Dorset County FA’s Football Services Manager, Colin Chainey, has accepted that larger teams in the county may not take the Senior Cup as seriously as those lower down the pyramid.
Chainey, who organises the Senior Challenge Cup, commented on the issue prior to semi-final ties between Weymouth and Sturminster Newton, and Hamworthy Recreation and Shaftesbury tonight.
The Senior Cup is Dorset’s premier footballing knockout competition and has been played since 1887, where it was first won by Weymouth College, who beat Dorchester Town 1-0 over 130 years ago.
All Dorset teams that play at Step 7 and above enter the competition, however in October Poole Town withdrew, instead choosing to prioritise their league campaign.
In a statement, Poole Town said, “It is with huge regret that we have made the decision to withdraw from this season’s Dorset Senior Cup.
“We felt that we could not do justice to our ambitions in the league if we postponed a fixture, which would have been essential had we stayed in the competition.”
Chainey said, “Understandably, league standings for a team mean more to clubs than the County Cup Competition, particularly if a team is fighting for a playoff place or to avoid relegation.
“I am sure teams at Step 6 and 7 love playing against the teams in the Southern League and above.”
Over the course of previous seasons, work has been done to mitigate the strain on players of an extra competition, as each Senior Cup game now is concluded by penalties if level after 90 minutes.
When is the Dorset Senior Cup final?
The final of the competition is expected to be played on either the 11th or 12th March. A venue has not yet been decided, with the County’s Governance Committee expected to settle the matter on 23rd January.
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