IN a season that has seen romance restored to the FA Cup, might it also bear witness to a fairytale ending? Gary O’Neil thinks so. The Middlesbrough machine – a Duracell bunny of a player – has watched with wonder as lesser lights from Havant and Waterlooville to Chasetown, Oldham to Huddersfield, Luton to Bristol (Rovers) have enjoyed their days in the sun. And noted with growing optimism that while the Teessiders have slipped quietly under the radar – they go to Sheffield United in the fifth round this afternoon – no fewer than 14 Premier League clubs had, before yesterday, slipped off it. And yet . . . Four of the top flight sides surviving the fourth round ARE the Big Four, and even with last night’s titanic clash between Manchester United and Arsenal doing everyone at least one favour, and Barnsley doing another, there remains a familiar air to the final stages of the competition. Ominously familiar. In the first decade of its existence, the FA Cup was won by six different clubs. The next 10 years saw five more, new winners. But the past 10 years has seen only four, the Big Four, and in the 10 before that only Everton and Wimbledon have broken the monopoly. Yet might this season be different? Can the cartel be breached? “Yes, I think so,” said O’Neil. “Obviously, you do need a little bit of luck with the draw. If you get Manchester United or Chelsea away, then the odds are against you. “The draw has been pretty kind to us so far. I know they have been away games, but we have managed to avoid the Manchester Uniteds and the Chelseas. “If you can avoid them until the later stages, then anything can happen once you get that far. There is a chance this year. “If you can just keep plodding your way through quietly and get some decent draws, as we have done so far, then you never know. “It is a good opportunity. We want to be in the quarter-finals, we want to go there (Bramall Lane) and win. We are looking to go there and win the game outright. “Some people might say a draw would be a decent result and get them back up here. But with our away form the way it has been, we are going there to look to win the game. “It’s a tough pitch and Sheffield United do make it difficult for you. I remember the season they came up, we went there with Portsmouth and they made it really tough for us. “And it will be a tough game on Sunday, but hopefully we can go there and do a job. It is an opportunity and if we are on our top form, we should get through to the next round.” And then . . . | 
