Friday Freebie: FA Cup Upsets In The Air?

Have the TV companies got it right or wrong?

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I was missing in action this time last week with the rarity of Friday night football, something that doesn’t happen to often, the football that is. Life does happen as well so there is the odd occasion when football, blogging, website writing does take a back seat.

The first weekend of November brings around the first round of the Emirates FA Cup, only it doesn’t. We’re all well aware that teams have been in the competition since the first weekend of August trying their damned hardest to get to this point or make a few quid along the way.

Replays of course are now a big no-no just to please those who don’t even feature in these levels citing ‘fixture congestion’ but room for a National League Cup that so far is being shown the contempt it deserves from supporters.

By the time you read this Tamworth will either be in action, or been in action and finished their 1^st Round game at home to Huddersfield hoping for an upset in front of the TV cameras.

A wise choice for the viewing public in the eyes of non-league fans but as per the norm there are a few choices that weren’t taken up in favour of shall we say one or two unimpressive games.

Of course we’ll be biased to want to see non-league showcase itself on TV, the opportunities are few and far between. Five games are being broadcast, the same amount as last year despite one of the points with abolishing those replays was more TV coverage, no surprise to see a little lie in there because the PL got their way with the FA bowing down once again.

Surely though, the TV people are looking for an upset, an embarrassment for the league side to be shown up? There are granted the chance for Tamworth, for Sutton Utd and Chesham, slightly harder for Kettering at Northampton but granted being a local derby it’s plausible.

But Harrogate vs Wrexham? Really? We all know full well without the ‘Hollywood fairytale’ it wouldn’t be anywhere on the radar, but this love-in and obsession with the Welsh side mirrors that of Manchester Utd and the BBC for years in the same competition.

There will be sides out there who feel they should have had that slot, or in the case they wanted that game, a couple of extra should have had provision.

Boreham Wood vs Leyton Orient, Worthing vs Morecambe, Curzon Ashton vs Mansfield Town or Rushall Olympic vs Accrington Stanley will be four who felt they should have been in with a shout. Hopefully, we have some winners in that bunch over the weekend to emphasise the point.

No doubt as well Maidenhead Utd will argue their tie with Crawley Town should have been considered. I fully appreciate they can’t show every single tie but wouldn’t it be lovely if all these non-league sides are in the hat on Sunday evening!

What is guaranteed is four non-league sides definitely in the next round, then 90 minutes away from the Third Round and the all important money spinning game that everyone really wants. Will we see another Maidstone Utd type run from anyone this season or will non-league hopes be extinguished before the magic round?

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