Heard the FA Cup fifth round draw was happening today and really wanted to catch it live. Thing is, I always struggle with these football streams – either paywalls pop up or the connection goes wonky halfway through. Decided to tackle this properly and document my steps.
The Frustrating Start
First I grabbed my laptop around breakfast time, thinking it’d be simple. Googled something like “watch FA Cup draw free” and immediately got bombarded with dodgy sites. One page made me disable my adblocker – big mistake – suddenly got three pop-ups about dating apps and a fake virus warning. Closed that tab real quick.
Changing Tactics
Remembered my old tablet buried in the bedside drawer. Charged it while making coffee, then tried the official football app. Of course it demanded account creation. Nearly threw the tablet when it asked for:
- Email verification
- Password rules (uppercase + number + symbol)
- Notifications permission
Spent 10 minutes resetting passwords because I’d forgotten the login. Typical.
Mobile Workaround
Got properly annoyed now. Pulled out my phone and searched social media instead. Scrolled through trending hashtags until I spotted people mentioning which broadcaster was streaming it. Didn’t trust the links in comments (sketchy as hell) but found the broadcaster’s own page through their profile. Still needed to make a free account, but at least it was legit.
Success At Last
Finally got the stream working just as the presenter started shaking those little balls. Connection dropped twice – had to switch from WiFi to mobile data midway. Saw my team get drawn against the toughest opponent possible, obviously. Whole circus took me:
- Three devices
- Two password resets
- One near-adware infection
- Twenty cursed minutes
Honestly? Worth it for that nervous moment when your club’s name comes out. Still mad about all the hoops though. Next time I’m just turning on the TV like a normal person.