It's great to see Chichester still in the FA Cup - but some top managers are murdering the competition

Ian Darke, one of BT Sport’s premier commentators, will be describing their second-round tie at Tranmere to viewers on Sunday, December 1, and can’t wait to see the next stage of Chi’s remarkable Cup adventure.

Darke said: “In many ways these early rounds are the best bit about the present-day FA Cup.

“In recent times there are some Premier League managers who ought to have been charged with murdering the Cup. They make so many changes and then get knocked out. They don’t take it seriously and I don’t get it.

“It’s a real shame because for some clubs that can’t win the league it’s a great chance of a trophy, and their fans would love it if they did.

“So in many ways, these early rounds are where the great FA Cup stories lie now. For Chichester, from football’s eighth tier, to get this far is beyond their wildest dreams.”

Darke, who realised a Cup dream of his own when the club he supports, Pompey, won it 12 seasons ago, said he hoped everyone connected with Chichester City could enjoy their big day out – whatever the result.

“From a TV point of view, it’s a shame it’s not at Oaklands Park. That would have been our ideal tie and I’m sure the club feel the same,” he said.

“But it will still be a great occasion and who’s to say what can happen on the day?”

Darke will have former Brighton defender Adam Virgo for company in the TV gantry and is delighted BT Sport as joint rights holders for the Cup can continue taking the competition live into people’s homes: “I’m old enough to remember when the Cup final was just about the only live TV game of the season. Things have changed a little since then!”