Micky Mellon blasts plans to scrap FA Cup

The manager of Shrewsbury, who go into a fifth-round clash againstManchester Unitednext Monday as lowest-ranked remaining team in the cup, took aim at mooted changes yesterday."If they take away the replay it would kill us," he said. "The dream for anybody is to go and function at their stadiums andif you give less of a chance then it takesa massive part of the romance of the cup away."If you take it away English football loses a massive amount and you could lose clubs over it.Exeter City enjoyed an FA Cup run in 2005 which saw them drag the mighty Manchester United back to St James's Park in Devon, making a reported £1million which helped stave off administration.This year, the same club earned a replayat Anfield after holding Liverpool to a draw at home, a result which netted them a £700,000 windfall which equatedto a year's wage bill.However, clubs likeLiverpoolhave long since complained about such loaded schedules.Two FA Cup matches against Exeter plus a two legged semi-final in the Capital One Cup against Stoke saw them play nine fixtures in January.Worries about fixture congestion for theelite of the English game and the damaging effect it can have on European campaigns has prompted a discussion about the structure of both domestic cup competitions at the highest level.Plans being discussed between PremierLeague outfits and the Football Association include scrapping the FA Cup replays with ties decided at the firstattempt with extra time and penalties.In addition there is a move to scrap two-legged league cup semi finals.The FA are understood to be considering measures to compensate lower league clubs stripped of the chance to earn big money paydays with replays by ensuring funds continue to filter down the football pyramid.