Newport manager Graham Coughlan admits Erik ten Hag is in the FA Cup firing line and warned Manchester United to expect a “unique and hostile” atmosphere at Rodney Parade.

United meet League Two County for the first time in their history in Sunday’s fourth-round tie, with 74 places between them in the football pyramid and millions of pounds on their respective balance sheets.

Yet Rodney Parade’s tight confines and a crowd of just under 10,000 will welcome United with Ten Hag, during a dismal season at Old Trafford, under pressure to progress in the only competition the Red Devils have a chance left of winning.

“It’s part of the job. He knows what he signed up for. We all do,” CoughIan said of the scrutiny the Dutchman will face in South Wales just weeks after Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in United.

“When you put yourself in the firing line, there are going to be bullets flying and coming your way.

“You’ve got to know how to handle that.”

Addressing the pressure and strains of management, Dubliner Coughlan – a self-confessed United fan who has previously been at Bristol Rovers and Mansfield – “I’ve been in his shoes. I’ve been there and got the T-shirt.

“He’ll come through it. He’ll be experienced enough to come through it. He has good people around him and that will be the key.

“You do go through tough times and difficult periods, but hopefully they get to grips with it by getting a bit of leadership into the football club.”

Newport – who on Wednesday saw former Swansea chairman and owner Huw Jenkins complete his £500,000 takeover to become the club’s majority shareholder – have been in fine form on the pitch.

County have embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run and are on a high after beating Welsh rivals Wrexham last weekend.

The Exiles have also been FA Cup giant-killers in recent times, beating both Leicester, Leeds and Middlesbrough at Rodney Parade while holding Tottenham to a fourth-round draw before losing a Wembley replay.

Coughlan said: “Surprisingly everybody fit, there’s been a few miraculous recoveries.

“They probably studied the Wrexham game and what would have come through would have the atmosphere and the noise of our fans.

“Irrespective this season whether we’ve been winning, losing or drawing, our fans have got right behind us and at times dragged us over the line.

“That’s unique and a strength of this football club and community.

“You can hear everything (on the touchline), sometimes you don’t want to, because they’re that close. They’re on top of you and it’s a unique atmosphere.

“It is hostile, it is noisy, and when they start beating that drum it’s an atmosphere to savour.”

United have not played since a 2-2 home draw with Tottenham on January 14, and Coughlan joked Ten Hag’s squad had probably been sunning themselves in the Caribbean while his players had been “slogging it out” in the British winter.

“They’ll be well rested and sun tanned,” laughed Coughlan.

“They would have been in the Caribbean while we’ve been slogging it out in the wind and rain.

“It’s the Premier League, that’s privileges when you get to that level.

“But I don’t think that will make a difference. They’ll be fresh with the little break they’ve had, and we’re going up against an elite football club and a top group of Premier League and international players.

“Athletes, machines – call them what you want – we’ve got a lot on our plate and you’d anticipate Manchester United having more of the ball and creating chances.

“But we’ll have one or two moments in the game and it’s about taking those moments.”

Newport manager Graham Coughlan admits Erik ten Hag is in the FA Cup firing line and warned Manchester United to expect a “unique and hostile” atmosphere at Rodney Parade.

United meet League Two County for the first time in their history in Sunday’s fourth-round tie, with 74 places between them in the football pyramid and millions of pounds on their respective balance sheets.

Yet Rodney Parade’s tight confines and a crowd of just under 10,000 will welcome United with Ten Hag, during a dismal season at Old Trafford, under pressure to progress in the only competition the Red Devils have a chance left of winning.

“It’s part of the job. He knows what he signed up for. We all do,” CoughIan said of the scrutiny the Dutchman will face in South Wales just weeks after Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in United.

“When you put yourself in the firing line, there are going to be bullets flying and coming your way.

“You’ve got to know how to handle that.”

Addressing the pressure and strains of management, Dubliner Coughlan – a self-confessed United fan who has previously been at Bristol Rovers and Mansfield – “I’ve been in his shoes. I’ve been there and got the T-shirt.

“He’ll come through it. He’ll be experienced enough to come through it. He has good people around him and that will be the key.

“You do go through tough times and difficult periods, but hopefully they get to grips with it by getting a bit of leadership into the football club.”

Newport – who on Wednesday saw former Swansea chairman and owner Huw Jenkins complete his £500,000 takeover to become the club’s majority shareholder – have been in fine form on the pitch.

County have embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run and are on a high after beating Welsh rivals Wrexham last weekend.

The Exiles have also been FA Cup giant-killers in recent times, beating both Leicester, Leeds and Middlesbrough at Rodney Parade while holding Tottenham to a fourth-round draw before losing a Wembley replay.

Coughlan said: “Surprisingly everybody fit, there’s been a few miraculous recoveries.

“They probably studied the Wrexham game and what would have come through would have the atmosphere and the noise of our fans.

“Irrespective this season whether we’ve been winning, losing or drawing, our fans have got right behind us and at times dragged us over the line.

“That’s unique and a strength of this football club and community.

“You can hear everything (on the touchline), sometimes you don’t want to, because they’re that close. They’re on top of you and it’s a unique atmosphere.

“It is hostile, it is noisy, and when they start beating that drum it’s an atmosphere to savour.”

United have not played since a 2-2 home draw with Tottenham on January 14, and Coughlan joked Ten Hag’s squad had probably been sunning themselves in the Caribbean while his players had been “slogging it out” in the British winter.

“They’ll be well rested and sun tanned,” laughed Coughlan.

“They would have been in the Caribbean while we’ve been slogging it out in the wind and rain.

“It’s the Premier League, that’s privileges when you get to that level.

“But I don’t think that will make a difference. They’ll be fresh with the little break they’ve had, and we’re going up against an elite football club and a top group of Premier League and international players.

“Athletes, machines – call them what you want – we’ve got a lot on our plate and you’d anticipate Manchester United having more of the ball and creating chances.

“But we’ll have one or two moments in the game and it’s about taking those moments.”

Maidstone manager George Elokobi says he has watched Sam Corne’s FA Cup third-round winner more times than he has seen clips of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.

Elokobi is bidding to make further history with the National League South side this weekend after guiding them into the fourth round of the competition for the first time since the club reformed in 1992.

The sixth-tier Stones – the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition – travel to Sky Bet Championship high-fliers Ipswich on Saturday lunchtime after Corne’s decisive penalty set up a 1-0 success over League One Stevenage.

Elokobi, a former Premier League defender with Wolves, wants his players to continue revelling in the national spotlight going into a televised tie with the Tractor Boys.

“I’m excited for the entire community: Maidstone as a whole, our football club, obviously our owners, more so for our players, who are history makers,” said the 37-year-old.

“It’s a great occasion, a historic moment for them all.

“They went out there believing that they could cause the big upset in the FA Cup third round and become history makers.

“I know the pitch got invaded but just to see the young boys and girls that ran on the pitch epitomises everything about what our football club means to our community.

“It was the sheer magnitude of the media coverage after that game.

“I must have watched Sam Corne more than I’ve watched Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in my time!

“That’s just what it meant because every TV programme, or most TV programmes, it was all about Maidstone United Football Club and it just shows what our group of players have achieved.”

Maidstone will be roared on by just under 4,500 fans at Portman Road.

They return to Suffolk having crashed out to seventh-tier Needham Market – a club located around nine miles north-west of Ipswich – in the fourth qualifying round last season.

The Kent club, who are captained by former Arsenal defender Gavin Hoyte, have played six fixtures to reach this stage, including knocking out League Two Barrow before upsetting Stevenage.

Elokobi added: “We’re going to a special club in Ipswich Town and what’s not to love about that? What’s not to celebrate about it?

“We just want our players to go there, enjoy competing against Championship professionals and enjoy showcasing their talents and making sure they do themselves proud and the entire Maidstone community.

“We know the magnitude of the game, we know how good they are in terms of the respect we’re going to show them.”

Maidstone’s spell in the limelight comes 32 years after the club were liquidated amid spiralling debts and later reborn.

In addition to the healthy travelling support, the Stones will also have plenty of backing in Elokobi’s native Cameroon.

“When we beat Barrow, it made national news in Cameroon,” he said.

“The messages I’ve been getting has been overwhelming, they’ve come via text messages, they’ve gone through the social media platforms.

“I’ve even had calls from the British Cameroonian consulate in England as well, so that tells you the magnitude of what I’m doing.

“I’m the first Cameroonian to have ever managed an English outfit, let alone be in the fourth round of the FA Cup as a manager.

“But it’s not just about me.

“It’s going to an incredible day for everyone connected to myself and Maidstone United Football Club.”

James Maddison is available for Tottenham’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City but boss Ange Postecoglou has yet to make a decision on whether he will start Friday’s clash.

Maddison has not played for Spurs since he sustained ankle ligament damage in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on November 6.

England international Maddison flourished after he moved to the club in a £40million deal from Leicester last June, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 12 appearances, and he will return to action against FA Cup holders Man City.

Postecoglou revealed: “He’s trained all week and he is fine.

“He is available and ready to start… when someone is available I assume they are ready to start.

“Whether they do or not depends on what I see with everyone else tomorrow and I usually make those decisions on game day.

“Like I said, the beauty of it is he’s got through the week really well and is ready to go.”

Nottingham Forest have been told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR did not have power to disallow Brentford’s controversial free-kick for Brentford last week.

Forest wrote to the match officials’ governing body as well as the Premier League after Toney scored when he moved the ball from the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.

Forest wanted answers, including whether VAR could intervene and why the referee did not spot it.

“We have received a response from the incident, it is clear that the law says VAR cannot do anything about ball displacement,” boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.

“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time, we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.

“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement. It is finished, we move forward.”

Forest are back in action on Friday night when they head to Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round.

They still have a raft of injuries with Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Divock Origi and Felipe all out while six players are at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Three of those could be returning imminently, depending on results elsewhere, as Ivory Coast did not quality automatically from their group.

Either way, they will not be involved at Ashton Gate.

“We have to wait, the decision is today, it could happen,” Nuno said. “There are a couple of scenarios that could happen. Let’s wait and then we will decide the moment they will return. Friday is very difficult I think.

“Nothing has changed with injuries. Let’s see, but nothing has changed. The scenario is the same, there is no hiding we are short on offensive options because the players that are out are offensive players.

“We will see, we will decide tomorrow the team and gameplan.”

Nottingham Forest have been told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR did not have power to disallow Brentford’s controversial free-kick for Brentford last week.

Forest wrote to the match officials’ governing body as well as the Premier League after Toney scored when he moved the ball from the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.

Forest wanted answers, including whether VAR could intervene and why the referee did not spot it.

“We have received a response from the incident, it is clear that the law says VAR cannot do anything about ball displacement,” boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.

“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time, we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.

“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement. It is finished, we move forward.”

Forest are back in action on Friday night when they head to Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round.

They still have a raft of injuries with Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Divock Origi and Felipe all out while six players are at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Three of those could be returning imminently, depending on results elsewhere, as Ivory Coast did not quality automatically from their group.

Either way, they will not be involved at Ashton Gate.

“We have to wait, the decision is today, it could happen,” Nuno said. “There are a couple of scenarios that could happen. Let’s wait and then we will decide the moment they will return. Friday is very difficult I think.

“Nothing has changed with injuries. Let’s see, but nothing has changed. The scenario is the same, there is no hiding we are short on offensive options because the players that are out are offensive players.

“We will see, we will decide tomorrow the team and gameplan.”

Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have returned to Manchester United training ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round trip to Newport.

Erik ten Hag’s side have endured a poor campaign punctuated by key absentees, but the Red Devils’ injury issues are finally beginning to ease.

Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez returned to the squad as United drew 2-2 with Tottenham last time out, with the latter coming on as a 63rd minute substitute in the January 14 Premier League fixture.

United play their first match since then in Sunday’s FA Cup trip to League Two outfit Newport, where Maguire and Shaw look to set to feature having returned to training.

Maguire has missed the last six matches in all competitions since sustaining a groin complaint against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on December 12.

The rejuvenated former United skipper was pictured in training at the club’s Carrington training base on Tuesday, as was left-back Shaw.

The England full-back has only managed 10 appearances in what has been an injury-interrupted campaign, with his most recent outing coming in the December 23 defeat at West Ham.

Amad Diallo, who has been absent from the previous two squads, was also pictured with Ten Hag’s group.

But there was no sign of Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelof or Mason Mount in the images. Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat remain at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Newport closed their ticket office ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Manchester United after staff suffered “appalling abuse and threatening behaviour”.

The Welsh minnows host the Premier League giants at a sold out Rodney Parade on Sunday – the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

Remaining tickets on Monday were only made available for purchase online after the Sky Bet League Two club closed its ticket office.

“Unfortunately, this decision has been made after the appalling abuse and threatening behaviour the ticket office and support staff received during the priority purchase period on Thursday,” Newport said in a club statement.

“The club will not condone this behaviour towards any member of its staff and will employ a zero-tolerance policy going forward which may result in stadium bans or legal action.

“The club’s small pool of staff has worked extremely hard across long hours in recent weeks to organise the two sell-out games against Wrexham and Manchester United.

“The club would like to thank them for their dedication and commitment.”

A crowd of around 10,000 is expected after Newport increased capacity by erecting a temporary stand behind one of the goals at Rodney Parade.

Providing an update on Monday, Newport said on X, formerly Twitter: “We can confirm that all tickets for our #EmiratesFACup clash with Manchester United have now sold out. Thank you for your fantastic support.”

Newport manager Graham Coughlan has called the visit of 12-time cup winners United as the “biggest game” in the club’s history.

The in-form Exiles, who stand to make £400,000 from the televised tie, extended their unbeaten run to seven games on Saturday by beating Welsh rivals Wrexham 1-0 at home.

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo insists his players will not hide as they face up to a tough winter.

Forest, already battling to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle, were plunged into further difficulties earlier this week as they were charged with breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.

Nuno was pleased with the spirit shown as Forest saw off a Blackpool fightback to edge into the FA Cup fourth round with a 3-2 win after extra time of a tricky replay at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday.

Forest had gone into the game against the League One side without a host of players due to Africa Cup of Nations call-ups – of which the club have six – and injuries.

“The boys were ready,” said Nuno. “We cannot hide ourselves. Everybody can see we are short of options, especially offensive options.

“We are very short, we have a lot of players out, but the group is showing that with the help of everybody we’ll manage this tough period.”

Forest, who had to fight back from 2-0 down at the City Ground to force the replay, this time looked in control as they opened up a two-goal lead with strikes from debutant Andrew Omobamidele and Danilo.

This time it was the Seasiders who responded with goals from Albie Morgan and substitute Kyle Joseph and they could have won it when Karamoko Dembele spurned a good chance in stoppage time.

Chris Wood eventually settled the tie in the second period of extra time and Forest will now travel to Bristol City in the next round.

Nuno’s immediate thoughts now turn to Saturday’s league trip to Brentford but he would relish a good cup run.

The Portuguese said: “Every game is important. Now we have to prepare for Brentford. It’s going to be a tough one, especially after the effort of the players here and the lack of numbers that offensively we have.

“But we’re going to face every game and the cup – I’m not the only one to say it’s very special. We have to go for it.”

Nuno confirmed that midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White missed the game at Blackpool with an abdominal issue which could sideline him for a fortnight.

“The first diagnosis that we have is a couple of weeks,” he said. “We miss him because he was in a very good moment for us.”

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson had no regrets about his decision to protect the likes of Eberechi Eze for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Arsenal after substituting his star player in their FA Cup exit at Everton.

Trailing 1-0 to Andre Gomes’ brilliant first-half free-kick, Hodgson took off Eze – their most dangerous player – Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne after 64 minutes, with Jefferson Lerma and Odsonne Edouard following seven minutes later.

Eze’s withdrawal brought chants of, “You don’t know what you’re doing” from visiting fans but Hodgson said the way they finished they game, forcing Everton back-up goalkeeper Joao Virginia into a couple of good late saves, proved there was nothing wrong with his decision.

Asked whether he understood supporters’ frustrations he said: “Absolutely. We had to think very carefully about it.

“I appreciate for the fans it is a long way to come. I would’ve been disappointed to see Eze come off as he is one of our best players but I would have been equally disappointed if he had played another 35 minutes, got injured and put himself out for Arsenal.

“In the last 30 minutes of the game we had three or four goal chances. I thought this was a day when we deserved better than a defeat.

“The major point for us is that we get home at 2am and at 12.30 we play Arsenal on Saturday so that was our problem.

“I was able to at least spare three of the very important players for the weekend after 60 minutes and another couple after 70 minutes.

“We should be in a slightly better position to confront Arsenal because that will be a vitally-important game.”

On a fifth failure to get beyond the third round in eight years, Hodgson added: “It’s our own fault.

“If we had wanted to progress in the cup serenely we would have won the game at home. We didn’t, we drew 0-0 which forced us into a replay.”

Gomes’ goal was his first at Goodison Park in almost five years but it required an impressive performance from Virginia for Everton to progress to a home tie against fellow Premier League strugglers Luton.

Boss Sean Dyche revealed Abdoulaye Doucoure, just back after missing five matches with a hamstring problem, will be sidelined again after injuring the hamstring in his other leg against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Match-winner Gomes played in Doucoure’s position against Palace, but Dyche admits it is not his natural position.

“We know Gomes has had a really up and down time with injuries,” he said.

“I said to him when he came back (in pre-season) I can see him being part of what we do as he was unsure at that time about whether he was going to be here or not.

“We know he can play and it is finding the right spot for him. I don’t think he is true number 10 but we know he can deal with the ball in there and he found his way into the game.”

On Virginia, who also did well in the original tie, Dyche added: “I think he has moved on a long way this season.

“He made clear decisions, made a good save in the first half (from Mitchell) and then the one at the end (from Jeffrey Schlupp) he gets across quick and makes a good save.”

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo admitted Blackpool forced his side to dig deep as they scraped into the FA Cup fourth round after extra-time on Wednesday.

The Premier League side needed a Chris Wood winner in the 110th minute to prevail 3-2 after the third-tier hosts had fought back from two goals down to force an extra half-hour at a freezing Bloomfield Road.

That came after the two sides had also played out a 2-2 draw in their first encounter at the City Ground.

Nuno said: “This is the FA Cup. That’s why this competition is so special – it allows every team to play and to fight the way Blackpool did.

“We cannot take credit away from them. We had our problems but a lot of credit goes to Blackpool.

“This is the magic of the FA Cup. That’s why I love it, because it is one chance for everybody.

“It was tough, but we did the job. We could have done better and we made mistakes that allowed Blackpool to get back in the game but in extra time we showed that we deserved the victory.”

Forest had seemed in control when Andrew Omobamidele marked his belated debut with the opener and Danilo doubled the lead but the hosts hit back with an Albie Morgan stunner and header from substitute Kyle Joseph.

Omobamidele celebrated the opener by lifting a shirt bearing a message for team-mate Cheikhou Kouyate.

The Senegal international has left his team’s camp at the Africa Cup of Nations following the death of his father.

Nuno said: “We had the news before the game and it’s a shock. Our thoughts are with him and the boys did well showing his shirt because he’s a very important guy in the dressing room and on the pitch.”

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley, whose side are eighth in League One, was proud of the effort of his team.

He said: “To go all that way and not to have anything to show for it is hard to take because I thought over the course of the 120 minutes, you couldn’t really tell the difference between the two teams.

“I thought we were brilliant. I thought we went and had a real go and made it a real exciting cup tie.

“To come from 2-0 down and show spirit and with the quality of the goals as well – I’m just bitterly disappointed that we didn’t take it to penalties and make it maybe even more exciting than it already was.”

Critchley felt Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel might have had a penalty in the second half and thought Wood’s winner was “borderline offside”.

He said: “We had VAR in the first game, but we hadn’t got VAR tonight.

“We might have had a penalty, we might have had an offside decision. The integrity of the competition has to be in question.”

A spectacular free-kick from Andre Gomes fired Everton into the fourth round of the FA Cup following a 1-0 replay win over Crystal Palace while Nottingham Forest needed extra time to see off League One Blackpool.

Gomes curled his shot over the wall and beyond Sam Johnstone three minutes before half-time for the only goal in more than three hours of football between the sides.

Palace were denied an equaliser at the death when Everton keeper Joao Virginia kept out an effort from substitute David Ozoh as the Toffees booked another all-Premier League tie at home to Luton.

Chris Wood scored an extra-time winner as Nottingham Forest overcame League One Blackpool 3-2.

The New Zealand striker tapped in a Ryan Yates cross to send the Premier League side through after a rip-roaring replay.

Andrew Omobamidele had marked his long-awaited Forest debut with the opening goal.

The Irish defender, who joined from Norwich for £11million almost five months ago, struck at the far post from a corner after 17 minutes.

Forest doubled their lead 50 seconds into the second half after Albie Morgan’s weak back-pass allowed Nicolas Dominguez to challenge Seasiders goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw and the ball broke for Danilo to stroke home.

Morgan made amends with a superb half-volley from the edge of the area to pull one back and Blackpool equalised with 11 minutes left when a looping cross from Andy Lyons was met with a far-post header by Kyle Joseph to send the tie into extra time.

Wood’s 107th-minute goal means Forest will travel to Bristol City in round four.

Norwich are heading to Liverpool after coming from behind to beat Bristol Rovers 3-1.

Luke McCormick volleyed League One Rovers ahead but Gabriel Sara hauled the Canaries level.

Adam Idah fired Norwich into the lead from the penalty spot and Kenny McLean wrapped up the victory three minutes from full time.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson had no regrets about his decision to protect the likes of Eberechi Eze for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Arsenal after substituting his star player in their FA Cup exit at Everton.

Trailing 1-0 to Andre Gomes’ brilliant first-half free-kick, Hodgson took off Eze – their most dangerous player – Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne after 64 minutes, with Jefferson Lerma and Odsonne Edouard following seven minutes later.

Eze’s withdrawal brought chants of, “You don’t know what you’re doing” from visiting fans but Hodgson said the way they finished they game, forcing Everton back-up goalkeeper Joao Virginia into a couple of good late saves, proved there was nothing wrong with his decision.

Asked whether he understood supporters’ frustrations he said: “Absolutely. We had to think very carefully about it.

“I appreciate for the fans it is a long way to come. I would’ve been disappointed to see Eze come off as he is one of our best players but I would have been equally disappointed if he had played another 35 minutes, got injured and put himself out for Arsenal.

“In the last 30 minutes of the game we had three or four goal chances. I thought this was a day when we deserved better than a defeat.

“The major point for us is that we get home at 2am and at 12.30 we play Arsenal on Saturday so that was our problem.

“I was able to at least spare three of the very important players for the weekend after 60 minutes and another couple after 70 minutes.

“We should be in a slightly better position to confront Arsenal because that will be a vitally-important game.”

On a fifth failure to get beyond the third round in eight years, Hodgson added: “It’s our own fault.

“If we had wanted to progress in the cup serenely we would have won the game at home. We didn’t, we drew 0-0 which forced us into a replay.”

Gomes’ goal was his first at Goodison Park in almost five years but it required an impressive performance from Virginia for Everton to progress to a home tie against fellow Premier League strugglers Luton.

Boss Sean Dyche revealed Abdoulaye Doucoure, just back after missing five matches with a hamstring problem, will be sidelined again after injuring the hamstring in his other leg against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Match-winner Gomes played in Doucoure’s position against Palace, but Dyche admits it is not his natural position.

“We know Gomes has had a really up and down time with injuries,” he said.

“I said to him when he came back (in pre-season) I can see him being part of what we do as he was unsure at that time about whether he was going to be here or not.

“We know he can play and it is finding the right spot for him. I don’t think he is true number 10 but we know he can deal with the ball in there and he found his way into the game.”

On Virginia, who also did well in the original tie, Dyche added: “I think he has moved on a long way this season.

“He made clear decisions, made a good save in the first half (from Mitchell) and then the one at the end (from Jeffrey Schlupp) he gets across quick and makes a good save.”

Norwich manager David Wagner is relishing the prospect of pitting his wits against close friend Jurgen Klopp after his side secured an FA Cup fourth-round tie with Liverpool.

Wagner has promised his team will “go for it” when they head to Anfield following their 3-1 win over League One side Bristol Rovers in their third-round replay at the Memorial Stadium.

His side had to come from behind after Rovers took a first-half lead through Luke McCormick but the Canaries ended up comfortable winners thanks to goals from Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean.

“I haven’t checked my messages yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jurgen has already been in touch now we’re through,” said Wagner, who was a team-mate of Klopp’s at Mainz and best man at his 2005 wedding.

“I haven’t seen Jurgen in person since his birthday party last year so it will be great to have a bit of reunion with him.

“But it’s not about us and above all it’s all about making sure my team go to Anfield and do Norwich City proud.

“A tie at Anfield is a really big prize for my team and I know my players will relish the opportunity to take on the Premier League’s best players.

“But it’s not something that should hold any fear for my players and I will be telling them that we will go for it.

“It will be a great game but there are important Championship games between now and Liverpool but I promise we will be ready and will give a good account of ourselves.”

Wagner saluted his players after their second-half improvement.

“At half-time I asked them to be brave and be positive and so I could not be happier with their response,” he added.

“There are lots of positives we can take from this tie.

“The first 20 minutes we lacked energy but we needed to show more desire, aggression and hunger in the final third.

“When you’re 1-0 behind at a difficult place you can feel the heat and feel the pressure but we rose to the challenge.

“We showed lots of character and stayed strong and stayed together and we will have to show that again at Liverpool.”

Rovers manager Matt Taylor said: “This is a defeat that hurts because for me we’ve played a big part in our own downfall.

“Matt (Cox) was almost our penalty hero with the way he got a hand to the penalty (from Idah that made it 2-1) but that epitomises us in a sense.

“We’re an almost team and that’s got to change if we’re going to get anywhere.

“I’m proud of the players because we’ve gone toe-to-toe with a good Championship side.

“But overall it’s a big regret because we played well over the two legs. We shot ourselves in the foot in that little second-half spell which is frustrating.”

Chris Wood struck an extra-time winner as Nottingham Forest avoided an FA Cup shock at Blackpool amid a troubled week.

The Premier League club were charged with breaching the top flight’s financial regulations on Monday and third-tier Blackpool almost added to their woe as they fought back from 2-0 down at Bloomfield Road.

A penalty shoot-out was looming in an eventful replay when Wood turned in from close range to secure a 3-2 win and a fourth-round date with Bristol City.

Forest had seemed in little trouble when Andrew Omobamidele marked his belated debut with the opener and Danilo doubled the lead but the hosts hit back with an Albie Morgan stunner and header from substitute Kyle Joseph.

All that drama occurred in the final half hour after Forest seemed to have taken firm control.

There was little to excite in the opening quarter of an hour aside from a header from Murillo which was clawed away by Blackpool goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw.

Forest took control of the game in the 16th minute as Republic of Ireland defender Omobamidele, finally making his first appearance after his move from Norwich last summer, struck.

Omobamidele went forward for a corner and firmly volleyed home after Nicolas Dominguez’s cross was flicked on by Ryan Yates.

After celebrating he ran to the Forest bench and picked up a shirt which displayed a message to team-mate Cheikhou Kouyate, who is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations and whose father recently died.

Blackpool were limited to half-chances as Forest retained the upper hand without any great urgency to kill off the game.

It seemed Blackpool’s best opportunity had passed when they surrendered a two-goal lead at the City Ground in the sides’ first meeting as Forest doubled their advantage soon after the break.

The hosts got into a mess trying to play out from the back and Morgan’s underhit backpass invited in Dominguez.

The Argentinian collided with the outrushing Grimshaw as he raced into the box but the loose ball rolled to Danilo, who fired in despite the efforts of Marvin Ekpiteta on the line.

To compound matters for Blackpool, Grimshaw was forced off after his knock but, from seemingly nowhere, the hosts roused themselves.

The game came alive on the hour as Forest failed to clear a home attack and Morgan, atoning for his earlier error, pulled one back with a superb strike from distance.

Forest almost responded immediately as Neco Williams forced a save from substitute keeper Richard O’Donnell but Blackpool began to sense a chance.

Joseph levelled matters just seven minutes after coming off the bench when he nodded in a high cross from Andy Lyons at the back post.

With the home crowd at their most raucous, Blackpool appealed for a penalty when Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel went down under a challenge from Murillo but nothing was given.

Karamoko Dembele almost snatched victory for Blackpool in stoppage time when he burst clear and rounded Odysseas Vlachodimos but Orel Mangala blocked on the line.

Shayne Lavery had an effort deflected over for Blackpool in the first period of extra-time, which ended with an apparent medical emergency among the Forest supporters but, after a brief flurry of activity, the game was not delayed.

Wood notched what proved to be the winner when he diverted in a Yates cross in the 110th minute.

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