3/1 To Win
If you asked football fans about the most exciting thing about the New Year, the FA Cup Third Round would be right up there.
Traditionally, the entry of Premier League and Championship clubs into the oldest cup competition in the world comes on the first weekend in January, and there are always some stand-out ties.
This year is no different, as Derby County travel to Old Trafford to take on Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
The Rams’ last three meetings with the Red Devils have ended in defeat, but the time before that, one man lit up Pride Park Stadium in the League Cup semi-final first leg in 2009.
Kris Commons arrived from rivals Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2008, and for the first part of the season under Paul Jewell, he was used predominantly as a winger.
Jewell departed before the clash with United, and caretaker boss David Lowe took the decision of moving Commons into an attacking midfield role in behind Rob Hulse. It paid off.
He told dcfc.co.uk: “That night against United was the first time that I had played behind Rob Hulse in the number 10 role.
“We had gone through it on the training ground, playing out the various different scenarios and worked how I could find the little pockets of space against United.”
The Scotland international made full use of that space on the half-hour mark, as he received a pass from the right-hand side before unleashing an absolute bullet past Tomasz Kuszczak to give Derby the lead.
Commons had no doubt that the ball was going to hit the back of the net from the moment it left his boot.
He said: “I took my first touch and I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a thought process that I was going to take the shot straight away.
“I realised I was a little too far out at that stage and I let the ball roll another three or four paces before I eventually hit it.
“It was one of those that when I hit it, I knew where it was going. That tends to be the case with those kinds of goals.
“In my career, that is one of my stand-out memories, it’s one that I don’t think I will ever forget.”
Gary Rowett’s side will go to the Old Trafford knowing that the pressure is all on their hosts, and the 5,000+ travelling fans are sure to create a fantastic atmosphere in the away end.
Commons highlighted the game as a key moment in his career, due to both the freedom to perform and the noise that was created by the Pride Park crowd.
He added: “There wasn’t a great deal of expectation on us going into the game. Nobody expected us to achieve anything and the question hanging over was could we keep it down to a low score?
“We got off to a relatively good start on that night. We created a few early chances and the goal that we scored gave us a huge amount of confidence.
“When you play a team that is far, far better than you are, that goal gave us something to cling on to.
“We were at home as well, so the stadium was packed, it was bouncing from the first minute to the very last and that was very special to be part of.”
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