Wrexham and their Hollywood owners will not get a blockbuster Premier League tie in this season's FA Cup after falling agonisingly short of the fifth round and a meeting with Tottenham.
The National League side, backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, would have faced Spurs had they won a replay against Sheffield United on Tuesday following a 3-3 draw in the original tie.
But Premier League hopefuls United delighted in dumping Wrexham out of the competition after a pair of late goals secured a 3-1 home win at Bramall Lane.
Wrexham had threatened to turn another gripping encounter on its head when Paul Mullin cancelled Anel Ahmedhodzic's opener from the penalty spot and then stepped up to take a second spot-kick, having earned both himself.
Blades goalkeeper Adam Davies brilliantly saved the second penalty, however, and the Championship side settled the tie on the counter-attack in the closing stages as Billy Sharp scored in the 94th minute and Sander Berge added a clincher in the 96th.
Sharp was particularly enthused by his role in eliminating Wrexham, having been frustrated by the underdogs' attitude to facing United, as he explained afterwards.
"It was a great cup tie over the two games," Sharp told ITV Sport. "[Wrexham] played excellent. I think they've been disrespectful, though.
"There were a few things before the game, thinking they were already through. I'm glad we've beat them.
"They're doing well in their league, we're doing well in ours. I wasn't happy with a few of their players tonight, but we've got one over on them. Good luck to them for promotion.
"Hopefully we've put that one to bed now, because a few of their players I wasn't happy with.
"I was a little bit frustrated at the end – I probably should have put the game to bed before I did, but it's one of those things. I wanted to win and wanted to get through to the next round."
Asked to expand on his comments, Sharp added of Wrexham: "I wasn't happy with the way they've been as a club. Before the game, they were eyeing up Spurs and they've not even beaten us.
"We're an honest set of lads and we want to go as far as we can in this competition. If we get beat in the next round, so be it. We'll give it a right go.
"I think they thought we were just going to roll over when they get back in it. I think the referee was helping them all night, as well. I don't think he gave me one foul all night tonight, but it's one of those things.
"I've probably lost my head a little bit, but I've got a smile on my face because we've got through to the next round of the cup and the boys deserve it."
Deadpool star Reynolds wrote on Twitter: "So proud of these boys. And the 4,000 plus away supporters who gave it all."
McElhenney, the creator of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, added: "I could not be more proud of those men than I am right now. They gave it absolutely everything."
The owners would have been concerned by the sight of star striker Mullin hobbling off injured, but McElhenney said in a second post: "Now let’s go win this f***ing league."
ISSA Champions Cup draw sets up thrilling matchups
The stage is set for another thrilling chapter of schoolboy football as the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Champions Cup draw, conducted at SportsMax Studios on Tuesday, revealed a series of captivating matchups.
Chief among the fixtures to kick off this weekend’s quarterfinal round is the clash between reigning champions Glenmuir High and former champions Kingston College, as the tournament, which brings together the best from the Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions, promises fierce battles and a showcase of young talent.
Glenmuir High have been in impeccable form this season and are high-riding favourites to go all the way in the daCosta Cup. To begin their Champions Cup defence against Kingston College (KC) will certainly test their mettle, but they have so far displayed that they possess enough quality to overcome any challenge.
According to assistant coach Johnoy Chambers, Glenmuir, now making their fourth Champions Cup appearance, are riding high on years of developmental work.
“What we are doing at Glenmuir is just continuing the hard work we’ve been doing for the past three to four years. Being here is very important to us because the school strives to be the best both on and off the field," said Chambers.
Kingston College, a nine-time participant and winner in 2019, brings a legacy of dominance and is hungry to reclaim their place at the summit of schoolboy football.
In a historic clash, Ocho Rios High will make their second Champions Cup bow against debutants St Catherine High. Ocho Rios have been in good knick this season and will aim to continue that run of form, but St Catherine, under the stewardship of veteran coach Anthony Patrick, are determined to make an impact.
Patrick, a two-time Manning Cup-winning coach with Bridgeport, expressed pride in his team’s achievement.
“It’s a joy for me to have a team here. We’ve been building well from preseason, and it’s now coming out on the field. We are going to give it our best shot," Patrick declared.
In another interesting clash, Hydel High will mark their fourth appearance in the Champions Cup when they face Garvey Maceo, who are no strangers to the tournament with six appearances.
Hydel, known for their resolute defence and quick transitions, will be eager to stamp their authority on the competition. However, Garvey Maceo are seasoned campaigners, and their current crop of players will look to rise to the occasion in this encounter.
Meanwhile, Jamaica College (JC), a nine-time participant and 2022 Champions Cup winners, are peaking at the right time and, as such, will start favourites in their encounter against McGrath High, the reigning Ben Francis Cup champions.
Jamaica College’s decorated history speaks for itself, and members of Davion Ferguson’s current unit are seasoned in high-stakes matches. Still, they will be relying on tactical discipline to continue their rich history, while McGrath, buoyed by their recent cup triumph, will look to continue their upward trajectory.
Champions Cup Fixtures
Hydel High vs Garvey Maceo
Ocho Rios High vs St Catherine High
Jamaica College vs McGrath High
Glenmuir High vs Kingston College
Wales promotion 'hasn't sunk in' for Bellamy after 4-1 Iceland win
Wales secured promotion to League A after beating Iceland 4-1 at home in their final Nations League group match, having gone a goal down early on.
Their victory, alongside a 3-1 defeat for Turkiye away to Montenegro, means that Craig Bellamy's side topped their group by a point.
"The feeling hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's been a real positive camp Whatever the result of this game, it's just been a positive camp," said Bellamy after the match.
"The targets we set right from the start, I feel we've been able to achieve."
Wales started the day knowing they needed to win and for results to go their way to top the group, but went a goal down after seven minutes after Andri Gudjohnsen followed up from a Danny Ward save.
It was the first goal Wales had conceded at home in 321 minutes and the first time they had been behind under Bellamy, but they responded well. The hosts managed to control the rest of the half, with Lewis Cullen scoring twice in the final 15 minutes of the first period.
The determination of his team to stick to the plan was something that pleased Bellamy immensely.
"There were one or two tests today that I feel we've been able to progress [through]. If they had happened one or two games ago, we might not have been able to.
"Where we're at, you go 1-0 down in the first few minutes and you get a performance like that.
"Then after that, when the crowd get a little bit edgy and try to force things for us... No, no. We keep the ball because we believe that's going to benefit us, and the players were able to do that."
In the second half, Wales were able to dominate and bagged goals from Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson to make things more comfortable.
"I thought we took control of the tempo of the game and we're a good team if we're able to do that," said Bellamy.
On promotion itself, the Wales manager could not overstate the importance of being able to mix with the biggest teams in international football in Europe.
"For where we want to be and where we want to go, it's huge. It's so important for us," he said.
Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Netherlands: Koeman's side wrap up group stage campaign with away draw
Netherlands ended their Group A3 campaign in the Nations League with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Stadion Bilino Polje on Tuesday.
Ronald Koeman's side, who had already secured their place in the quarter-final heading into the final group fixture, finished with nine points - five fewer than group winners Germany.
Brian Brobbey gave a second-string Oranje the breakthrough in the 24th minute when he headed home a cross from Noa Lang following a short corner kick.
But Ermedin Demirovic scored on the rebound, after Edin Dzeko's initial effort was stopped by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, to help Bosnia salvage a point in the 67th minute, as the hosts finished bottom of the group with two points.
Earlier, Dzeko's shot was cleared off the line by Jorrel Hato in the first half and the Bosnia captain also had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up just past the hour mark, before Sergej Barbarez's side found the leveller.
Data Debrief: Bosnia's spirited comeback
The home side ended the first period without registering a single shot on target and only creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.54, compared to the Netherlands' xG of 1.29.
But they were a much-improved side after the break as they restricted the visitors to zero shots on target while recording three of their own to secure a point. They ended the second half with an xG of 0.46, which bettered the Netherlands' xG of 0.37 despite being lower than their first-half effort.
Prior to this fixture, Bosnia and Herzegovina had lost all four of their 2024-25 Nations League matches in which they were losing at half-time. But they fought back this time to end their League A stay with a draw.
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