FA Cup dates.

The 5th round FA Cup replay date against Aston Villa has been confirmed as Tuesday 14th March. Should we progress through to the quarter-finals we will face West Ham or Bolton the following Monday (2oth, live on BBC one).

I've no objection as such to the re-structuring of the quarter-final stage to allow an extra week rest and preparation prior to the World Cup, but the decision to stage the quarter-finals on consecutive nights is ludicrous. If they are to be played midweek, why not play them over a Tuesday-Wednesday or Wednesday-Thursday?

It will (potentially) mean that we will have a league game at home to Wigan just forty-eight hours before a vital FA Cup quarter-final tie. Luckily we would be at home both games which does help but I certainly think Stuart Pearce would be more than entitled to field a much weakened side for the Wigan game to ensure the team is at it's peak for what would be a crucial game for the club.

Alternatively, we could petition the Premier League to bring the Wigan game forward to the Friday - although would they be as keen to do that as they are with moving games back from Saturday to Sunday?