SOCCER: THE FOURTH round will provide a poignant reminder of English football's tragic past after Liverpool and Everton were yesterday drawn to meet each other at Anfield only months before Merseyside prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
Jamie Carragher has already highlighted the significance of this year - "going on to win would be the perfect tribute to those who died," said the defender last week - and a derby with Everton, in the competition that united the blue and red halves of Merseyside 20 years ago, will be sure to stir memories of the catastrophic events in April 1989, when Liverpool's semi-final with Nottingham Forest was abandoned.
The two clubs last met in the 1991 competition when it took three games to decide the tie in Everton's favour, a 0-0 draw at Anfield being followed by the 4-4 draw at Goodison which prompted Kenny Dalglish's resignation before Everton won 1-0 at Anfield.
The match will also take place less than a week after the two clubs clash in the Premier League at Anfield, and was the stand-out tie in a draw that also paired Manchester United with Tottenham Hotspur.
Elsewhere, Arsenal will have to negotiate their way past last season's runners-up Cardiff City at Ninian Park - a re-run of the 1927 final which the Welsh club won - while Hartlepool's reward for eliminating Stoke City is a visit from West Ham United.
Nottingham Forest's prize for claiming Manchester City's scalp in the most impressive third-round performance is a chance to knock out their east Midlands rivals, Derby County. It is a tie that will see Billy Davies, who takes over as Nottingham Forest manager today, come up against the club that sacked him 14 months ago. "It's a fantastic game for the fans, a fantastic game for the club," Davies said.
Romantics will have noted the potential for a top-flight club to be humbled by non-league opposition after Kettering Town were handed an enticing home tie against Fulham. Torquay, another Blue Square Premier side in the draw, were left a little underwhelmed after being paired with the 1987 winners, Coventry City, although Histon, whose third-round tie with Swansea was postponed, could meet Portsmouth for a place in the last 16 if the holders prevail at Bristol City in a replay.
Further down the ladder, Blyth Spartans will face Sunderland if they can produce a shock and eliminate Blackburn Rovers tonight. There will also be a chance of an upset when Aston Villa travel to Cheltenham or Doncaster, while Chelsea will host Ipswich Town if they can overcome Southend United in their replay. All the matches will be played on the weekend of January 24th-25th.
