www.sportfocus.com/newspub/story.cfm?ID=36909

www.sportfocus.com/newspub/story.cfm?ID=36909

I think it was in the 70's IIRC. We got Rochdale at home I think, and when they got to the last tie there was only 1 ball left in the bag ! One of the old duffers doing the draw had pulled 2 balls out at once and dropped 1 on the floor. So after a bit of scurrying around all the balls went back in for a re-draw and we got Saints away.
Needless to say we then got stuffed !

It really is quite embarrassing.

Sh*t happens and i am sure it is stated in the draw rules that if a draw is done wrongly it will be redrawn.

But when sh*t happens like this it just makes us look even more 'small sport' and amateur.

Why there have been cock ups with the FA cup draw over the years as well and it does not make them look a small sport.

They havent got a reputation for been a small sport that theyre trying to shift though have they?

Maybe not but it is hard to cater for unforseen errors. I doubt they intentionally went out to make a cock up of the draw but they rectified the mistake immediately. It may not look great but then again it doesn;t look bad either IMO.

How hard is it to put some balls in a bag and pull them out one at a time? shockingly incompetent whichever sport. A group of 7 year olds should be able to perform this task.

A bit like having the SL launch in London, nowhere near Wembley (which has no connection with Super League) instead of in Manchester, where the ultimate prize of the competition is decided, you mean??

Have to agree, I mean who thought of that idea? Most of the personnel involved then had to take a day out to trek down to London when the majority of the teams are within an hours drive of OT.

As far as I recall,the draw for the 1972 Challenge cup had to be made twice as a ball( Leigh,the cup holders) had fallen out of the bag and nobody knew anything until the last ball out of the bag had no opposition
Hull had originally drawn Dewsbury Celtic at the Boulevard but second time around were given Rovers.
I seem to remember at the time that I wish the original tie had stood and that the Rugby League had fixed it for both Hull clubs to meet.
It mattered not in the end as we knocked them out 7-5

Spot on - didn't we end up playing Barrow away before a team that had been knocked out in the previous round turned up! (The ball had gotten into the lining - eight balls placed in the bag then presto, the bag in the lining reappeared!)

I think Tommy Cooper was there too

True - but can anyone remember it happening in any other sport? I mean it isn't that hard to pull team names out of a hat/bag/ goldfish bowl - whatever!

My brothers mate ran a subbuteo league when he was about ten - he never cocked a cup draw up. How hard can it be?

I remember the fa cup draw when a player pulled out 24 and called it as 25. He then pulled out 24 later and covered it with his fingers and called it 25.

Much rather a redraw than fudging it.