Squad rotation has killed the Trophy

I WAS interested to read Alex Narey’s column on the FA Trophy (NLP,

December 2) and whilst I agree with him about the big clubs entering the competition earlier, it’s not going to make that much difference as they will inevitably put out weakened sides. ‘David v Goliath’ ties lose their appeal when Goliath fields their reserve team. We’ve just got to accept that the FA Trophy will never be the great competition it once was, the play offs have all but killed it off.

Yes, it’s still a day out at Wembley for the two finalists, but promotion through the back door is a much bigger prize.

One thing I would also change is to scrap replays with all games going to extra-time and penalties if need be, the meager attendances at midweek replays tell their own story.