Me and 6,125 others watched Sheffield United v Cardiff City - The FA Cup is on its last legs... just kill it off

It's 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. There's an excitement in the cold January air and grounds are packed with fans whose previous night's sleep had been occupied by the dreams of what the day and, even, May might bring.

Some big guns were taking their vast armoury to less salubrious surroundings, preparing for muddy pitches, cold showers and a ground where supporters are so close players will hear every question of their parentage.

Elsewhere, what seems like entire villages or small towns are emptied as they swap their modest footballing homes for a vast top-flight stadium and the lad they work with on the tools swaps his shirt with an international star who is relieved to hear the final whistle of a match where blushes were just about spared.

That evening's Match of the Day is so long it's almost Sunday when the credits roll on the day's goal-laden highlights.

The third round of the FA Cup; one of the most eagerly-awaited dates in the football calendar. Except, it's not anymore, is it? Not even close. The nostalgia above may read like yer da’s Facebook page, but it genuinely was like that and the majority of it has been chipped away to the point where few people actually care.

As supporters we have been gaslit into diminishing the competition ourselves. Fewer and fewer are turning up because they know one or both sides will be weakened and the joy of making it 'into the hat' has been replaced by a shrug or, worse still, an annoyance that another match has been added to the fixture schedule where there are seemingly 'bigger fish to fry'.

The hitherto heralded magic of the FA Cup has not been extinguished completely but the wizards are packing away the wands.

That became clear when the 2025 edition of the competition's third round kicked off in a fairly empty Bramall Lane, in front of 6,126 people at 7pm ON A THURSDAY NIGHT! Absolutely ludicrous. And I doubt the streaming figures, wherever it was shown, would be much to write home about.

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This is no reflection on United’s support. There are only a handful of clubs in England who could attract even a remotely impressive crowd under these circumstances and also, fair play to the 200 or so visitors from South Wales who made the journey.

There was no excitement in the build-up at the ground, perhaps aside from the direction a few kids who maybe don't get a regular opportunity to go to games - in the stands, that is, not on the pitch - and the cheaper, easily accessible tickets offered them a rare chance. There would have been plenty more of those if it was played on a Saturday afternoon, rather than on a desperately cold school night.

You could feel that most of those in attendance did so out of habit or a sense of duty. Either way, no one would have begrudged them a night off. The Greasy Chip Butty was understandably stale by comparison to its usual sonic treat at the Lane and the atmosphere rarely rose from there.

To be fair, there was no dupe. Blades boss Chris Wilder made no secret of his plan to give a rest to a lot of United's regular starters, even if we all knew it was going to happen anyway. No one can really blame him; he’s spoken for weeks about how the same players who have been going to the well for the team are in dire need of the opportunity to put their feet up. All that isn’t to mention the carrot of the massive riches in the Premier Leage that is dangling in front of Wilder and Co. at the minute, thanks to their excellent start to the season.

No apologies from Chris Wilder as disjointed Sheffield United make priority clear after Cardiff City defeat

Therein lies the biggest reason for the cup’s star to wane.

And at the other end of the table, Cardiff are struggling to maintain their Championship status and getting out of the relegation zone, pulling away from the threat of League One now means more than another round in what is laughably still called ‘the greatest cup competition in the world’.

It’s far from that now. No one’s bothered. Club owners aren’t bothered because there’s more money to be made elsewhere, or at least there’s less to be lost. The fact that Everton sacked manager Sean Dyche a few hours before their third round tie with Peterborough says it all.

Managers aren’t that bothered because not many of them are being judged on whether than can get through a couple of rounds of a competition where inevitably a club that has spent billions of pounds in the past few years will end up winning it. League positions will keep them in a job a lot longer than securing a trip to Bournemouth in the next round.

A lot of the players won’t be bothered because they’ll be fearful of picking an injury in a match that is becoming ever more meaningless. Not least the ones who may be looking for a move away this month.

And now that the fans aren’t that bothered, those who have led a competition so wrapped in glorious memories to the mess it is, with matches spread over five days and far, far too much of it on TV, might as well pull the plug on it altogether.

The FA Cup hasn’t been killed off just yet but that day can’t be far off. In the name of John Motson’s coat, just end it now and leave us with the memories of what it used to be.