The Peterborough United historian on why the FA Cup has lost its magic
Peterborough United historian Peter Lane misses the good old days when the FA Cup was the highlight of any season.
Now he feels frustration at how the competition is treated by the biggest clubs.
Lane wrote a forward to an excellent little Posh book ‘GIant Killers’ which has chronicled every single FA Cup tie played by Posh.
He assures me his views haven’t changed!
Lane said: “I absolutely loved the FA Cup when I was much younger. I was so excited to listen to the draw when it was broadcast live on the radio at about 12.30pm on a Monday.
"I used to rush home from school to listen to those immortal words from the FA representative of ‘the next item on the agenda is the draw for the next round of the FA Cup’. I remember one draw in particular, in January, 1965 when ball number 13, which was Posh, would play ball number 2, which was Arsenal. ‘Yes, Yes’ I screamed.
"I had the pleasure of catching a bus or train with my family to watch the biggest Posh FA Cup ties at Huddersfield, Fulham, Aston Villa, Ipswich, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Manchester United.
"But now the FA Cup is no longer the greatest competition in the world of football. The big clubs now don’t field many, or even any, of their star players and to me this cheats the supporters, especially young children who want to see their favourite players from their favourite Premier League teams.
"Winning the FA Cup means so little to some of the biggest teams I wouldn’t be surprised if two Championship clubs clashed in the final one day.
"Luckily the magic of the cup hasn’t completely disappeared. It’s still there for the small non league clubs who have a much better chance of becoming giant killers for the day.”
Lane is the man who introduces Posh legends to the club’s Hall of Fame on matchdays. David Seaman and Micky Gynn are two Posh stars who went on to win the FA Cup.