Shropshire Senior Cup thrown into doubt
Thursday 31st March 2011, 11:20AM BST.
Shropshire’s top cup competition was today thrown into chaos – as it emerged that AFC Telford United had been withdrawn from the showpiece final with Shrewsbury Town.
County officials had hoped to stage the Shropshire Senior Cup final at the Greenhous Meadow on either April 11 or 27, having been unable to fit it into its usual pre-season slot last summer.
Telford claim they have effectively been excluded from the competitionas they already have seven competitive games in April and are chasing promotion from the Blue Square Bet North.
Evo-Stik League side Market Drayton have accepted an offer to replace the Bucks – but Shrewsbury are now considering their position as they are also in the promotion race from League Two.
Shropshire FA chief executive Roy Waterfield said today: “I empathise with the position of Shrewsbury and AFC Telford as they are both going for promotion and have a great chance to go up automatically.
“But I’d hope the 130-year history of this competition is something that clubs factor in when they commence the season and we want to get the game played.
“Shrewsbury had indicated they could play the game on April 27 and hopefully we’ll get some clarity in the next few days.”
Telford chairman Lee Carter revealed that his side offered to play the game in both November and February.
“We’re annoyed as we have been pushed from pillar to post with this fixture,” he said.
“I cannot see how insisting that the fixture is played in April, is good for Shropshire football and it is unfortunate that this decision is going to further diminish the relevance of this competition to the general Shropshire footballing public.”
Shrewsbury Town boss Graham Turner said Shrewsbury would be holding further talks before making a final decision.
Turner revealed: “At the present moment we are in discussion with the Shropshire FA.
“If we can fit it in we will do but it cannot disrupt our bid for promotion because it is a crucial stage of the season for us.
“Telford have felt the need to pull out to enhance their promotion prospects but as things stand we are still in discussions.”
Drayton, however, are delighted to receive the invite, having originally been controversially excl-uded from the event.
Chairman JulianPartion said: “It’s certainly not what we ever expected but it’s a chance we’ll take with both hands and hopefully do ourselves proud.”
By CHRIS HUDSON and ALEX JAMES
UK Sport
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Exactly how dumb are the people at the F.A ??? They can see that both sides are in a promotion chase! so why ask clubs to play the game in April!!! I really think Fa need need sorting out and some young fresh faces and new ideas bringing in!
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This ” cup ” competition is the biggest farce around. How can you have a cup competition with only two teams, surely thats just a match. Also, why do the Shropshire FA expect two teams to drop what they’ve been working on for the last seven months just to play in a cup competition that should be over by the start of the season.
Why can’t the Shropshire FA organise their senior cup like the one in Staffordshire, 16 teams, some bigger clubs invited from out of area, and even a place made available to MKT Drayton who incidently were’nt invited to their counties senior cup.
Sort it out Shropshire F A, your the ones responsible for ruining this competition..
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Oh and by the way, well done to the Shropshire FA for finally getting Telford and Shrewsbury to agree on something..
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Farce
…………….nuff said
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Scrap this farce of a cup competition for good.
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As a bucks fan i agree with everything Spencer(a shrews fan if im not mistaken). Its an absolute farce that you have shropshire’s top two sides pushing for promotion and you have the SFA wanting this game to be played in the final crucial month.
I for one would happy for Telford not to take part and concentrate on more important matters than this tin pot the SFA call a cup.
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Just like the blithering idiots at National HQ, they foooow the trait of being Incompetent, pen pushers the lot of them, they cant make a decent decision if their live’s depended on it. Those parked up at the New Meadow should be ASHAMED of themselves, resign now and save face because the current Governent inquity will show you up for what you really are
AMATEURS
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typical football administrators – know nothing. For whose benefit do they actually think they are doing this? Their two main clubs, or for themselves?
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Only the Shropshire FA would wish for 2 promotion chasing sides to play each other at the ‘business’ end of the season.
Why should Shrewsbury and Telford put their potentially successful seasons on hold for a cup competition that consists of a single game that usually gets attended by no more than 1,500 people??
The Shropshire FA need to realise that this 130 year old distraction just wont get played this season. The teams of course could field inexperienced sides, but then again who remembers the fuss the Shropshire FA kicked up last time Shrewsbury did that (Shifnal Town FC v Shrewsbury Town FC, 2000)?
Get real Shropshire FA!
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I’m afraid it is just another example of what may be described as the “county set” viewpoint prevalent in Shropshire whereby the needs and preferences of Shrewsbury (and I don’t just mean the football club) are paramount and the rest of the county is a very distant second. This whole competition?? is geared towards ensuring that the FA members can in the majority of years enjoy their hospitlity boxes at the Greenhous Meadow and not be troubled with having to “rough” it at venues such as Market Drayton, Bridgnorth or even, God forfend Telford.
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Nice attempt at tying to drum up a bit of hatred Alan but i think you’ll find that both clubs are united on this one.
Oh, and did you know that Telford have had Hospitality boxes for a few years longer than Shrewsbury
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Surely it would make sense to factor this game into each Clubs pre season.?
The Policing costs are also an issue and careful consideration needs to be put to that before trying to enforce the clubs to play a game that neither clearly want at such short notice with the prospect of big play off games coming up?.
I wonder what the FA HQ think about this ?
Are they aware of this stupid suggestion ?
Perhaps the Star should seek a comment from Lancaster Gate ?
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may i suggest a senior cup final between rodington rovers and withington wanderers
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The National FA is now based at Wembley and NOT Lancaster Gate, it’s also been to Soho Square since then too!
The office staff at the New Meadow have the wisdom but don’t have the powers to make these decisions. These decisions are made away from the offices in secret boardrooms by people who im afraid have lost touch with what is really going on.
I’m led to believe the final will now be Market Drayton v Wem Town on the 11th April, giving them both 6, yes 6 days notice to play in what should be a showpiece event. Also, these two sides will meet in the Shropshire Challenge cup at a date yet to be arranged.
Unfortunately the Shrops FA will try and save face here by blaming the clubs but it is the nimbies in the suits that have completely ruined the reputation of this once proud competition by their incompetant decision making.
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It’s not rocket science is it? The Shropshire Senior Cup is one of, if not THE oldest football cup competition, therefore on that basis it is worth preserving. However it has been made a mockery by continually moving it around, inability to set a date then excluding all the local teams bar Shrewsbury and Telford from it for several years. Other County’s can manage to run a simple knockout competition, why can’t ours. Here’s a suggestion:
1. Make it a proper competition. include Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Shifnal, Market Drayton and yes even invite TNS who play in Shropshire to compete. Relative to the ‘big two’ these are potentially paydays for these smaller clubs as well as a chance to cause an upset. To make up the numbers have a preliminary round amongst the junior clubs pre-season, or just offer it to the highest placed.
2. Run the first round after the glut of initial Saturday/Midweek games but before the FA Cup and Trophy kick in in earnest. Someone in the local F.A. must have access to these dates?
3. Run the 2nd round February time – after most of the clubs have been knocked out of cup competitions but before any potential of play-off chasing becomes vital. For many clubs on average seasons this gives the chance of silverware when all else has gone.
4. Plan the final towards the tail end of the season, but if the remaining clubs genuinely are challenging have a reserved date in the next pre-season.
5. Clubs should be allowed to field weakened sides because of other commitments but with a reasonable number of first teamers – gives the squad players a competitive game and teams less to moan about priorities.
Is it that difficult? Plenty of other organisations in all manner of sports can plan fixtures well in advance, why are the Shropshire F.A. incapable of looking at a calendar and finding best fit?
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