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| Harry Pell and Ryan Bowman kiss the swede before the Bulls knocked Shrewsbury Town out of the FA Cup in 2012 |
The Football League has said it will be seeking compensation for its clubs over the “frustrating and disappointing” decision, and clubs below the Premier League said they were not consulted about the major changes.
League Two Accrington Stanley's chair Andy Holt said they knew nothing about the move, adding: " We should be actively supporting minnows not taking opportunity away."
Fellow League Two side Tranmere Rovers said it condemned the "disgraceful decision taken by The FA and the Premier League to change the format of the FA Cup, including the scrapping of replays", with this agreement set to run for six years.
In a statement, it said there was no consultation with Football League clubs, National League clubs or grassroots clubs to whom the competition "represents not only their best opportunity to create life-long memories for supporters but also a hugely important source of income".
As has already been pointed out on social media, without replays, there would have been no 1972 giantkilling for Hereford, or the Ronnie Radford screamer.
The FA Cup can be money-spinning for the non-league sides who reach the proper rounds of the competition, especially forcing a replay against a higher-graded club. Those clubs, like Hereford, will now not have the chance to earn extra money (gate receipts and TV money), as well as the opportunity to play at stadiums they otherwise wouldn't.
The abolition of FA Cup replays from the third round had long been expected to help clubs deal with the expansion of the Champions League, which will feature 64 more matches next season and spill into January for the first time.
The move is all 'proper' rounds of the competition despite Premier League teams not entering until the third round.
Tranmere's statement added: "The decision, and the way it was taken, demonstrate a total lack of respect for the football pyramid and its fans. Football belongs to all of us and decisions should not be taken in back room deals in which only the very wealthiest clubs are allowed to participate.
"It is yet another eloquent example of the 19th-century governance that means that football simply cannot regulate itself and needs the Independent Football Regulator to have real teeth.
"We condemn the changes wholeheartedly and urge The FA to suspend them immediately until all stakeholders in the game are properly consulted."
As reported by the PA News Agency, replays remain popular with fans, with 69.5 per cent of those polled in a Football Supporters’ Association survey last summer believing they were an important part of the FA Cup.
Step three Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola tweeted: “Absolutely disgraceful. The FA showing once again that they are not fit for purpose.”
As reported by Sussex World, Di Paola’s Horsham played Barnsley in a home replay in this season’s first round – the type of game that will no longer take place, with ties being settled at the first game.
The club's vice-chair tweeted: "Just a reminder that not only did our televised FA Cup replay generate revenue, it raised the profile of the club, the off-shoots of which will continue to be felt at @HorshamFC and its community for years to come! Complete s*** show FA!”
Rob Smethurst, owner of Northern Premier League side Macclesfield FC told the i newspaper: “The scrapping of FA Cup replays will have a significant effect on lower division clubs and can essentially be regarded as the bigger teams looking after their own interests.
“Smaller clubs gain much revenue from FA Cup replays every year and to deny them of this opportunity is disappointing to say the least.
“The agreement between the FA and Premier League is another example of the monopoly which exists within the national game and how those clubs outside the top-flight are regarded with contempt.”
Bradford City chief executive Ryan Sparks told the same paper: “It is a decision that the EFL and its member clubs have not been consulted on. When you consider there’s over 700 clubs taking part in the FA Cup who make it what it is, to potentially have 20 make a decision alongside the FA which should protect the wider game shows you who truly runs the game.
“The Premier League appears to have control in this situation. I would have expected the FA to stand up for the rest of the game and govern. That doesn’t appear to have been the case, which is disappointing."