Soccer: Despite a glorious history the Cup now means sweet FA

My first football match was the 1960 FA Cup Final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. I was seven at the time and saw it on a scratchy black-and-white TV.

Rovers full-back Dave Whelan broke his leg and this made it 10 against 11 in those pre-substitute days. Wolves won 3-0 and I became an instant fan.

The most fondly remembered final of the modern era was Sunderland beating Leeds 1-0 in 1973. Watching Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe hugging heroic goalkeeper Jim Montgomery at the final whistle still brings a lump to the throat.

Bobby Stokes became a legend at Southampton for scoring the winner against Manchester United in 1976 and Roger Osborne did the same for Ipswich two years later, and virtually never kicked a ball again at the top level.

The 1980s saw more classic finals. Ricky Villa in '81 scoring a mesmerising goal to defeat Manchester City in a replay, after leaving the pitch in tears when he was substituted in the first encounter?

The 1983 final spawned the catchphrase "And Smith must score ... ", which is now used whenever a player misses a sitter, like Brighton's Gordon Smith did to his team's ultimate cost against Manchester United.

The 'Crazy Gang' of Wimbledon beat the aristocrats of Liverpool to take the Cup in 1988, even if it felt like I was watching a mugging.

The following year I was lucky enough to be at Wembley when Liverpool beat rivals Everton 3-2 in extra time, an occasion marked by Gerry Marsden's emotional rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone in memory of the 96 fans who had died weeks earlier at Hillsborough.

The decade finished on a high note as Ian Wright, just recovered from a broken leg, came off the bench to score twice as Crystal Palace held Manchester Utd to a 3-3 draw before United won the replay.

And that was it.

Even on the FA's own website there has been no classics since 1990. The nadir was reached last season with the mismatch between Manchester United and Millwall.

The FA Cup has become a second-class competition.

Last weekend brought us to the third round proper, when the big teams enter the fray, traditionally the most romantic footballing weekend in the calendar.

Sure enough Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle struggled against inferior opposition, while Premier League Manchester City, Aston Villa, Norwich and Crystal Palace went out to teams from lower divisions.

But was it romantic? Sadly, no.

The reason the big teams struggled was that they put out reserve sides. Winning the FA Cup means a lot less these days.

The reason is economic. Premier League survival is of paramount financial importance, while Champions League qualification is the aspiration of the top teams. Arsene Wenger once said he'd rather finish fourth in the league, and thus qualify for the Champions League, than win the FA Cup.

The Cup is the oldest competition in football and doesn't deserve this lack of respect. A solution would be a Champions League place for the winners. That would restore its lustre.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY