Hello and welcome back to one of the more ambitious challenges we’ve undertaken on this blog, which I might add will be 10 years old in January. Crikey. As the title gives away, the aim of the game is to win the FA Cup with Doncaster. Yes, Doncaster are in the Third Division and absolutely hopeless but a challenge is a challenge. I fully expect this to be the final part of the series, as the original challenge said win the FA Cup and then the Cup Winners Cup in season 2. Good one. In the immediate future, we have to topple Division 2 Walsall. You can catch up with part 1 here.

Right then, if you’re thinking about this there’s two pathways to success. Neither are guaranteed to work but basically my thinking is:

Option 1: Sign lots of highly rated freebies, let them perform and then flip them for a huge profit. Use the profit to buy more players, rinse and repeat.

Option 2: Sign lots of highly rated freebies, list them all for loan and hope they are able to perform at the required level.

We’ve gone for Option 2, mainly because I am not convinced players of sufficient calibre could be convinced to move to Doncaster. So it’s all eyes on Walsall.

The other problem is that I have a full squad of 32 and spiralling debt. I need somebody to kindly bugger off (for a fee) so I can fill some gaps.

Matters are further complicated by Bjorn’s red card here. Stupid me shouldn’t have taken any chances. He’ll now miss the big game, but Duncan has recovered from his injury in the nick of time.

I decide to bite the bullet and release two of the no hopers in the last year of their contract. It costs a combined £10k but the board think I’m scum for doing it. Look lads, trust the process.

The Micker is also banned for this cupstravaganza, it never rains but it pours honestly. Ricketts is out for them, so that’s basically the same. Incidentally Mainwaring is now worth £2.4m and is in serious danger of somebody buying him for realsies. 4th placed Swansea are brushed aside.

Lads, lads, lads. What are you doing to me?

I’ve moved to bring in an experienced keeper to help out young Betterton.

The squad is a state ahead of the game. Confirmed that loanees can’t play, Bjorn has now torn his hammy to go with his red card ban. SIgh.

Walsall play 4-4-2 direct. Boli and Peron are the stand outs but we’ve got our work cut out.

This series is 4 minutes away from an early conclusion before Twiss rams home a leveller. A replay…should mean Micker is back.

The stats show it was a relatively even game.

The prize, if we can win the replay, is a trip to Millwall. They are in the relegation zone in Division 2, so it could be worse.

NO! Not one of my centre halves.

Big club release means it can’t be refused but I can ask for Gudni Bergsson in exchange.

Bergsson says no. Bound says yes. Oh bugger.

So just when you think things are starting to turn around for old Dave, let’s look at the squad ahead of the replay…

Mainwaring was subject of a loan bid from Premier League West Ham and now he’s in the England Under 21 squad. Good for him. Terrible for me. Baker and Byrne are also away. Micker, it’s up to you. Oh and I only have one centre half.

Good luck men.

Walsall are unchanged.

Some people you can just rely on. I gave him the armband. He gave me his heart. At 3-1 down with 11 minutes to go, he gave me hope. Three minutes from time, he gave me joy. The Micker has dragged us through to the third round and I don’t know how. His best act, other than scoring three, was to injure Jimmy Walker as their sub keeper was awful. It took penalties to separate us, but we did it.

Yep, totally deserved.

Now we need to fix a lot of problems before the trip to Millwall.

Just 9 days to prepare for Premier League opposition.

We’ve been competing for months but this is the last 32. That’s quite demoralising. Nevermind, we move.

The squad is in shape for the visit of our illustrious opposition. There’s only Bradley missing who might have started.

Sheff Wed are without Nikolai favourite Jon Newsome.

It’s a very attacking lineup that seems to give Andy Hinchcliffe a lot of responsibilites.

It’s the worst possible start when Jim Magilton gives Sheff Wed the lead after just two minutes. We hang in there though and Twiss equalises on the stroke of half time. Richard Rufus, usually dependable, scores an own goal at the start of the second half, and with something to hang on to, we’re brilliant. We’ve done it!

Maybe not totally deserved but hardly dominated.

Last 16…brings the worst possible draw. Little old Doncaster going to Man Utd, top of the Premier League.

Obviously I wouldn’t necessarily expect an easy draw, but this is probably the end of the line.

There’s only a few league games between the two cup games and a largely rotated squad manages to keep us top of the pile, looking very likely to go up.

Our opponents, Drederick Tatum to our Homer Simpson, are top of the Premier League and have conceded only 11 goals all season.

Game day. Only Simpson is missing having been sent off a few weeks ago. That’s annoying as it means Bjorn has to play centre half and I’d rather have him in the middle of the park, or even play with three centre backs. Nevertheless, we’ll be brave.

As you would expect, it’s the usual household names in the Man Utd squad.

Ahh these lads. I’m so proud of them. We held out for 57 minutes and even hit the post twice but eventually the weight of pressure told and Sheringham knocks us out, ending the dream.

That’s a huge shame. We beat 6th place in the previous round and had the draw been kinder, we might have gone further. But a monumental effort from the lads and a thoroughly enjoyable two weeks.

What now?