It seems that Yealding have decided that they should try to hold their FA Cup tie against Newcastle at their home ground after all. A couple of years ago there was the farcical situation where Farnborough decided that they’d prefer to play their tie against Arssenal at Highbury instead of at home. Of course they lost since they were playing on a surface which was closer to a billiard table than any of them had every come across before. Arsenal fans outnumbered their “home” fans. And a general mockery was made.
The FA can now throw out any club that switches the venue for anything other than safety grounds. And they can’t go to the opposition’s stadium – only a neutral ground.
This morning a Yealding player was talking about how he wanted to play at St James’ Park. Well guess what, if you get a draw at home, you can play there. But it’s not a divine right. Even neutral venues should only be considered in extreme cases. If you’re able to hold a 3000 crowd, then that’s good enough for me.