The magic of the F.A Cup…in less than two calories.

A tiny hard sweet made broadcasting history this week as the 2009 advertising campaign for Tic-Tacs became an image entrenched with the F.A Cup.

It happened as ITV, who were screening the match, accidentally cut to adverts while the game was reaching its climax causing viewers to miss Dan Gosling’s first ever minty fresh Everton goal.

Armchair fans were in uproar as the air in television gallery turned as blue as a Christian Bale film set.

Bale’s outburst made the news this week as he exploded at some poor underpaid lighting bloke whilst filming. It was certainly unexpected to hear him react the way he did, although maybe he just couldn’t get out of character, although this was the new Terminator film and not a biopic of Joe Kinnear.

The whole sorry incident of the breath sweet has caused many to lampoon the broadcaster who has already been the target of much ridicule for its shoddy FA Cup highlights packages.

But their incompetence at programming adverts may in a way have reignited our passions for the cup.

Its authenticity as a serious competition has been much maligned due to dwindling attendances and squad reshuffling by some of the premierships elite.

But it just shows what it still means to the people of this country when we react with such indignation when we see the F.A Cup being abused by lazy broadcasters.

Cast your mind back to some of the competition’s best moments; Ronnie Radford’s screamer against Newcastle, Dave Beasant saving John Aldridge’s penalty against Liverpool at Wembley or the final whistle being blown as Sutton United knocked out Coventry City. What if these memories had been tarnished by visual confectionary pamphlets?

You can widen it up, what if television advertising had ruined Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon by playing out a mistimed verruca advert just as he was about to bark his immortal “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” catchphrase.

And think of the furore if one of those “Had an accident” personal injury claim ads had been cut to during Elton John’s moving performance of “Candle in the Wind” during Princess Diana’s funeral.

What if ITV were to let that happen again in the final? How many millions of people would miss out on Burnley’s winning goal against Manchester United?

I dream of course, because as the haze clears from my sleepy eyes I can see myself running away celebrating with my arm aloft following a thunderous thirty yard strike that left Van Der Saar as helpless as Carol Thatcher at a Black Panther meeting.

In summary of this calorie redundant sweet episode I suppose it’s the old cliché “that’s the magic of the cup” that springs to mind.

ITV have messed up but how probable is it that this misdemeanour could only have taken place during an FA Cup tie?

“It would never happen on the BBC” said one text message to a radio show after the event.

I’ll let you debate their use or neglect of irony.