FA Cup Third Round Team of the Round XI

The FA Cup third round has come to a close for another year. Once again, we saw no end of shocking scorelines and fascinating encounters – but who were the best individual players from Round Three?

We looked at teams from across the English footballing pyramid for this one. We’ve got players from Manchester City, Newcastle United and Arsenal – we even managed to sneak a Macclesfield Town player in there!

GK: Robin Roefs

Robin Roefs isn’t in this team for his display during the allotted time when Sunderland took on Everton – rather, he has made it in for how well he did in the penalty shoot-out.

The young Dutchman made three penalty saves in a row against the Toffees, as the Black Cats converted all theirs.

RB: James Justin

James Justin has been putting in some phenomenal displays for Leeds United as of late – his performance against Derby County proved to be no exception.

The Whites entered the break 1-0 down, but things quickly changed when Justin entered the fray. He scored Leeds’ final goal of the game in what proved to be a 3-1 away win.

CB: Terence Vancooten

The first non-Premier League player on our list – he won’t be the last, either. Terence Vancooten was sensational against Boreham Wood for Burton Albion, keeping a clean sheet and notching up an assist.

The Brewers certainly overmatched their non-league opposition, but they put forth a professional display to see off the Wood in style.

CB: Max Alleyne

Manchester City were certainly the team of the round – after hitting the buffers somewhat in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s men took out their frustration on League One Exeter City.

We chose to highlight youngster Max Alleyne, who made his debut for the club just under week ago. He opened the scoring for City, netting the first senior goal of his career.

LB: Rico Lewis

Don’t be surprised to see more than one City player on this list – off the back of such a gargantuan win, we couldn’t help it.

Rico Lewis bagged two of City’s ten (!) goals against the Grecians – he also registered an assist late on for good measure.

RM: Harvey Barnes

Harvey Barnes is in top form for Newcastle United at the moment. He has found his scoring boots again, much to Bournemouth’s chagrin.

He scored twice against the Cherries in a 3-3 draw, which the Toon would subsequently win after a penalty shoot-out.

CM: Paul Dawson

Macclesfield Town made history on Saturday afternoon – in terms of league positions, they pulled off the biggest shock of all time in the FA Cup when they knocked out Crystal Palace.

Paul Dawson was one of many heroes in their team, but we chose to highlight him for his battling midfield display – he also opened the scoring with a smart header.

CM: Louis Reed

Louis Reed came back to bite the hand that once fed him on Sunday afternoon. Mansfield Town sprung a major surprise over Sheffield United when they defeated the Blades by a score of 4-3 at Bramall Lane.

Reed was easily the Stags’ best player on the day, scoring two first half goals to stun his former club away from home.

LM: Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli has been the subject of controversy as of late, but his display against Portsmouth proved to be the perfect ointment.

In a defiant display, Martinelli silenced his critics by scoring a hattrick against Pompey. The Gunners had fallen behind early on, but the Brazilian international was on hand to spare their blushes.

ST: Emil Riis

Is Emil Riis good enough to play in the Premier League? If his performance against Watford is anything to go by, then the answer is a resounding yes.

He bagged a hattrick against the Hornets as Bristol City went home with a 5-1 win and secured their place in the fourth round.

ST: Jorgen Strand Larsen

Jorgen Strand Larsen hasn’t been at his best for Wolves this season, but could be no complaints when they took on Shrewsbury Town.

The Shrews might only be a League Two outfit, but you can only beat what is put in front of you – and Wolves did just that, as Strand Larsen scored three goals in a 6-1 win.