FA Cup Round-up: Fans turn on Paul Lambert despite late Aston Villa winner

Paul Lambert (Getty)

Paul Lambert, the Aston Villa manager, claimed it was “strange” to hear the club’s supporters chanting for him to be sacked as his side made hard work of beating the Championship’s bottom club Blackpool in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Villa, 12th in the Premier League, struggled to break down Lee Clark’s team and needed Christian Benteke’s 88th-minute winner to squeeze through 1-0 as the season’s first audible shouts of “We want Lambert out” rang round Villa Park.

“When you are dominating the game and the lads are patient then it’s a bit strange,” Lambert said. “The goal was a great goal and I knew the way we were playing we’d get something.

“They are entitled to say what they want. I’ve had it all my career at times but it doesn’t do the lads any good, it doesn’t do the team any good. The players have been great but they’ll be hurt by it.”

The Southampton manager, Ronald Koeman, was annoyed to be taken to a replay after he fielded a strong side at home to Ipswich Town but saw the Championship high-fliers earn a 1-1 draw. Saints midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin scored after 33 minutes to cancel out Darren Ambrose’s 19th-minute header.

“We have to play the replay and that wasn’t what I expected,” said Koeman, whose side must go to Portman Road between league games at Manchester United and Newcastle next week. “Am I annoyed? Of course, because we can’t make a lot of changes in the team and I don’t like to make changes. I believe in playing the strongest team.”

Southampton striker Sadio Mané missed the game and has been ruled out for four to six weeks with a calf injury.

Under-pressure Nottingham Forest manager Stuart Pearce remains convinced they can still mount a promotion challenge in the Championship, despite Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup reverse at League One Rochdale extending Forest’s run to just two wins in 19 matches.

Peter Vincenti’s early penalty divided the sides at Spotland as Forest went out in the third round for the fourth time in six seasons.

“You can’t lose track of where we are at the moment,” Pearce said. “There’s half a season left and, as I’ve said to the players, we have to make sure we get something out of this season.

“We’ve again gifted the opposition a soft goal. That decision-making under pressure has cost us. We had a host of efforts, especially in the second half, but we failed to create a goal. They’re showing enough endeavour, but if you make elementary mistakes in our own box it’s going to be costly.”

The Newcastle caretaker manager, John Carver, retains his interest in taking the job full-time, despite failing to stop them becoming the first Premier League side to exit the competition this season as they lost 1-0 at Leicester City on Saturday.

“Results dictate what happens but I don’t feel any different,” Carver said after Leonardo Ulloa’s first-half header decided matters at the King Power Stadium. “I still want to be head coach. I would be a fool if I didn’t want the job.”

The Blyth Spartans manager, Tom Wade, praised his side’s efforts as they went down 3-2 at home to Birmingham, having led 2-0 at the break.

“I’m very proud of what we achieved and the fact we scored two and dominated against a Championship side is a huge compliment to us,” Wade said.

Fellow non-leaguers Southport and Gateshead also went out on Saturday, Southport cruelly losing 1-0 to an injury-time Chris Martin penalty at Derby County, while Gateshead held out for 40 minutes before collapsing 7-0 at West Bromwich Albion, for whom Saido Berahino scored four.