For 154 years, heroic Tamworth would have earned a Cup replay and an £800,000 windfall, but since the FA scrapped tradition they have been victims of a major BETRAYAL, writes MATT BARLOW

Well, that didn't take long. Ten months after replays were canceled without due consultation and the FA Cup shows the decision for what it was: a betrayal of the lower echelons of English football.

This wonderful old competition is like that. You can eliminate pretensions. It is its beauty and one of the key reasons for its enduring popularity.

This time last year, Tamworth's reward for holding off Tottenham for 90 minutes would have been a replay at the best stadium in the country and the chance for Andy Peaks to have another chance against Ange Postecoglou's team after his players part-timers would have caught their breath. back.

The chance to win a share of up to £6 million, which is the estimated match day earnings from a match in Daniel Levy's magnificent temple to corporate fandom.

Taking into account the costs and the likelihood that tickets would have been priced cheaper than usual, but adding another live television fee, there is a chance that Tamworth would have raked in a whopping million for a replay.

Let's not forget why the repetitions had to be discarded. They were unpopular with the biggest and richest clubs in the country. And why? They packed the match calendar.

Tamworth were cruelly denied a replay after holding Spurs to a goalless draw after 90 minutes.

Just a year ago, his performance would have been enough to secure a big-money rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Clubs whose coaches complain about the match schedule while they sign up for bloated UEFA competitions, post-season friendlies on the other side of the world and extensive summer tours.

Or in the case of six, including Spurs, venturing into the breakaway Super League.

This is the path to profit for the big clubs. For small clubs, the benefits come from the FA Cup. Marine won £800,000 from the draw against Tottenham four years ago and has been transformed.

There is a strong argument to suggest that Exeter City owe their existence to a replay against Manchester United and Burton Albion built their status as an EFL club on a replay at Old Trafford.

This trickles down and helps smaller clubs develop in the same way that windfalls from European competitions help Premier League clubs develop and progress.

It could be the difference between going full time and settling into the fifth tier.

Don't forget that Tamworth players have hectic schedules too. They play twice a week and have full-time jobs. They get up at 5 a.m. to spend time in the gym working on their fitness.

They were faltering and fatigue took its toll, so it wasn't a fair fight against Spurs in extra time. Professional athletes will win in a longer game against part-time athletes.

Instead, the fifth division team is wondering what could have happened after the FA made the controversial decision to scrap replays.

The heroic efforts of the part-time players were undone by an extra 30 minutes of football that would not have been played before.

The result only highlights the magic that the FA Cup can bring to a sport that is increasingly oriented towards the richest clubs.

It's true that if there had been a replay on air, we probably would have seen Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son sooner, and Tottenham probably would have won anyway, but that's not the point.

The problem is that football's elite care less about that than ever. The rich and powerful are in control. And they have other priorities. What about those for whom the priority is the FA Cup?

What about those who are not interested in money? Those who watch their local team because it represents their community.

They will appreciate the time they held Spurs for 90 minutes, but they are not heading to N17.

Bravo to Tamworth, not only for providing a couple of hours of gripping FA Cup drama showing what can be done with industry, organization and faith, and there is no shortage of footballing talent.

But to remind us why it is important to protect ourselves against the selfish elite determined to take the national game beyond the reach of the common man in the name of profit.