SEND YOUR VIEWS TO: FANS' FORUM, THE NON-LEAGUE PAPER, TUITION HOUSE, ST GEORGE'S ROAD, WIMBLEDON SW19 4EU or e-mail nlp@greenwayspublishing.co.uk
WE will soon have the draw for the third round of the FA Cup where 20 clubs from League One and below will join the elite clubs of the Premier League and the Championship.
Naturally, all 20 will be hoping to be drawn against one of the giants so as to ensure a big pay day. In some cases to be drawn against a big club ensures the survival of a small club.
My question is why only 20 clubs? If the Premier League and Championship clubs entered the fray in the second round they would join 84 clubs from League One and below. That is a massive difference.
The worst case scenario for Premier League clubs destined to reach the FA Cup final is that they would have to play one extra game in a season and even then only two clubs would have to play that extra game.
What a difference it would make though to the 64 clubs given the chance to play against the elite! Some say the competition has lost its appeal. Well that's my suggestion to revive the FA Cup. Does anyone else agree?
JOHN FINNEGAN, Hereford
WHY did the Football Association hand the rights to the fourth qualifying round draw of the FA Cup to talkSPORT radio?
With all the advertisements they are obliged to air and presenters who did not sound the least bit interested in Non-League football, I found it a long, painstaking affair.
Surely it's not too much to ask for a bit more respect for Non-League clubs dreaming of the glamour tie and the FA Cup as a whole?
PETER PENFOLD, Bordon, Hants
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AT Christmas in 1914 two amazing things happened leading to a very temporary truce.
On Christmas Eve a German soldier in the trenches started to sing Silent Night and soon many voices from both sides were joining in.
On Christmas Day soldiers left their trenches to meet in ‘no man's land' and join in an informal game of football.
Woking FC, among many others, are hosting a Community Carol Service at Kingfield involving many of the local churches and schools to remember this historic event.
It is not too late to plan such an event for your club. Simply visit the Hope Together website for free downloadable resources.
DAVID GREGORY, via email
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LAST week's letter from Keith Allen regarding the lack of programmes at an FA Cup tie that he recently attended highlights an issue that is becoming more and more frequent.
Three times already this season I have arrived 45 minutes or more before the start of a match to find that programmes had already been sold, or that I have just about managed to get one of the last copies.
The worst example of this was at Mickleover Sports for their FA Cup tie with Blyth Spartans last Saturday. I arrived at 2.10pm and, despite there only being around 100 people in the ground, all the programmes at the main gate had been sold with only a handful left at the second turnstile.
This was a match that was always going to bring in a much larger than normal crowd and the final attendance was 611. But I later found out that only 60 programmes were printed, which seems to be an incredibly low figure for such an attractive tie.
I realise that in this age of the internet, less people are buying matchday programmes. But is the situation really that bad as I've experienced at Blackfield & Langley, Wantage and now Mickleover Sports this season?
It seems these days that I need to get to a game an hour before kick-off just to ensure that I obtain a programme!
GRAHAM MILLER, Borehamwood, Herts
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I SAW the potential winners of the Vanarama Conference last Saturday when Woking arrived at Moss Lane to totally overwhelm an Altrincham side 3-0.
Despite being part-time, Woking are a class act and move the ball around effort- lessly. And there seems to be a real swagger about the club at the moment too – the substitutes even have time to chat to fans when warming up!
Well done to Garry Hill for all he's achieved at Kingfield, but there is a danger that by setting the standard so high that expectancy could lead to failure if promotion is not achieved.
Dear old Alty, though, face an uphill struggle to stay in this league. Their achilles heel, apart from being part-time, is the woeful purchases during the summer of several injury-prone journeymen.
Surely, there were better players available out there? They do, though, have this uncanny knack of proving me wrong – long may it continue. Look no further than Woking for inspiration.
G J TURNBULL, Partington, Trafford
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LAST week, in their game with Stratford Town, injury and a sending off forced Mangotsfield Town to turn to their third goalkeeper by the 28th minute.
Is this a record?
LINDA WANCZYCKI, via email
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WHY is it that when a team loses, managers often say “we conceded sloppy goals”, or “we gave away x-number of goals”.
At Alfreton last Saturday, Chris Hargreaves said his Torquay side gave away four goals. Not so. The chipped goal by Paul Clayton was as neat as ninepence, and Karl Hawley's second for the Reds was a superb strike – good enough to grace any ground at any level.
But, Mr Hargreaves, your first goal by Louis Briscoe was also a cracker – proof that if is possible for some folk to give credit where it is due.
DAWSON LONGDON, Matlock, Derbys
