Pool fans do Cup proud...

NOT many people would dispute the fact that the FA Cup has lost some of its lustre over the last 20-odd years. Those days when the FA Cup was the biggest game in the domestic calendar and the only game to be televised live seem a long time ago.

The big Premier League clubs are more interested in qualifying for the Champions League, while the smaller top-flight teams are worried about preserving their Premier League status. The top Championship clubs are more concered about getting into the Premier League.

The Premier League and the Champions League provide a world of untold riches, leaving the FA Cup as a poor relation.

Yet while that’s the case at the top levels, the good news is that the FA Cup does matter lower down the scale. To lower division teams in the EFL and Non-League clubs, the FA Cup is still a wonderful adventure.

In many ways, the FA Cup is just as great as it ever was until the big boys join in in the third round and mess it all up.

It was heartening, therefore, to hear the story in the last few days of the Blackpool fans doing their bit to support FA Cup opponents Kidderminster Harriers financially (see back page).

To sum up, Seasiders fans boycotting the game feared Non-League Kiddy would lose out on vital revenue they would otherwise have earned and are making donations to plug the gap.

Hundreds of fans have contributed to the donation page set up by the Blackpool Supporters’ Trust and Kidderminster Harriers have expressed their thanks for the gesture.

We often hear negative stories about football fans, but here is something really positive that supporters – frustrated about their own club’s situation – are doing to help another team.

It shows that the ‘magic of the cup’ does still exist in some quarters.