Pitch could be a hitch for Black Cats

THERE, I told you.

I was convinced Blackburn were good things to beat Stoke and Rovers did the business with a 4-1 win at Ewood Park.

The romance of the FA Cup was alive and well in my neck of the woods on St Valentine's Day, I can tell you.

But the big question is whether there is enough for any more fairy tales on a great weekend of cup action.

I can't get carried away about Middlesbrough's chances at Arsenal, even though the Championship high-flyers were brilliant when winning at Manchester City in the last round.

The Gunners are just steadily making progress this season and even with a host of injuries I think they'll still get through.

If you want a shock, you want to head to Valley Parade because a man pointing a machine gun at my head would not be able to persuade me to back Sunderland to beat Bradford.

I know there's a couple of divisions between them, but it is not just the fact the Bantams beat Chelsea in the last round that convinces me the Black Cats could struggle.

The pitch looked awful when Bradford were on the TV against MK Dons last week, and we all know that is one of the vital ingredients needed for any cup shock.

The competition is a great leveller anyway, so we're told, without the game being played on an allotment.

I'm just hoping we can have an army of kids in parkas celebrating a Bradford winner by staging a massive pitch invasion, just as they did in Hereford when Ronnie Radford knocked in that goal.

Then I'll really believe in the magic of the FA Cup.