The full time results are in, but the First Round is not over…!
BFFA Cup First Round // BFFA Cup Second Round // BFFA Cup Third Round
Round One
The Game of the Week was undoubtably the high-scoring draw between the two Premier League sides – Boss and Farkelife. In a game that really could have gone either way, there were some huge scores that could have toppled the match in favour of either team. Gabriel and Martinelli looked like deciding the game shortly after the split week resumed on Saturday, but just a day later, Diogo Jota bagged a 19 to bring Farkelife right back in to the game.
With Hwang Hee-chan and Heung-Min Son both away on international duty, Ben Chilwell (1pt) and Vitalii Mykolenko (6pts) were poised to come on at the wrap-up. It came down to just one player for each team in the final match of the gameweek – João Pedro for Brighton & Boss and Matheus Cunha for Wolves & Farelife. With Madueke (1pt) due to replace Akanji, Farkelife held a one point lead at the kick-off. Both forwards had shots saved inside the box and attempted assists, but in the end the game finished 0-0 and neither striker made an impression. Unfortunately for Farkelife, Cunha collected a yellow card at the end of the first half and the game ended all square.
Elsewhere, Don’t Tripp on Silva were made to bow out at the first hurdle when they lost by a single point. Bernardo Silva came off the bench to replace Michel Antonio, but even his goal and two point bonus were not enough to force a draw.
The Premier League’s Barons also say goodbye to the Cup dream this week. Their two-point loss came at the hands of FC Santa Barbara, who went out in the First Round last year. FCSB go on to play rookies Shams army, who just knocked out the holders Mighty fine feeling with a convincing 54-22 victory.
Two other teams at the bottom of their leagues – A.F.C. Chester and Boudi’s Crew – also retire early in order to concentrate on improving their league position. Whiskey de Bruyne and Ole’s at the Wheel the beneficiaries of 20-point wins and move on to the next round.
Harambe Hotspur, 4th in League Two, also make way for higher-league opposition. Allison Wonderland are now heading for an all-L1 matchup against #23 BattleVAR Galactico, and a rematch of the IML QF which B-VAR won over two legs. They also met in the Second Round of the Cup before! Three years ago, BattleVAR beat the then Klopps and Robbers 39-22 and went as far as the final eight.
Finally, the round’s topscorers were GoFYS and they barge their way past C&BS and set up a tasty Second Round match against closest league rivals Atletico Topo Chico. ATC have lost both games against GoFYS (32-30 & 37-24) but are currently on place above them by virtue of more total matchpoints. Neither team have been to the Third Round since the 2020 Winter Cup; GoFYS are in the Second Round for the first time in three years.
Round Two – Gameweek 24
The two joint #1’s this week in the Best-ish Rankings are both playing teams channelling the spirit of de Bruyne. Peltier now know that they are entering the Cup playing closest league competition, joint-top Whiskey de Bruyne (#35). They may be low down in the rankings, but appearances can be deceiving, given that WdB scored 56 this week and are once again second in League One. Peltier will not be taking anything for granted. At the same time, Gloopy Yarbles will begin their hunt for a return to the Final against De Bruyne Trousers (#13). Both teams exited the competition at the Second Round stage last season; at least one of them will make the last 16 this season, and that team can go very far given they scoring prowess so far.
Recent Championship league leaders Vanishing Spray and their opponents East Loop United played each other twenty-five times in the first five seasons of the BFFA, but haven’t played again since. It will be approaching five years since their last meeting when they face-off in the Second Round next month. It will also be ELU’s 400th match in the BFFA! Only three teams have played more games, and Vanishing Spray is one of them.
In League Two, The Phenoms#3 are leading the way. Not only do they have an incredibly difficult league title challenge to navigate, they will also have to begin their BFFA Cup journey against Premier League-quality Cullen the herd#8. The Herd have won four of their last six games and scored better over that spell, but there will likely be a lot of change over the next three weeks. That said, expect both teams to still be in the top ten when kick-off comes around.
The outstanding fixture of the Second Round has to be the current World #1’s Sporting Wicker Park against their closest rivals Smash & Grab. The pair currently sit #13 & #6 in the Best-ish rankings and have had very similar form in the Premier League, both winning three of their last five games. However, deeper history is very much on the side of the higher-ranked S&G; they have won nine of their last ten meetings and drawing the other 36-36. This season they have come out victors 46-39 (GW9) and 27-22 (GW18), but the last time the pair met in the Cup, SWP knocked out their rivals 74-56, in the 2016 Semi-Final.
There are also more fixtures pairing up league rivals. The Championship’s Fergi Time #11 and All Star Gunners #7 will meet up again in GW24, and Goleta Hotspur #19 will play SkyPlayerInFPL BFFA #4 from League Two. Fergi Time have won all three of their last three against ASG, thrashing their midtable rivals 61-27 this week. Goleta & SkyPlayer drew their first encounter 44-44 in GW9, but then Goleta got the better of their opponents 38-23 nine gameweeks later. SkyPlayer have had a torrid time in their inaurgural BFFA campaign, second-best scoring in the League but somehow seventh-placed. Don’t be surprised if they launch a massive surge up the table in 2024, but they will have to prove their mettle next week against the only team that’s outscoring them.
And here are your Second Round fixtures:
Waivers: 11am GMT (6am ET), Fri. 9th February
Deadline: 11am GMT (6am ET), Sat. 10th February
Kicks off: 12:30pm (7:30am ET)
Replays: Gameweek 25
| Home | – | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Allison Wonderland #33 | – v – | BattleVAR Galactico #24 |
| Atletico Topo Chico #21 | – v – | GoFys FC #25 |
| Boss #27 / Farkelife #23 | – v – | Jaysokker #10 |
| CG XI #12 | – v – | Webuiltthis City #16 |
| Cullen the herd #8 | – v – | The Phenoms #3 |
| Fergi Time #11 | – v – | All Star Gunners #7 |
| Gloopy Yarbles #1 | – v – | De Bruyne Trousers #13 |
| Goleta Hotspur #19 | – v – | SkyPlayerinFPL #4 |
| Housewives Favourite #28 | – v – | StillluvQPR #29 |
| Hung like a Bony #5 | – v – | Uncle Monty BFF #14 |
| Ole’s at the Wheel #33 | – v – | El Dude Bros #14 |
| Peltier #1 | – v – | Whiskey de Bruyne #35 |
| Route 57 FC #22 | – v – | Alleviate the Tedium #9 |
| Shams army #26 | – v – | FC Santa Barbara #40 |
| Sporting Wicker Park #17 | – v – | Smash & Grab #6 |
| Vanishing Spray FC #20 | – v – | East Loop United #17 |
The Third Round +
The rest of the competition will follow a bracket to The Final.
The Last Sixteen will (prospectively) be drawn during Gameweek 26 to co-incide with the FA Cup QF Draw. We will then be able to map out each team’s route to The Final and assess the difficulty of each, although that means not a lot to anyone who remembers Mourinho-lo#39 (Quarter-Finalists, 2019) or Fossvogur#39 (2021 WC Runners-up).
Thankfully this season, we can all see each other’s squads (albeit at the previous gameweek), and so have the ability to plan against them. Please feel free to make good use of the FPL ID’s on the Teams page and, of course, follow the League Standings after each gameweek to see how all forty teams are progressing as we enter the second half of the season.
The Dates
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