final will always retain a magnetic attraction in jolly old England. 

Growing up in London, the only live soccer match we had on TV was the FA Cup Final. The nation truly did gather around the television set to take in the magic from Wembley. During the 1970 Cup Final between Chelsea and Leeds United, I imagined jumping into the TV and arriving at those famous swaying terraces as the capacity 100,000 crowd belted out Abide With Me as part of the traditional pre-game ceremony. 

Each summer, well over 600 clubs culled from the semi-pro ranks, along with the odd team made up of butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, dream of Wembley glory as they set about the endless rounds of one-off qualification matchups in the hope of making the first round.

They’re then sent crashing down to English football earth in early fall, when clubs across the lower tiers begin the annual FA Cup Holy Grail pilgrimage. As they receive byes to the third round, the BPL clubs only kick off their campaigns in early January each year. 

It’s at the point that the 600-plus non-league clubs have been whittled down to a handful - the players, coaches and long suffering loyal supporters of these chosen few gather around their radios on the day the third round draw is made with the hope of hearing it will be their club who will get the dreamiest of draws - an away date at Old Trafford in front of a crowd of 75,000.  

The financial rewards for the English football equivalent of David vs. Goliath can’t ever be fully overstated. More often than not, if they’re drawn at home they come to a cozy arrangement to play the match on the road called Sir Matt Busby Way.

To their deep regret, Manchester United once opted out of the FA Cup back in the 1999/2000 so as to allow them to participate in the FIFA World Club Cup as reigning European Champions. You’re more likely to see Sergio Aguero or Yaya Toure in a United shirt than the Old Trafford club make that disastrous decision ever again. 

In May 2004, when United laid a spank down on Chelsea, it signified a record 11th FA Cup at the time.

On Saturday, the club that was squeezed out of a Champions League spot on goal differential earlier this week now has a chance to draw level with Arsenal who claimed a record breaking 12th FA Cup last season. 

For Palace, it could mean the first FA Cup for a club founded over 100 years ago. This will be only Palace’s second-ever appearance in the final – their first since 1990 when, coincidentally, Manchester United was their opponent.

That final had to be settled in a mid-week replay. The first game had ended deadlocked in a 3-3 tie, after Palace salvaged the match fighting back from a 2-1 deficit. This coming about when the Crystal Palace manager (and United and England legend) Steve Coppell threw the dice late and brought future Arsenal legend Ian Wright off the bench.  

Wright’s contribution was immediate as he found the net for the equalizer. He also appeared to score the go-ahead goal in extra time, only for United to claw it back with time running down on the clock. United won the replay four days later by virtue of the only goal, again in a match hosted by Wembley and its all-encompassing capacity crowd.  

That final went down in Manchester United folklore, signifying the very first silverware for the club under the stewardship of a very young looking Alex Ferguson.  He had just completed his fourth winless season as United manager in the old English First Division. Ferguson faced the real possibility of getting fired after finishing the season barely above the relegation positions (in 13th place). 

The rest we know, is history. So there’s a lesson for all clubs in this shortening of the patience threshold where head coaches are discarded like expensive cars which have barely left the driveway. 

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew was a player for the southeast London club in that 1990 Cup Final. It was Pardew’s extra time winner in the semifinal against Liverpool which bought his club to its very first FA Cup Final appearance. Pardew’s experiences are enough motivation for his players to go on and finish off what they had started 26 years ago. And Palace has never won a major trophy dating all the way back to their founding in 1905. Another motivator - the possibility of a Europa League spot next season.

For United, they’re one loss away from going three complete seasons without capturing any competitive trophy since Sir Alex retired. And rest assured, Ferguson will be amongst a litany of football and other global celebrities in the Wembley Royal box tomorrow. 

That all said, the curtain will come down on the top tier of English club football on Saturday, where the winning team will be crowned about the same time the sun will be setting around Wembley. Ninety minutes, extra time or possibly penalties will tell us if it will also fall on Louis van Gaal’s cloud-filled reign at Old Trafford.