‘ Don’t kill our cup dreams’
SHREWSBURY boss Micky Mellon has blasted proposals to get rid of FA Cup replays, claiming it would not only strip away the romance but lead to the death of lower- league clubs.
Mellon, whose League One side go into their fifth- round clash against Manchester United next Monday as the lowestranked team remaining in the cup, took aim at mooted changes yesterday.
“If they take away the replay it would kill us,” said Mellon, left. “The dream for anybody is to go and function at their [ bigger clubs’] stadiums and if you give less of a chance then it takes a massive part of the romance of the cup away.
“If you take it away, English football loses a massive amount and you could lose clubs over it.
“Replays can help keep clubs afl oat – look at Exeter. They made
millions.” Exeter City’s 2005 FA Cup run saw them drag Manchester United back to Devon, making a reported £ 1million to help stave off administration.
This year, the same club earned a replay at Anfi eld to net £ 700,000, which equated to a year’s wage bill.
However, clubs such as Liverpool have long bemoaned such loaded schedules. Two FA Cup matches against Exeter plus a two- leg Capital One Cup semi- fi nal against Stoke meant Jurgen Klopp’s team played nine fi xtures in January.
Worries about fi xture congestion for the elite clubs and the damaging impact it can have on European campaigns has prompted a discussion about the structure of both domestic cup competitions. Plans discussed between Premier League sides and the Football Association include scrapping FA Cup replays with ties decided by extra- time and penalties.
In addition, there is a move to scrap two- leg League Cup semi- fi nals. The FA are understood to be considering measures to compensate lower- league clubs stripped of the chance to earn big- money paydays with replays.