English football's 'out of the blue' tear-up of the calendar infuriates fans and blindsides lower-league owners, who say scrapping FA Cup replays and moving the final and was done 'under a cloak of secrecy'

English football's decision to scrap FA Cup replays as part of a huge shake-up of the calendar came 'out of the blue', according to one owner of a lower league club. 

A new agreement between The FA and the Premier League, which will last for at least six years, sees the end of the season's winter break, and the return of all FA Cup rounds to weekends, as opposed to the midweek games in round five.

However, there will no longer be FA Cup replays from the first round proper onwards - ending a tradition that has gone back decades, with the 92 league clubs now avoiding additional games at the end of draws. 

Andy Holt, the chairman of League Two Accrington Stanley, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'Why would the hapless @FA scrap early round replays that can be lucrative to minnows? A chance to change their financial fortunes? Against @EFL clubs? 

'I expect nothing less of Masters and Co @premierleague buying the game into a format that suits their needs. As usual.'

When asked if Football League clubs had been consulted about the changes, Holt replied: 'This bit of the EFL definitely wasn’t. When deals are done under a cloak of secrecy they are generally wrong.'

He added: 'The @EFL are 72 clubs, nothing else. Nobody at our club including someone actively involved with the @FA knew anything about this. 

'We should be actively supporting minnows not taking opportunity away. I’d also support them choosing to play away if it earned them more income.'

He said that Thursday's news came 'Out of the blue.' 

There are currently no replays from the fifth round of the competition onwards, but that will change, reportedly owing to the expansion of the Champions League. 

Other fans took to social media to express their dissatisfaction at the end of the replay for major clubs - and how it appears to have been agreed with only a small number of the teams who compete for the famous trophy.

On the deal between The FA and the Premier League, one fan wrote: '732 teams compete in the FA Cup. Not 20!' 

There was also concern that the tournament was focusing too much on the major teams, and drifting from the smaller teams that make the FA Cup so memorable.

They said: 'This makes me really sad. The early rounds of the FA Cup should belong to the minnows, but this decision hands it to the elite. Such a shame.' 

Another added: 'The scrapping of replays from the First Round Proper is patently a disgrace. 

'There are 732 teams that compete in the FA Cup. I'd like to see the consultation with non-League, @WeAreTheFSA and all other stakeholders. 

'To see the FA agree to this in its own competition is rank.'

The tournament's rich history has been called into question with the latest proposals - although it has survived previous changes during the past 150 years.

'This is an absolute disgrace. The world's oldest and greatest cup competition becoming a lot less great, purely to satisfy the rich at the very top', wrote another angry football fan. 

'The exact opposite of the democracy that has made the competition make millions fall in love with football for over 150 years.'

While The FA Cup account said it would bolster the tournament, another said: '"Strengthen the format" is management speak for scrapping all replays from the first round onwards to allow the elite to make more money.'

This season's FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend, with Chelsea and Man City coming head-to-head before Manchester United play Championship Coventry on Sunday. 

More to follow...