No Benefit to Going Out of The Cup

[Jampie]

Something can be a net negative but still have upsides.

Getting booted from the cup so early, definitely bad overall. But fewer games means lower chance of injury to key players by the end of the season. Could easily be the difference between promotion or not.

[queenslandpie]

The last time I checked if you dont play your chances of getting injured are a lot lower.

[magpie2k4]

My point is how unlucky we are!
After being knocked out the cup, there is the assumption that you will have a balanced fixture list at least.

We won’t have that. We have a couple of blank Saturdays and they have created Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday weeks later down the line. Our chance of injuries had increased because we go from having no game, to three games a week (2x more than was expected).

[nw6pie]

My point is how unlucky we are!
After being knocked out the cup, there is the assumption that you will have a balanced fixture list at least.

We won’t have that. We have a couple of blank Saturdays and they have created Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday weeks later down the line. Our chance of injuries had increased because we go from having no game, to three games a week (2x more than was expected).

Agree with you about the luck thing - there were only 5 NL teams in round 2 and Barnet were one of them; there are only 3 NL teams in round 3 and Boreham Wood are one of them. (If either Wrexham or Chesterfield had been knocked out before the second round, both their games on Nov 26 and Jan 7 would have gone ahead - so at least their cup runs mean they're not racking up points on the board while we're cursing our luck.)

Still, if ourselves and BW get knocked out of the FA Trophy in round three next month, we could always play them on Jan 14 (round 4 day), so it wouldn't be a major upheaval. The problem will come if we or scheduled opponents progress in the FA Trophy and more Saturday games start getting called off for this daft competition.

These are the dates that need rearranging:

Fifth Round Proper Saturday 11 February (home to Eastleigh)
Sixth Round Proper Saturday 11 March (home to Dorking)
Semi Final Saturday 1 April (away to Altrincham)

[upthemaggies]

Best thing about the FA Cup now is the draw. Then when you land a plum tie the reality kicks in that they are probably going to play their reserves. It's got to the stage now where if I see a Championship or L1 side has suffered a giant killing, I'll just shrug and assume they fielded a weakened 11 as well.

It really is terrible that the oldest competition that effectively gave birth to the experience we know and love as fans - the trophy everybody dreamt of winning - is now less important than the League Cup was when that competition was in decline in the mid 1990s. Last League Cup tie I ever went to was Leeds in 1995/96 (after going to the 1st round 1st Leg game with Lincoln). Last non-glamour FA Cup tie I attended was Rochdale 1996/97 having never missed one before that, the loss of interest in the cups was that quick.

[sidders]

Let's get it straight, being knocked out of the FA Cup by Coalville was not beneficial. It was an abysmal result in its own right, and a win would have taken us one step closer to a potentially lucrative tie. It's done now though, and if we can bring forward a midweek game to a Saturday game it does help spread out our fixtures, and should bring in better gate money.

Man who speaks wise words

[laddo]

I don't see being knocked out as being beneficial at all, it would indeed have been one step closer to a lucrative tie (which let's be honest we rarely seem to get). If we were drawn against lower league opposition I suspect the fringe and reserve players would have played again.

What we also know is that abysmal result, didn't impact the first team performances , as quite a few feared, as we won the next three games handsomely.

[Notts78]

I don't see being knocked out as being beneficial at all, it would indeed have been one step closer to a lucrative tie (which let's be honest we rarely seem to get). If we were drawn against lower league opposition I suspect the fringe and reserve players would have played again.

What we also know is that abysmal result, didn't impact the first team performances , as quite a few feared, as we won the next three games handsomely.

Despite reaching the 3rd round none of the NL sides have ‘lucrative’ ties. 2 are at home against OK sides and Wrexham have an awful trip to the mighty Coventry.
I hope they all draw.

[magpie2k4]

BENEFIT!! YAY!!

Our Vanarama National League trip to Aldershot Town has been rearranged for Saturday 7 January (kick-off 3pm).

We were due to host Boreham Wood that day but, due to their continued involvement in the Emirates FA Cup, that fixture has been postponed with a new date to be announced in due course.

Likewise, the Shots had been scheduled to play Chesterfield who will also be in third round action, making it possible to bring forward the match originally planned for Tuesday 7 March.

[nw6pie]

Good news - but only if we win at another hoodoo ground. I have a nasty feeling there's a train strike that weekend, though.

I wonder who'll be paying Frank Vincent's wages that day, as his loan spell ends at the end of December.