With Manchester United and Chelsea knocked out the previous day, Boro had an excellent chance in the FA Cup. Before the match, the fans in the North Stand held up a card display with the words "Sporting Glory" covering the stand, in reference to a comment from chairman Steve Gibson that stated the club were not in competition for the money but for sporting glory. However, in the game, Middlesbrough were totally outplayed by Cardiff, conceding the first goal after nine minutes. There was an apparent handball by a Cardiff player in the box, but nothing was given, and the ball fell to another Cardiff player to score the goal. They conceded a second 13 minutes later, ending up being defeated 2–0.