Barry Gray questions Irish Cup decision

Doubts still remain over the participation of the Championship and Premier Intermediate clubs included in the round of 32 as they will have been inactive for over a year.

Warrenpoint Town boss Barry Gray whose side are scheduled to play Ballyclare Comrades, said if he was in the position of those clubs he would not be playing.

“I wouldn’t entertain it, not for a second,” he said.

“Their season is over, their season never started...why would you take the risk of bringing players back to play in that game?

“And I’m talking about injury because the players can’t be fit.

“It takes you six or seven weeks in pre-season and five or six games, and even when the season does start you’re nowhere near fit at that.

“In the law of averages the chances of a tanking is really high. So you’re going to come back for one game maybe, get tanked and then go home. No thanks.

“How can you motivate your players to go out and play in a game like that?

“I think it’s unfair to put players on a stage like that for them to take the criticism of what might come.

"They might go and compete, do really well and win, but probability is not in their favour.

“If I was a manager in this position I would be saying no thanks we’ll wait until pre-season and start again.”

The news that the competition would be played in May broke on Thursday evening, and Gray feels clubs should have been consulted first.

“It would have been nice for the IFA to even engage with those clubs never mind us Premiership clubs because at least we’re playing,” he said.

“It’s frustrating for us because we didn’t know it was coming up, but imagine being a Championship or PIL club and just seeing on social media that the Irish Cup is going ahead while you can’t play or train at the minute.

“It would be nice to know some of the details. What’s the implications if teams don’t compete?

“Before you make a big statement saying the Irish Cup is going ahead, and let’s be honest it’s all subject to the government allowing it, it would have been nice to have spoken to the other clubs and tested their appetite to want to play.

“So you could have said it’s going ahead but there’s X amount of clubs who won’t be fielding a team and here’s how we’re handling it.”

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