FA Cup: Peterborough criticise Thursday switch for Everton tie
Peterborough United have slammed the decision to schedule their FA Cup third round tie against Everton on Thursday night.
The match, which kicks off at 19:45 GMT on January 9, is the second meeting in the history of the two clubs and the first since the 2006 Carabao Cup tie.
Peterborough says they accept The game must move With Liverpool due to play at home on Saturday 11 January, playing on Thursday will mean supporters have to take two days off and leave the children at school.
“We believe a better solution can be found to ensure that all supporters wishing to attend matches are able to do so,” a club statement said.
Head coach Darren Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “It’s a disappointing decision, it’s a bizarre decision with little regard for our fans.
“We know Liverpool are at home and Everton are at home and they can’t play on the same day and I wonder if it will be on Sunday.
“It’s a weird decision to put it on Thursday night, a bad decision – and very bad for our fans. “There’s no trains back after the game, which will limit how many fans we can bring, which is a bad decision ”
“I understand, obviously they have to make decisions on TV and everything else, but why not on Friday night? They’re not looking at smaller clubs and that’s been going on for a long time now.”
Peterborough are also concerned that Thursday’s game could also mean smaller home crowds, reducing revenue for both clubs.
Chief executive Dawn Airey said: “While we understand there are logistical challenges, we feel this approach does not take supporters into consideration.”
“We have made our feelings clear to decision-makers at the top levels of the game and would like to reassure our supporters that we share their disappointment at when this game will take place.”
Peterborough beat Newport County and Notts County to reach round three, Raises odds of 18-year-old Tyler Young competing against his father, Ashleywho is at Everton.
The Peterborough Independent Supporters Trust also condemned the decision to move to Thursday.
Spokesperson Adi Mowles told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “I was stunned[when I heard the news]. The conditions on Sunday were not ideal but compared to Thursday they were still Acceptable.”
“It’s a disgrace, there’s no other word for it. All the cynical thoughts you have about the FA and you just hope maybe aren’t right, but they’re right. They’re just making money for the big clubs, they don’t care about the smaller clubs. “
Meanwhile, Peterborough’s hopes of winning the competition were dealt a blow with the news that striker Kwame Poku will miss three months with a hamstring injury.
“This is very, very bad news for us,” Ferguson said. “In a lot of people’s eyes, he’s the best player in the league (this season) and we have to keep working hard. He’ll be back around March.”
