Andy Sinton blasts 'brainless' FA over Shropshire Senior Cup

Furious AFC Telford United boss Andy Sinton has blasted the "brainless" decision to stage the Shropshire Senior Cup final with Shrewsbury Town in the thick of the big promotion run-in.

Both sides are pushing to go up, with Shrewsbury in with a decent chance of automatic promotion from League Two and Telford looking to make it through the Blue Square Bet North play-offs.

But they are being forced to fit the Senior Cup final into their busy schedule, the county's top two going head-to-head at the Greenhous Meadow a week tomorrow - meaning both clubs must play four games in eight days from Saturday.

"It's an absolutely ridiculous decision," said Sinton.

"I might get myself into trouble, but whoever has made it needs their brains looking at.

"The Shropshire Senior Cup should be a really prestigious competition.

"But Shrewsbury won't want to play it now as they have bigger fish to fry and I won't be sending my first team so it might be two youth teams.

"That de-values the whole concept and I'm sure if I was paying £8 or £10 to watch it, I don't want to be doing that to watch two youth teams."

Sinton believes officials at the Shropshire FA should have looked at other alternatives in order to give both Shrewsbury and Telford the best possible chance of achieving their prime objection - promotion.

But he insists the side he eventually names will be competitive, even if it is missing the majority of his first team regulars.

"They must be able to come up with some sort of a solution," he added. "Play it in the summer, cancel it for a year or pull Shrewsbury and Telford out and let two of the lesser sides contest it for one year.

"I know for a fact Graham Turner (the Shrewsbury boss) won't want to play it.

"I won't want to play it but if I'm forced to then I will send out some sort of side to try and win it."

By CHRIS HUDSON