Ports in a storm

Once again, soccer’s top-flight League contests in both England and Scotland seem condemned to be unchallenging two-horse races. The respective managers of Arsenal and Manchester United have been told to cool down their playground animosities, and we shall see this Tuesday evening if they can manage it. The singular Alan Shearer has at last potted his 400th goal; the Geordie is an old-time English centre-forward of authentic vintage, true inheritor of the line from Bloomer and Dean through Lawton and Lofthouse. Which leaves an uncluttered stage for the ancient FA Cup competition to fill with some bold strokes of genuine theatre in the fourth-round ties this weekend. Worries about the old tournament’s status dissolved when the 31 third-round games three weeks ago were watched by 535,487, an average of 17,714 and the highest attendance since 1981.

None of the famous-for-90-minutes minnows let themselves down either, and Exeter City’s two defiantly perky performances before going out to Man U had Devon dancing. There might be more of the light fantastic down in them thar parts should Yeovil Town put one across Charlton Athletic in the fourth round. By far the most dagger-sharp tie, however, is the Hampshire hooley between Southampton and Portsmouth. Surprisingly, the two venerable clubs have previously played each other only four times in Cup competition (Southampton winning all four; in League contests Southampton lead by 29-19).

To the unremitting rivalry, added spice this time has a particularly tantalising tang, for only in November did the Saints’ new manager, chirpy speculator Harry Redknapp, move along the coast to St Mary’s stadium from Pompey’s true-blue fastness of Fratton Park. Portsmouth folk took serious umbrage at such a flagrantly shameless defection, their intensity cranked up as soon as this Solent shindig was plucked out of the hat.