Prior to the 1997 FA Cup Final, Cox became involved in an altercation with teammate Fabrizio Ravanelli after a heated debate over the Italian's fitness prior to the game leading to Cox being dropped on the morning of the final. Ravenelli insisted that he was fit to play in the game but later limped out of the match after just 24 minutes. Cox later stated that his biggest regret over the incident was "that I never played in an FA Cup final". Defeat for the side in the final completed a disastrous end to the season for the club as they also suffered defeat in the League Cup final and were relegated from the Premier League following a three-point deduction for failing to fulfil a fixture following a flu outbreak in the squad.