The FA Cup

For all the unending crapness of Barnet this season I still love football and this weekend is one of the reasons why. It's FA cup 3rd round weekend when the big boys are forced to mix it with those in the lower league and non league and I love it. This weekend saw Stoke City and Blackpool dumped out by Hartlepool and Torquay, we saw Chelsea held to a draw by Southend and various others do themselves proud.

What I liked more this time round though is the attitude of the big boys. Too often in recent years we have seen the premier league teams field weakened sides with the result being huge swathes of empty seats. In my opinion it shows total disrespect to this wonderful old competition.

Yet this season nearly everyone fielded a first choice team meaning that the empty seats were few and far between. There were a few of course, season tickets are expensive and when they are not valid for cup games you can hardly blame those that bought them for not turning up, and I would still like to see cup tickets looking like rocking horse droppings as they once were in the past.

Over all though I reckon that this season the grand old competition is looking healthier than it has for a while. Bring on Gillingham v Aston Villa this afternoon!