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Tamworth missed out on a sizeable sum of money, with their FA Cup third round tie against Tottenham not going to a replay
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Tamworth took Tottenham Hotspur to extra-time in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, but missed out on a massive fortune after the Football Association decided to scrap replays from the first round onwards from the start of the 2024/25 season. Eventually, National League side Tamworth succumbed to a 3-0 defeat in extra-time to their Premier League opponents, after putting in a battling display during the initial 90 minutes. But while Tottenham earned £115, 000 in prize money for reaching the fourth round, where they will face another away trip to Aston Villa, Tamworth could have earned close to eight times that had replays still gone ahead. According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Tamworth missed out on an approximate £850, 000 from gate receipts, while Talksport reported last year that teams involved in replays selected for TV earn an additional £25, 000 each. “If the match had gone to a replay, at an average ticket price of £30, probably about £850, 000, " Maguire said. So, in total, Tamworth missed out on around £875, 000 due to the FA's decision to scrap replays, an incredibly vast amount of money. When considering that, in 2023, Halifax chairman David Bosomworth claimed running a National League side cost an average of £150, 000 per month, a replay in the FA Cup third round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could have paid for nearly half-a-year's worth of expenditure at Tamworth. It must be noted, however, that if FA Cup replays still existed then there's no guarantee Tamworth would have even made the third round. They drew 1-1 after extra time with League One side Burton Albion in the second round at the Brewers' Pirelli Stadium before winning on penalties to set up their tie with Spurs. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. But while the replay would have seen Tamworth host Burton at The Lamb Ground, there's simply no guarantee they would have been able to beat a side two divisions above them in the football pyramid. Plus, if that game had gone to a replay, it would've have taken place after the third round draw - Tamworth's and Burton's combined ball number would have been different as a result, thus suggesting they wouldn't have drawn Tottenham for the third round anyway. Ryan is a staff writer for Four Four Two, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across Four Four Two, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with Four Four Two permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. Liverpool have made offer for Dutch defender, thanks to Arne Slot recommendation: report Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez reuniting at Inter Miami is 'impossible': Why MSN trio CANNOT play together in MLS Liverpool in talks with Andrew Robertson successor: report Four Four Two is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. ©
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