Everton would be denied classic moments with FA Cup decision - scrapping replays is another nail in the coffin

Yet another element of what made the FA Cup great has been taken away with the scrapping of replays and it’s fair to say that Everton’s history in football’s oldest competition would have been very different if that had been the case in the past.

It’s been announced that FA Cup replays will be axed from the first round proper onwards, starting from next season.

Dan Gosling last-gasp winner for Everton against Liverpool in 2009 might have been the greatest Merseyside Derby goal that many never saw after ITV accidentally pulled the plug and went to an advertisement break early but it would have never happened had these new rules existed back then.

After almost two hours of pulsating but goalless action at Goodison Park and the prospect of a first-ever penalty shoot-out between the local rivals looming, the network cut away from the game to the ads. The television blooper ensured many viewers were being shown commercials for Volkswagen cars and Tic-Tac sweets instead of 19-year-old Gosling’s curled shot going in off Martin Skrtel’s leg in the 118th minute to secure a thrilling victory for the Blues.

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Some just managed to catch the goal after a number of ITV regions and digital channels returned to the game seconds before Gosling’s strike but for others the adverts continued and the first fans knew of the goal was the Everton celebrations. It is understood an automated system for broadcasting adverts, which should only be used on ‘regular schedule’ nights, not live events which can over-run, kicked in as the game continued in extra