Fans left furious over 'shambolic' FA Cup third round TV picks as Everton handed nightmare trip

Fans have been left furious after the TV picks for the third round of this season's FA Cup were revealed.

The third round is widely regarded as one of the most exciting weekends on the English football, with the potential for major cup upsets up and down the country.

It is a time where, usually, a non-league club gets to face off against a giant of the Premier League and attempt to pull off the impossible.

The third round of the FA Cup has provided moments that have gone down in football folklore, such as Ronnie Radford's famous goal for Hereford to knock out First Division side Newcastle in 1972, Jermaine Beckford's strike that silenced Old Trafford for Leeds in 2010, and Isthmian League side Woking's 4-2 win at West Brom in 1991.

This time around, National League leaders Chesterfield will fancy their chances of an upset at Championship side Watford, with fellow fifth-tier side Eastleigh and sixth-tier Maidstone also in action.

But none of those three teams will be featured on TV next month.

Instead, six games have been picked - three of them all-Premier League ties - that consist of teams from the top three divisions.

Arsenal vs Liverpool and Sunderland vs Newcastle are selected, while Wigan vs Manchester United is also live.

Middlesbrough vs Aston Villa has also been selected. Tottenham vs Burnley, and Crystal Palace vs Everton, have been picked for evening matches.

The #EmiratesFACup third round TV picks have been selected! 📺

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) December 7, 2023

The selection as a whole did not go down well on social media, with the exclusion of non-league sides a particular sticking point.

One wrote: "Burnley away to Spurs on a Friday evening, just a few weeks after Christmas? Really?"

Another added: "Nine current Premier League teams and three former Premier League teams. What happened to the magic of the cup and giving lower league clubs a platform?"

A third replied: "Who wants to watch Palace vs Everton and Spurs vs Burnley when they already play each other twice this season?"

A fourth said: "This is shambolic."

And a Maidstone fan stated: "£85K for being on TV. Clubs like Maidstone and Eastleigh need this money, Man Utd don't."

And another supporter summed up the thoughts of many: "FA Cup third round and there's no lower league teams on TV."