Although it had already been confirmed that he would leave New Manchester United after the season, Bruce carried on as usual, as if nothing had happened. Whenever a player showed even the slightest slackness on the training ground, he would roar at them in his booming voice.
It was unclear whether this was due to Ethan's subtle influence or some other reason, but Bruce's temper in certain areas had begun to resemble Ferguson's. At the very least, his "hairdryer" technique was becoming more and more polished. The only regret was that Bruce's figure was also unknowingly starting to lose shape.
Many professional players tended to put on weight after retiring, and Bruce was currently showing plenty of potential in that regard.
Only three people knew about Bruce's departure, so everything at the club continued as usual, with every matter progressing step by step.
On November 1st, the National League Manager of the Month award for October was announced. Unsurprisingly, thanks to New Manchester United's outstanding performances in October, Bruce was once again named Manager of the Month, while Žigić of New Manchester United also secured the Player of the Month award again.
On November 6th, New Manchester United welcomed their opponent in the first round of the FA Cup, hosting Macclesfield Town from Division Three at home. This team was currently ranked 15th in Division Three this season. Their strength was considered mid-table for Division Three, with very average attacking and defensive ability.
New Manchester United's home match against Macclesfield did not attract much attention. After all, this was only the first round of the FA Cup, and without teams from the Premier League or Division One involved, no one other than local fans would pay much attention to such a match.
So, even though New Manchester United beat Macclesfield 2-1 at home and entered the second round of the FA Cup, even the local Manchester Evening News only gave it a small report, taking up even less space than their league coverage.
On the 8th, the FA Cup second-round draw was officially announced. This time, New Manchester United drew a Division Two side, a team Ethan was very familiar with, Reading!
Reading Football Club was also a club with a long history, founded in 1871, but they had spent most of their existence lingering in the lower leagues of English football.
In the 94-95 season, Reading were promoted to Division One once again and finished 2nd in their first year. However, because the Premier League reduced the number of participating teams from 22 to 20, Reading could not be promoted directly and were forced to take part in the play-offs, where they were unfortunately eliminated by Bolton and failed to reach the Premier League.
Perhaps because they had been hit hard by coming so close yet falling short, Reading's performance in Division One during the 95-96 season was terrible, and they finished 19th by the end of the season. The following 96-97 season was equally unsatisfactory, and they were eventually relegated to Division Two in the 97-98 season.
Afterward, although Reading's owner was determined to lead the club back to glory, their results remained disappointing. As a relegated team, Reading finished in mid-table in Division Two for two consecutive years. So far this season, Reading were ranked 13th in Division Two, making promotion a very difficult task.
Even so, Ethan still attached great importance to this match.
After analysis by Bruce and the coaching staff, Reading's attack had been very poor this season. They had only scored 15 goals in 18 league rounds. However, they had not conceded many either, only 21, and they had drawn 7 of their 18 matches, relying on the team's tenacious defending.
From this, it was clear that even at home, Reading would still adopt the defensive counter-attacking style they were best at.
Bruce responded by unusually fielding a very attacking lineup for an away game. Although it was still a 4-4-2, the two full-backs were given more attacking responsibilities, while the midfield pairing was Juninho and Poulsen. The two wingers were Krzynówek and the increasingly outstanding Hleb, with Žigić and Olić starting up front.
This match, held at the Madejski Stadium, was extremely intense.
It was even more grueling than New Manchester United's away match against Kidderminster, because Reading's defending was very fierce. Even against a team two levels below them, they did not change their style.
"I really don't understand why anyone would compare Reading to the Biscuitmen," Ethan felt that nickname did not suit them at all.
In reality, Reading played a fierce brand of football. They placed great emphasis on defending, making the team as solid as steel from front to back. But precisely because of this, New Manchester United clearly struggled to adapt to such intense physical pressure at the start of the match.
However, the tactics Reading used successfully against other teams clearly would not work against New Manchester United.
Since showing his free-kick ability in the match against Kidderminster, Juninho had become New Manchester United's main set-piece taker. His set-pieces were even better than Darren Lyons'. Whether scoring directly or indirectly setting up his teammates, he could execute them perfectly.
The biggest mistake Reading made in this match was overlooking New Manchester United's set-pieces in the final third.
In the 26th minute of the first half, Reading's left-back tripped New Manchester United's right winger Hleb near the left side of the penalty area. The referee awarded New Manchester United a free kick.
Juninho walked toward the ball. As he passed Hleb, the latter made a "finish them" gesture toward him, and Juninho calmly nodded in response.
As usual, whenever New Manchester United had a set-piece opportunity, Abidal, Distin, Žigić, and several other tall players would all crowd into the penalty area. Meanwhile, heavy hitters like Krzynówek and Poulsen stood on the edge of the box, which often made New Manchester United's free-kick routines effective.
This time, Juninho first gestured toward the far post. Žigić, standing at the near post, immediately understood. Almost at the same time Juninho took the free kick, he made a forward run and instantly dragged away the defenders marking him.
Juninho's free kick was fast and slightly high, but as it approached the far post, it suddenly dipped. Abidal, who had been lurking at the back post under Distin's cover, headed the ball into the net with ease. 0-1!
...
After falling a goal behind, Reading appeared somewhat flustered. Their defensive resolve wavered as they began to look for an equaliser.
With that mindset, the team's lines became disconnected, which immediately gave New Manchester United another opportunity to exploit.
It was Juninho again. In the 43rd minute, after receiving a pass from Abidal following a tackle in the defensive third, he immediately played a through ball in behind the opposition defence. The young Hleb sprinted almost the entire way, successfully beating the offside trap, shaking off all the opposing defenders, and calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper in a one-on-one. 0-2!
...
Going two goals down left Reading completely trapped in a dilemma. This was the FA Cup, and unless the match ended in a draw, there was only one leg. So, no matter how they looked at it, Reading had no choice but to attack in the second half.
Bruce was clearly prepared for this. During the half-time break, he asked the players to defend resolutely in the second half, requiring everyone to stay fully focused and not give Reading even the slightest chance.
One had to remember that Reading were a Division Two side. Even a struggling team still had quality in its ranks. It was impossible for Reading to remain in Division Two without possessing a certain level of strength.
Sure enough, things went exactly as Bruce expected. Reading launched a fierce attack against New Manchester United right from the start of the second half.
This season, after bringing in quick centre-backs like Abidal and Distin, and especially after the match against Kidderminster, Bruce had boldly pushed New Manchester United's defensive line higher up the pitch. Then, when defending, he mobilised players from all three lines to form three closely coordinated defensive barriers.
Such a defensive line had layers, depth, width, and strength. Combined with the group of players New Manchester United had at their disposal, it made the team's defence this season as solid as a fortress.
Reading's attacking power was not strong to begin with, and against New Manchester United's solid defence, they could find almost no way through.
Once New Manchester United endured the first 20 minutes of the second half, Reading's attacking momentum began to fade. But it was at this moment that New Manchester United's attack bared its fangs once again.
In the 68th minute of the second half, Poulsen won the ball in the defensive third and passed it to Olić, who had dropped deep to receive it. Olić drove forward quickly with the ball, and after a beautiful one-two with the surging Juninho, he set up Žigić in the penalty area for the third goal. 0-3!
After taking a three-goal lead, the suspense in this match instantly disappeared.
Twenty-five minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle. New Manchester United had once again entered the third round of the FA Cup!
...
The fans reacted positively to the team reaching the third round of the FA Cup for two consecutive years. They all recognised the strength the team had shown in both the league and the cup, but this year's situation was different.
Since Manchester United would be heading to Brazil to participate in the inaugural Club World Championship, the FA had made an exception and allowed Manchester United to enter the FA Cup from the fourth round. Therefore, if New Manchester United wanted to face Manchester United, they had to get through the third round.
However, when the second-round results came out, the fans suddenly realised that among all the teams participating in the third round of the FA Cup, New Manchester United were the lowest-ranked. They were the only team from the National League, while all the others came from the professional leagues.
That was not even the frightening part. The truly terrifying part was that from the third round onward, teams from the Premier League and Division One would also enter the FA Cup.
If the English professional leagues were described as a pyramid, the Premier League was undoubtedly at the very top. Division One was in the middle, seemingly close to the Premier League but actually worlds apart. Division Two and Division Three formed the foundation at the base of the pyramid.
Precisely because it would be difficult for the team to get through the third round, and they still would not meet Manchester United there, the fans seemed rather indifferent to New Manchester United's progress in the FA Cup.
Even so, the FA Cup third-round draw was announced on time three days after the second-round matches concluded and was sent to every participating club.
But unlike usual, as soon as this draw result was announced, it immediately caused a sensation across England!
(To be continued.)