A Fab' day for Athlone's Alan as Bradford shock Chelsea
Athlone’s Alan Sheehan was part of the Bradford City squad which produced one of the most sensational shocks in FA Cup history against Chelsea on Saturday.
Bradford, seventh in League One, made light of their standing when stunning English Premier League leaders Chelsea with a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
Coosan native Sheehan was an unused sub for Bradford on the day, and afterwards he managed to swap shirts with Chelsea’s midfield ace Cesc Fabregas – a prized souvenir for the Athlone man.
The fact that Chelsea had led 2-0 made the result all the more remarkable.
It looked like Chelsea were going to cruise to victory when goals from Gary Cahill and Ramires put them 2-0 up. Although Jon Stead pulled one back for the Bantams before half-time, there seemed little prospect of a comeback.
Yet the football world was stunned as goals from Filipe Morais (a former Chelsea trainee) Andy Halliday and Mark Yeates gave the Yorkshire men a 4-2 victory.
“That's what the fa cup is all about. Fans and boys were class. What an effort,” Sheehan tweeted on his Twitter account on Saturday.
Speaking on RTE Radio on Sunday, Garrycastle footballer Dessie Dolan, a close neighbour of Alan’s in Coosan, congratulated Alan on being part of Bradford’s unforgettable victory.
Sheehan played Gaelic football for Garrycastle before concentrating on soccer, and he also represented Westmeath at underage level.
A former Ireland U21 international, Sheehan joined Leeds United in 2008 and had spells at Swindon Town and Notts County before signing for Bradford last June.
In a poll on BBC’s Match of the Day last Saturday night, respondents overwhelmingly ranked Bradford’s victory as the greatest shock in FA Cup history.
Although Chelsea made several changes from their regular starting line-up, their team was still packed with experienced international stars. And Willian, Fabregas and Eden Hazard were sprung from the bench as Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho launched a salvage operation which ultimately failed.
Afterwards, Mourinho said the result was “a disgrace” and he confessed to being “ashamed”. It was the first time a team managed by Mourinho conceded four goals in a home fixture.
Last Saturday was certainly a day of shocks as Premier League champions Manchester City were knocked out at home by Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
And with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur also falling to home defeats, four of the current top six in the Premier League have now bitten the dust in the FA Cup.
The draw for the fifth round will be made tomorrow (Monday) on ‘The One Show’ on BBC1 at 7pm. The teams in the pot are as follows.
1. Crystal Palace
2. Cambridge United or Manchester United
3. Blackburn Rovers
4. Bradford City
5. Derby County
6. Preston North End or Sheffield United
7. West Bromwich Albion
8. Aston Villa
9. Reading
10. Liverpool or Bolton
11. Leicester City
12. Arsenal
13. Rochdale or Stoke City
14. Sunderland or Fulham
15. West Ham
16. Middlesbrough