The focus for the Cup Competition was always the FA Cup only, but then last season I introduced games from the Scottish and the Women's FA Cup, and the European competitions as well as the domestic cup finals in France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
There will be more of the same this time round.
The third round draw was made on Monday 2nd December, with the games then played over the weekend of the 11th January, so it's time to embark on this Season's challenge.
And there were some great draws, and all the games are now on the website ready for you to put your GuessWork in any time between now and the Kick Off of Game 1. Here's the two sets for the FA Cup 3rd Round, needed by then.
The format, as per last season, will be based on the tried and tested 'Sprint' format that many of us join in when they are run during the season.
For those that don't know, it’s very similar to the main competition I run.
Just guess the scores, Bank on the ones you're sure of (Bankers are Unlimited throughout), and hope you don't get them wrong.
Points on offer increase every round, as the games get more competitive.
Last Season, I Should Be So Lucky won the competition, and openly agreed it was due to a 'lucky' banked prediction of a 5-0 Coventry win over Maidenhead. Also getting the Champions League Final score Banked and correct helped to crown them Cup Champions. Obi Wan - Kenobi Nil took the runners-up spot.
In the H2H competition, The WolfPack avoided wrong scores in the final round and took top spot from the other six finalists, to win, with Obi Wan also picking up second place in that competition.
You get more points for correct scores, but you still get points if you don't get the score right, but you at least get the result correct. Here's a bit more detail.
The Cup Competition.
Points for each game will be awarded in-line with the points that are awarded in 'The Picks' competition.
There will be
9 points for a win, plus the goals scored in the game
A clean sheet is worth an additional point
If a player scores 2 goals in the game, that's worth an extra point
If they score a hat-trick or more it's worth 3 points.
A penalty point is deducted for every goal a team loses by.
A draw is worth the average of the teams points. 4 points are awarded plus the goals scored, plus all the additional possible points above.
Points won away from home are enhanced by 10%.
All points from winning are enhanced by 30%
The points above are reduced if you don’t get the score correct, but you do, at least, get the result correct.
As per the main competition this season, that's not the end of it as team coefficients will also kick-in.
Let's use one of the stand out 3rd Round game as an example of how the scoring might pan out, and take Tamworth v Tottenham. Spurs coefficient is 1.19 and Tamworth's 5.46, making a Tamworth draw or win 4.59 times more valuable than a Spurs one. Add to this Tamworth will be playing in their 3rd Round, so any points are increased threefold, means an upset could be worth massive points
FOR EXAMPLE, A correct Spurs 3-0 win would be worth 3.12 points, a correct Tamworth 2-1 win worth 220.28 points. Just predicting a Tamworth win is worth a minimum of 36.72 points, a draw worth a minimum of 22 points
And you could double or treble this by banking on it 😳😳😳
BUT, bold and underlined so must be important, Bankers, if you get them wrong will hurt, as you could end up with MINUS points!!!! Bank on Villa, and they draw will cost you, at least 23 points If they lose more.
Points are calculated at the end of normal time and for those familiar with the main competition, no replays will be included in any of the competitions covered. Draws are therefore a distinct possibility.
Once the cash pot is known, the winnings will be announced, but as per the previous seasons it's likely to be paid out to the top three teams of each half of competition, with a higher percentage of the pot going to the main competition.
Cup H2H
Alongside the main competition there will be the H2H competition, based on the points you score each round. You don’t need to do anything extra
Every one entering the main competition will be included, and you will get pitched against other players in groups of 3 or 4 in the early rounds, progressing into knock-out rounds nearer the Final.
The points you score will be converted to 'goals' in each round and you will be awarded points for wins and draws in the group stage.
In the Knock-Out stages, if the game is drawn, then both teams will progress to the next round.
The Final will be decided by the actual points scored in the Final Round, highest scorer winning.
Teams will be seeded, and allocated into Groups
Last seasons winners and runners up will take the first slots in Groups A, B & C
The rest will be decided by League positions in the Main Competition, when Big Ben strikes 12 to bring in 2025, and any new additions will be added to the bottom of the list as they join.
Teams will then be allocated Group Placings, and the order of H2H fixtures decided by the computer
I was toying with a big Champions League style group draw, and pulling balls out of pots to decide groups, but in the end thought, nah!
Wanna Join
Let's make it nice and easy. A simple thumbs up on the WhatsApp message gets you in. Or just simply complete and submit the form below
£25.00 gets you in
As always, a percentage of all joining fees will be paid across to charity.
I've picked the Great Ormond Street Hospital this time round, We last supported them during the 2022 World Cup when we sent across £561.00 to the charity.
Over the last 30 months we've now sent over £5,090 to the charities we've supported, made up of not just a cut from our signing on fees, but also kind donations of winnings and extra pennies sent when joining.
It makes the charities by far the biggest winner from our competitions.
A big thank you to you all.
So feel free to share this with like minded individuals who think they might know a thing or two about football, and in particular the cup
The More The Merrier
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