In short: 

Socceroos goalkeeper Joe Gauci has played a starring role as third-tier strugglers Port Vale ousted Premier League club Sunderland in the FA Cup.

Port Vale's manager, Jon Brady, is also Australian and admitted he was "in a little bit of shock" at the 1-0 win.

Port Vale is into the quarterfinals of the FA Cup for the first time in 72 years. 

Another astonishing FA Cup upset has been fashioned by a couple of shocked Australians as Jon Brady's third-tier strugglers Port Vale outfit knocked out Premier League club Sunderland, with Socceroos' goalie Joe Gauci playing a starring role in the boilover. 

Gauci made a series of brilliant saves to help the League One side protect its 1-0 lead on Sunday, with Vale's Australian manager Brady admitting the win that's thrust them, wholly unexpectedly, into the quarterfinals is actually a distraction as they're bottom of the table and in a relegation scrap.

"It probably hasn't sunk in really. I'm in a little bit of shock about that result today," Brady smiled.

"It's a bit of a pain in the bum, to be honest! It is really, because what it's doing for us is just adding to our fixture list.

"We lost one of our best centre-halves [Cam Humphreys] to injury and we haven't got the size of the squad to cope with the amount of games at the moment.

"It's a privilege but it's tough as well."

But the Newcastle-born Brady, who only came to the club a couple of months ago after a previous spell managing Northampton, is guaranteed folk-hero status at Vale Park after orchestrating the victory over Sunderland, which is 57 places above Port Vale in the English soccer pyramid.

It is now in the last-eight for the first time in 72 years alongside giants like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea, courtesy of New Zealander Ben Waine's looping first-half header.

It was a great day for Waine, who was born and raised in Wellington but who was a Newcastle fan as kid because his family hails from England's north-east. 

Newcastle is Sunderland's bitter rival.

Which team would 51-year-old Brady fancy facing in the next round? 

"I wouldn't have a clue because I'm only thinking about Bradford on Wednesday," he smiled.

"Actually, I couldn't believe we were in the last-16 — I told my kids we were in the last 32!"

"It's nice to create history, isn't it?"

His men had only secured a place in the fifth round by also shocking Championship side Bristol City five days earlier — with Waine scoring the winner in that match as well.

But this time, he was not the only Oceanian hero on the pitch as Gauci, the 25-year-old on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, made saves that Brady called "incredible".

It was not the only shock of the day, as Ross Stewart's 91st-minute penalty sealed a 1-0 victory for Championship side Southampton at Premier League Fulham.

Leeds broke the sequence of upsets by beating Norwich 3-0 at Elland Road.

AAP