Anyway, once in and it was down to the business in hand. My gut feeling had by now been turned to a nagging doubt. The ground was almost square, a wide but short pitch, probably meeting the minimum length but maximum width regulations for pitches. An excellent chance for "wing backs/wingers" to do their stuff – plenty of room on the flanks when going forward, with not too much distance to cover when getting back.

With all that space on the wings, we were persevering with Dunne at right back (why?) and Cleland and Oster were being left on the bench. The team came out to warm up and Oster seemed to be enjoying things more. Barmby looked as though he was struggling to move much in the cold and the club mascot was sticking close to Dacourt, not allowing him an inch as he did his warm up exercises. In fact the mascot looked as though he was about to have the best game of any of them as, when they were returning to the tunnel (under the home end) he coolly slotted the ball he had been passing between himself and Barmby into the net. Sign him up!

Browsing through the programme I looked at the list of officials. A shiver went down my spine as the name of Jeff Winter leapt out from the page. Should I go home now? No, I've made it this far, I'll see it out to the bitter end.

First Half

The match started in a flurry as Bristol attacked down our left. A bit of a clumsy (but fair) stop by Unsworth saw Akinbiyi lash out at him. Unsworth got a thump across the back of the head, turned round to see what was going on and found Akinbiyi's hands around his body. Trying to wrestle himself free, he got a headlock on the Bristol striker and the two of them struggled with each other. Jeff Winter ambled over to separate them and pulled them apart. He then led them towards the touch line, where he spoke to the linesman about what had happened.

The first non-decision of the afternoon. A booking apiece. Akinbiyi should have walked at that point – 1 minute into the game or not. A booking for Unsworth for the laying on of hands was probably justifiable. He'll now miss the Villa game – I'm sure he'll be gutted about that – as he has now reached 8 bookings.

The first half was a bit of a bore on the whole. They huffed and puffed, we panicked. We played the better football, they defended in numbers and broke quickly. At one point Dacourt landed awkwardly in the middle of the park as we pressed forward. We nearly got a shot on target during this attack and as it broke down Mr Winter stopped play with the ball just outside the Bristol box.

Dacourt received treatment and was taken off. Mr Winter restarted play from the centre-line, instructing the Bristol player to give the ball back to Myhre. Shouldn't play have been restarted at the point at which it had been stopped, with a competitive "bounce up" rather than in the manner it was actually done? Another non-decision.

Dacourt rejoined the play a couple of minutes later, but he became less effective as the half wore on as he was carrying an obvious arm injury. This meant that the ever impressive Hutchison was forced to carry the midfield as Barmby was playing a more forward, linking role.

Ball was on the end of an unfortunate decision which cost him a booking. A player from each side (I couldn't see who) went in to each other trying to claim a rising ball, with high feet, close to the Bristol box. Mr Winter shaped to blow, but as they had each forced the other to miss the ball it raced free. Ball, in an advanced position, tried a sliding tackle on the damp surface. Mr Winter decided to make no decision on the 50-50 ball and penalised Ball instead. Yellow card.

At times, Bristol pressed well when they had the ball, with their Moldovan international number 8 behind much of their good play. But they failed to press home any advantage they might have enjoyed. By the end of the half we could have been one up as Danny raced clear only to see his goal bound shot turned aside by an excellent save. Goal Kick was the verdict. Wrong!! Half-Time 0-0.

Second Half

The second half saw Grant replace Dacourt. Despite taking a few minutes to get to grip with the game, it was obvious that Grant enjoyed the width of the pitch as he sprayed the ball left and right looking for the killer ball. His partnership with the hard tackling Hutchison looked as though it might be fruitful as we enjoyed the best of the early exchanges in the half.

The tide turned though as we allowed their number 5 to stroll through the defence with Grant, Hutchison and AN Other all pulling out of tackles and allowing him the freedom of the centre of the pitch. The ball was played out wide and from the resulting cross Akinbiyi should and would have scored had it not been for the off-putting presence of Bilic. Thankfully the ball went over the top.

That was not the end of it, though, as from the resulting goal kick, Myhre played it straight to Akinbiyi again and was a much relieved keeper as the number 9's shot ballooned over the bar. At this point we were becoming desperate. The cohesion of the earlier play in the half was gone and we were fortunate to see what appeared to be a reasonable penalty shout from Bristol turned down, the referee disagreeing with his frantically waving assistant. I have to say, though, that seeing the incident again on Match Of the Day later, Mr Winter might just have been right on this occasion (humble pie! humble pie!) – good decision.

He went back to his usual ways though a few minutes later as Akinbiyi, already booked, scythed Ball from behind. The referee merely waved the offender away. Chance number two to send him off spurned. Chance number three came before the free kick was taken, while Ball received treatment. Hutchison and Akinbiyi squared up to each other away from the ball and the referee. By the time Mr Winter noticed the goings on it had all but subsided, only finger waggings and glaring remaining. Had he have followed his usual procedures it would have been a booking apiece (no decision needed, punish them both) and the Bristol man would have been off. But Mr Winter plainly recognised this and not wishing to raise the hackles of the home crowd, again made a non-decision.

A similar tackle from their number 14 later in the game received a yellow card as Oster, on for the tiring Barmby, hared towards the goal. Oster picked himself up from the sodden ground and looked as though he'd just got out of the shower, water dripping from him. Branch was also on for Cadamarteri who had been injured in a fall – he had been due to replace Bakayoko.

Hutchison and Bakayoko stood over the ball, about 10 yards outside the box. Hutchison turned away, aha, I thought, Bakayoko's the decoy! Well it worked, 'cos Bakayoko wasn't the decoy. He crashed a beautiful shot high into the Bristol net and went on a mad chase across the field to Walter Smith. Bristol looked dispirited and two minutes later it was all over as Bakayoko chasing a through ball from Grant, beat his marker and strode towards the Bristol goal, before coolly placing the ball under the advancing keeper and beyond a recovering defender. 2-0! Why does it take a goal to light his fuse?

After that it was Bristol who pressed (last 4 minutes or so). They could have had a consolation, but didn't. Round 4 beckoned as Jeff Winter finally brought the game to an end as Bristol fans massed for an attack on the Away end.

The threat of trouble was temporarily diffused by the Police, but it spilled over into the areas outside the ground as Police using tear gas, batons and dogs tried to control opposing factions. I kept away from it, coward that I am, as Peter and I got back to the car and waited for John and Dave, ready for our getaway.

Overall I felt that neither side really deserved to win the match. There was plenty of endeavour, but not much guile. True we were not at full strength, Materazzi's presence was sadly missed, Bilic looking nowhere near as comfortable as he had when playing alongside the Italian. Dacourt's non-appearance in the second half, definitely affected the overall confidence level. But we were poor up front, with corner after corner going to waste.

Efforts from Hutchison (a first half shot forcing the keeper into a save and a second half volley as he fell backwards, which dropped gently into the keeper's arms), Dacourt (a drive from outside the box which whipped past he post) and Barmby (a second half cross goal effort which the keeper clawed away for a corner), being the only other efforts worthy of note from the Blues, other than those already mentioned. But we were playing a weakened First Division side who are struggling in the League at the moment.

We had Myhre, with a brilliant double save, and the post (all in one incident), to thank for keeping our goal intact during a second half spell when Bristol threatened to take the game beyond us.

Bristol were no better in terms of finishing, with Akinbiyi, a 14 goals-this-season striker failing to impress. Their keeper, whilst getting good reviews in the press as a result of the save from Cadamarteri, was guilty twice of nearly dropping innocuous efforts into the goal.

The weather didn't help. Driving rain and hail throughout the game making the surface extremely treacherous. There were times when it resembled an ice-rink or a swimming pool rather than a football pitch. The highlight had to be the moment the heavens opened and the massed ranks of Bristol fans in their modern stands found themselves deluged. It must be a regular occurrence as they immediately brought out their plastic sheets and umbrellas. It made me glad that the Dutch Barn structure we were in meant that we were fully covered from everything the elements could throw at us. Hospitality – pah – served 'em right!

Man of the Match - Don Hutchison - freed from the shackles of captaincy, directed midfield with calm assurance. Might have given it to Tommy for his outstanding recovery saves after the ball came back off the post in the second half, had he not made two appalling clearances which might have resulted in him having to pick the ball out of the net.

As for the gut feeling – well, I was right. We scored twice, we beat lower division opposition and we're still in the Cup. I would have preferred Coventry's result (7-0), but you can't be too greedy. Can you?

[That's it. One measly sentence. Nothing about Bakayoko's stunning free-kick. That's all we rate in the sensation-seeking red-biased media. Wonder just how many column-inches we would have got had the result gone their way... The Headline? I made that up.]

That fourth-round win back in 1995 was the springboard for Everton to win the competition and their manager, Walter Smith, after his first English FA Cup tie, admitted that fact had been drummed into him since these two teams were drawn together. But the former Rangers manager added: "I'll take 1995 as a good omen although I know there'll be more tough games to come."

Yet while Everton will hope history repeats itself all the way to Wembley, Bristol City and their manager, Benny Lennartsson, will not. When they lost to Everton four years ago they went on to be relegated, a possibility that looms this season as they at present sit in the relegation zone of Division One.

That Bakayoko took the free-kick that broke the deadlock owed something to chance. With the regular set-piece expert John Collins out injured, it fell to the Ivory Coast international to take his chances after Gregory Goodridge had fouled John Oster, and Smith admitted his own surprise that Bakayoko had scored, saying: "He's never looked keen to take them in training."

However, it should have been Bristol City who opened the scoring. The home side came close to snatching the first goal eight minutes into the second half when the midfielder Matthew Hewlett started the move in the centre circle and fed Ade Akinbiyi on the right wing. He skipped past his marker and sent in a low cross that Hewlett volleyed downwards, beating Thomas Myhre only to rebound off the post. The goalkeeper then palmed it off Hewlett's head and the loose ball fell to Soren Andersen, who wasted his shot. Akinbiyi missed an even easier chance 17 minutes later when he met Scott Murray's cross from the right, but headed over from six yards.

It seemed as if Bristol City would surmount the driving rain and supposedly superior opposition when they appealed for a penalty after 80 minutes, as Don Hutchison collided with City's Moldovan international Ivan Tistimetanu, only for the referee Jeff Winter to ignore his assistant, who was flagging for a foul. But with time running out it was Bakayoko, in his first FA Cup tie, who made his mark in the history books.

They may have been fortunate to defeat a willing Bristol City 2-0 but, as Everton returned north they were not talking about the Cup's lustre being dulled by penalty shoot-outs, sponsorship or the threatened scrapping of replays - they were too busy enjoying a rare moment of hope. The Merseysiders' hitherto miserable season now has a more enticing ambition than simply avoiding relegation. A Wembley date in May, and a sixth FA Cup triumph, is the dream.

This may seem far-fetched given Everton's struggles to date, their Premiership campaign having featured a mere 13 goals in 20 games, but history is on their side. Four years ago they were in the Premiership's relegation zone when they travelled to Bristol for a fourth-round tie. A 1-0 victory on a tricky pitch set them up for a spring revival which saw Everton rise clear of the drop before defeating Manchester United at Wembley.

Still not convinced? History also tells us that Everton, at home to Ipswich in the fourth round, are one of a select band of clubs likely to be holding up the old pot in May. In the past 20 years all but four winners have come from Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs. This quintet have also provided nine of the beaten finalists.

Still not convinced? You've obviously seen Everton recently. Despite heavy investment by Walter Smith, the team is still in transition, as it evolves from the long-ball dependence on the now-departed Duncan Ferguson to the passing style preferred by the former Rangers manager. They have been reasonably solid at the back, with good goalkeeping and Dave Watson continuing to defy his 37 years. The midfield is promising, though they are short of a right-flank player. The attack, however, remains a problem, as it has been for most of the decade.

Yet the least-prolific forward line in all four divisions would never get a better chance than on Saturday - City's defence is the worst in the country, having conceded 54 goals in 26 league games. Something had to give and, eventually, the dam broke on Everton's goalscoring as Ibrahima Bakayoko scored twice in the last four minutes to win a tie that should by then have been lost.

Bristol City are deep in trouble at the wrong end of the First Division and have followed the bold step of employing a former Bristol Rovers manager, John Ward, with the even bolder one of replacing him with a Swede, Benny Lennartson. Some fans regard this last move by chairman Scott Davison, the former rock musician turned newspaper entrepreneur, as not so much bold as foolhardy. Ward, who gained promotion last season, had only just finished spending £2.75m on players and Lennartson has since added another £1m to the bill with a series of exotic signings. He has also taken time to settle in, with "Benny a joke?" one of the most visited sites on the City supporters' website.

However, four home matches without defeat engendered hope which City's Ade Akinbiyi threatened to reward in the second period. The £1.2m summer signing from Gillingham worried Everton with his strength and pace and, having first crossed for Matt Hewlett to hit the post, should have headed in after 70 minutes. A minute later he drove just over and when Don Hutchinson survived a penalty appeal for a trip on Moldova's Ion Tistemitanu, Everton began to sense it was their day.

It was confirmed with Bakayoko thumping in a free-kick from 30 yards seven minutes later. "I didn't know he could take free-kicks," said Smith, adding: "He's got himself a job now."

Bakayoko added a second from Tony Grant's pass and later eulogised about playing with passers of his quality in the team.

Better days may be ahead and David Unsworth, one of three survivors of the '95 match (with Watson and City's Mark Shail) said: "I hope this kick-starts us into mid-table. Four years ago it all clicked together about the time we came down here and we tried to re-create that by doing things like staying in the same hotel and playing 'All Together Now' (their '95 FA Cup song) on the coach. We were more under the cosh in that game but this was similar and now we have to take battling performances like this into league games."

Smith also hoped a good cup run would reflect positively on league form and well he might as it is worth noting that cup success usually delays rather than dispels a crisis. Winning the trophy in 1995 did not save Joe Royle when Everton slipped back into relegation trouble two years later. Nor have last year's successful cup runs by Stevenage Borough, Newcastle United and Sheffield United kept Paul Fairclough, Kenny Dalglish or Steve Thompson in employment. The FA Cup may still glitter but it is the league that matters these days, at any level, and woe-betide a manager who forgets it.

At Ashton Gate on Saturday, Everton were matched blow for blow by Bristol City in a third-round tie, rode their good fortune and then snatched victory with two late goals from Ibrahima Bakayoko. Everton may again consider that on such rocky foundations are lengthy Cup runs borne.

For the two managers, Benny Lennartsson, of Bristol City, and Walter Smith, of Everton, it was their first taste of the cup and afterwards Smith, the former Glasgow Rangers manager, was grateful that Everton had not become another victim of the underdog. "It was as I expected and similar to the Scottish Cup," he said. "If you don't get the first goal, it is always going to be tough. I was pleased when the breakthrough came and pleased to get into the next round. We didn't have too many anxious moments."

Not too many anxious moments? Poppycock. From the moment that Akinbiyi and Unsworth indulged in a slap-and-wrestle exchange in the first minute, strangely escaping with only a booking apiece, it was impossible to distinguish between FA Carling Premiership strugglers and Nationwide League first division strugglers. It was classic Cup fare – raw, unfettered and played out in front of a passionate, raucous audience.

City lost it in the second half when Hewlett volleyed against a post, missed the rebound and Tistimetanu, the Moldova midfield player, drove over from the ensuing scramble. Akinbiyi also erred, unforgivably, when Murray's cross fell invitingly and he headed over from barely three yards. "It was a free header," Lennartsson said. "I thought it was in."

Enter Bakayoko, a previously peripheral figure like so many of his team-mates. The Ivory Coast striker is not noted for his expertise at free kicks but, in the 84th minute, his deliciously struck 30-yard effort flew past Phillips. Four minutes later, Bakayoko brushed aside Carey, cut in and bamboozled Phillips with a scuffed shot from close-range. It compounded the injustice and as the ecstatic Everton fans spilled on to the pitch, dancing jigs of glee, the City supporters set off home in disbelief.

Though often out-played in the first half, they got the quality of their counter-attacks right thereafter and with 20 minutes left, a wonderful opportunity fell to the powerful striker Ade Akinbiyi. Towering above the Everton defence, Akinbiyi headed over the bar. City must still have been looking forward to a replay at Goodison Park, then even that reward was wrested from their grasp with five minutes left.

Bakayoko, criticised almost to the point of derision since his signing from Montpellier, then took a hand, putting Everton in front with a magnificent free kick and emphasising his joyous vindication with a cheeky second goal soon afterwards.

After winning none of their first nine League matches this season, City appointed Benny Lennartson as director of coaching. Not surprisingly, John Ward, who had guided the club out of the Second Division, decided the Swede's arrival rendered untenable his position as manager and left. The admirable Ward, a former assistant of Graham Taylor, is now working with Colin Lee at Wolves.

City's results have improved slightly, though they remained second from bottom of the table after last Monday's 3-1 victory over Swindon, watched by more than 16,000. Naturally, the crowd was further swollen yesterday for a tie that revived memories of Everton's visit four years ago, when the Merseysiders emerged victorious with some fortune, relying heavily on the experience of Neville Southall, and went on to lift the Cup.

Lennartson experienced his first taste of Premiership opposition with depleted resources, injuries having caused disruption to a midfield lacking Brian Tinnion (scorer of City's famous winner against Liverpool in 1994), Rob Edwards and Tom Doherty. The Moldovan defender Ivan Tistimetanu continued to do a more advanced duty - and the presence of Nicky Barmby, restored to Everton's ranks, was a reminder that he and Tistimetanu last engaged in combat on the occasion when Barmby became the first player to score for England under Glenn Hoddle.

Up front, Akinbiyi, City's record signing at £1.2 million from Gillingham, is considered locally a future star of the Premiership. If he gets there, he'll have to be careful about buffeting people as he did David Unsworth in the opening minutes here - even in retaliation. The referee, Jeff Winter, contented himself by showing each player a yellow card.

Akinbiyi went on to prove a handful for Everton's three centre-backs, peeling away to collect a couple of superb long balls from Louis Carey as rain and hail increased the visitors' discomfort. Adam Locke strode forward to link with Akinbiyi's partner, Steve Torpey, and fire inches wide with Thomas Myhre scrambling.

After City's promising start, Everton began to get their passing together and, following the partial clearance of a fine cross from Michael Ball on the left, the French midfielder Olivier Dacourt met the ball first time with perfect control 22 yards out, sending it just off target, to the immense relief of the keeper, Steve Phillips. Ball was a recurrent threat and again contributed to the move from which Don Hutchison shot low through the City defence, albeit too close to Phillips.

Despite being frequently out-manoeuvred in midfield, Tistimetanu and company were too spirited to let Everton have the upper hand for long. They kept breaking whenever possible, but never with the penetration displayed by Everton's young Danny Cadamarteri, who twice went close to scoring before the interval, failing first to lob the goalkeeper and then steering the ball away from Dave Phillips and the goal.

Dacourt, who had suffered an arm injury, gave way to Tony Grant at the interval. Everton, from a corner, made a chance, Slaven Bilic's hook going straight to Phillips. But then the match intensified as City had by far their best spell.

At last, Myhre was called into serious action, diving his full length to deny Matthew Hewlett's 25-yarder. And the momentum that generated was carried on by Akinbiyi and Hewlett as they exchanged passes, Akinbiyi surging down the right and delaying his cross so that Hewlett could arrive in the middle and volley against a post. In the ensuing mêlée, Myhre pushed the ball into the air, Hewlett tried again and finally Tistimetanu jinked into space for a shot that flew over.

Everton made another substitution shortly afterwards, Barmby being replaced by John Oster, and the crowd once more fell quiet. But not for long. From a cross by Scott Murray, Akinbiyi rose at the far post and seemed certain to score until somehow he directed his header over the crossbar.

Aston Villa          3 - 0  Hull City               39,217 
Collymore 44, 66, Joachim 51
Blackburn Rovers     2 - 0  Charlton Athletic       16,631   
Davies 44, Wilcox 88
Bolton Wanderers     1 - 2  Wolverhampton Wanderers 18,269  
Sellars 58                  Keane 9, 65
Bournemouth          1 - 0  West Bromwich Albion    10,881  
Howe 34
Bradford City        2 - 1  Grimsby Town            13,870  
Mills 29, Lawrence 66       McDermott 79
Bristol City         0 - 2  Everton                 19,608
                            Bakayoko 86, 88 
Bury                 0 - 3  Stockport County         5,325  
                            Angell 5, Lucketti og 13, Woodthorpe 27
Cardiff City         1 - 1  Yeovil                  12,561  
Nugent 84                   Dale 54
Coventry City        7 - 0  Macclesfield Town       14,197  
Froggatt 28, Whelan 36, Payne og:44, 
Huckerby 60,71,89, Boateng 88
Crewe Alexandra      1 - 2  Oxford United            4,207  
Johnson 47                  Windass 20, Murphy 45,66
Leicester City       4 - 2  Birmingham City         19,846 
Sinclair 21, Cottee 51,     Robinson 35, Adebola 90
Ullathorne 27, Guppy 72    
Lincoln City         0 - 1  Sunderland              10,408  
                            McCann 16       
Newcastle United     2 - 1  Crystal Palace          36,536 
Speed 47, Shearer 69        Bradbury 17
Nottingham Forest    0 - 1  Portsmouth              10,092  
                            Claridge 18
Oldham Athletic      0 - 2  Chelsea                 12,770 
                            Vialli 68,75
Plymouth Argyle      0 - 3  Derby County            16,730  
                            Burton 15,82, Eranio pen:21
Queens Park Rangers  0 - 1  Huddersfield Town       11,685 
                            Allison 42
Rotherham United     0 - 1  Bristol Rovers           6,056    
Leoni 44 
Rushden & Diamonds   0 - 0  Leeds United             6,431  

Sheffield United     1 - 1  Notts County            12,264  
Marcello 36                 Jones 70
Southampton          1 - 1  Fulham                  12,549  
Ostenstad 89                Hayward 9     
Southport            0 - 2  Leyton Orient            4,950  
                            Smith pen:60, Griffiths 71
Swindon Town         0 - 0  Barnsley                 8,016  
 
Tottenham Hotspur    5 - 2  Watford                 36,022
Iversen 10,19, Fox 86,      Johnson R 1, Kennedy 34
Anderton pen:13, Nielsen 42 
Tranmere Rovers      0 - 1  Ipswich Town             7,223  
                            McGreal og:46
Wimbledon            1 - 0  Manchester City         11,226 
Cort 62
West Ham United      1 - 1  Swansea City            26,039  
Dicks 86                    Smith 61
Wrexham              4 - 3  Scunthorpe United        4,429
Logan og 22,                Housham 50, Eyre 71,
Connolly 47, 56, 90         Harsley 85 

Manchester United    3 - 1  Middlesbrough           52,232 
Cole 68, Irwin pen 82,      Townsend 52
Giggs 90
Port Vale            0 - 3  Liverpool               16,557
                            Owen pen 34, Ince 38, Fowler 90 
Sheffield Wednesday  4 - 1  Norwich City            18,737 
Humphreys 17,33,            Roberts 43      
Rudi 40, Stefanovic 72 

Yeovil               1 - 2  Cardiff                  8,101
Hayfield 86          (aet)  Eckhardt 43, Nugent 91

Swansea City         1 - 0  West Ham United         10,116  
Thomas 29
Fulham               1 - 0  Southampton             17,448 
Hayles 85 
Leeds United         3 - 1  Rushden & Diamonds      39,159  
Smith 22,51,                Heggs 11
Hasselbaink 67 

Barnsley             3 - 1  Swindon Town            10,510 
McClare 56, M Bullock 83,   Walters 85
Hignett 89

Notts County         3 - 4  Sheffield United         7,489
Jones 19, Murray 57, (aet)  Borbokis 40, Holdsworth 85, 
Jones 83                    Marcelo 89, 94