Sheridan's Oldham soar when chips are down

Making a mockery of the gap between 13th in League One and fifth in the Barclays Premier League was worth marking in style, but there was just one problem. The chip shop was shut.

A pre-match blaze at the Goodison Road Supper Bar inconvenienced all and sundry by delaying kick-off by 30 minutes. But nobody was more put out than Sheridan.

Spotting its proximity to the main entrance when Oldham's team bus pulled into Goodison Park, the former Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder promised his players fish and chips all round if they made it into the last 32.

With their win bonus fixed at £75 a man, the scenes of elation at the end of a deserved win could only be taken as evidence that Reading's Dave Kitson was not expressing a majority view when he derided football's oldest prize as an unwanted distraction.

It clearly meant everything to Sheridan and his players as they claimed the biggest scalp of the day, then stayed true to their humble roots in a way that reflected the Cup's enduring appeal.

Sheridan volleyed a Wembley winner for Ron Atkinson's Sheffield Wednesday in a League Cup Final against Manchester United 17 years ago. But nothing could compare with seeing Gary McDonald's looping 45th-minute strike and then surviving a late onslaught that culminated in substitute Aiyegbeni Yakubu hitting the post deep in injury time.

When the final whistle sounded, the entire away bench joined Oldham's players to head across the pitch and share the moment with 6,000 travelling fans.

When they finally returned, they exchanged more clenched-fist victory salutes with Oldham officials still spread across the front two rows of an otherwise deserted directors' box. All for an extra £75 and a free fish supper, providing a chippy in working order could be located.

Kitson was put firmly in his place by Sheridan. 'I couldn't disagree more with his comments about the Cup,' said Oldham's rookie boss as he revelled in his latest success. "I'm sure if he got to the quarter-finals or even further he wouldn't be coming out with stuff like that.

"I've loved the FA Cup for as long as I can remember, even further back than my playing days, and I won't hear a word against it. I was lucky enough to play in the '93 final for Wednesday against Arsenal and it's one of the best occasions you will ever experience. For me, he showed a lack of respect for the greatest competition in the game.

travel 10 miles down the road to Old Trafford in the fourth round it would be perfect.

"I'm just so proud of the players for working so hard, chasing non-stop and keeping a clean sheet against top opposition. I told them to go out and enjoy themselves when we get back. A few pints, whatever. Most of them drink orange juice so I'm not too worried about them getting into trouble.

"I also told them we'd get fish and chips across the road if we won but the fire put paid to that. We'll stop somewhere, though. If there isn't another chippy it might have to be an off-licence.

"My players have lots of energy and a fair bit of pace but they frustrate me at times when they get the ball. The top players take care of it a lot better and see things a lot earlier and I'm trying to instill that into these lads. We're trying to play the right way and I keep telling them that if they work on those aspects we can all go on to a higher level."

David Moyes may have bigger fish to fry against Chelsea in tomorrow's Carling Cup semi-final first leg, but the look of thunder on his face took care of any suggestion that he might not have been too bothered about his understrength side's early exit.

Worryingly for the Everton manager, the theory that he may finally have a squad capable of challenging on all fronts looked fatally flawed.

Keeper Stefan Wessels and midfielder Thomas Gravesen made rare starts that are likely to become even rarer after both fell alarmingly below the standards required for any team with designs on a top four finish. Once James Vaughan had been denied by keeper Mark Crossley, a veteran of the 1991 final between Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, there was an increasing air of resignation about Everton's laboured efforts.

'This was an opportunity for one or two players and I'm surprised they didn't make more of it,' said Moyes. 'The goal was a speculative 25-yard shot that should have been saved. For some reason our keeper seemed nervous throughout. But there were a few who didn't come up to the mark. I'm disappointed and a little angry and it's going to take a day or so to get this out of our system.'

'Even if I was a Premier League player or manager I'd be saying the same. It probably means more to a club like ours, with the obvious financial rewards. If we could just