Tottenham vs Wycombe Wanderers: Don't spoil Adebayo Aknfenwa's joy by changing FA Cup, says Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy27 January 2017

I've heard people say that when a lower-league side are drawn a top side in the early rounds of the FA Cup, the Premier League team should be made to play away from home.

You have to be open-minded to change. If something has gone stale, I am not so old-school that I wouldn’t look at alternatives.

For example, I am all for embracing more technology within the game. But I think the way the FA Cup is structured is more or less perfect.

I also heard an interview with Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, who is a great character, this week. He spoke with such joy and excitement about playing at White Hart Lane.

He has had 13 years in English football, playing for 11 clubs. Players spend entire careers trying to get a chance to play at the biggest grounds.

Now Akinfenwa and his team-mates will have that opportunity and you could hear the thrill in his voice as he talked about it. Why mess with the draw and deny them that chance?

I know fans of smaller clubs want to see the bigger clubs come to town.

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But that is not quite as important as it is for lower-league players, who dream of these opportunities, playing year after year away from the spotlight. The Cup is about them, too.

You are still going to get big clubs going to the grounds of smaller clubs and having to deal with a poor pitch and basic facilities.

It happened in the last round, when Plymouth drew at Anfield and took Liverpool to a replay. I would resist the temptation to tinker. Leave the Cup as it is.

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