FA Cup to have 2 non-league teams in last 16
MANCHESTER, England — The FA Cup threw up its latest heartwarming story line on Sunday when Sutton United beat second-tier Leeds 1-0 to ensure there would be two non-league teams in the fifth round for the first time since the 19th century.
Adding a touch more magic on a historic day for the 146-year-old competition was the background of the scorer of the only goal at atmospheric Gander Green Lane.
Jamie Collins works as a builder in his full-time job and here he was getting mobbed by dozens of young Sutton fans in a joyful post-match pitch invasion, having converted a 53rd-minute penalty that saw off one of the grandest names in English soccer. Sutton, a tiny club from the southwest of London, advanced to the last 16 for the first time.
The latest upset came a day after Lincoln, another team from outside England’s four professional leagues, beat second-tier Brighton 3-1 to reach the fifth round for the first time since 1887. It’s the first time since the foundation of the Football League in 1888 that two non-league teams have reached this stage of the FA Cup, according to sports data company Opta.