Leicester City comment by Nev Foulger: FA Cup short of glamour

The dawn of a new decade begs a question that would never have been asked back in the good old days of the 20th century.

What are the chances of the FA Cup surviving for another 10 years? The once-magical competition that meant so much to so many has been diminished, demeaned and downgraded to such an extent that its long-term future can no longer be taken for granted.

Priorities have changed. The Premier League and the Champions League now represent the holy grail of football, because of the riches they provide. Sadly, the FA Cup comes a poor third behind them.

Third-round day used to be one of the most eagerly-awaited and exciting occasions on the football calendar. Not so now! Apart from a few instances, attendances around the country this weekend were generally disappointing.

The Walkers Stadium was no exception – even though ticket prices had been reduced. But, on a bitterly cold afternoon, there was a crowd of only 12,307 to see Leicester City beat Swansea 2-1 in a repeat of the result between the sides on the opening day of the season.

That game, however, pulled in nearly 14,000 more spectators.

It was the same scenario last season with the attendances for City's three home FA Cup ties against Stevenage Borough, Dagenham & Redbridge, and then Crystal Palace in the third round, well below those for the Foxes' League One games at the Walkers.

There are, of course, some mitigating circumstances. These are difficult financial times for many people. And FA Cup games are not included in the season-ticket package.

At least City manager Nigel Pearson gave the competition the respect it deserves by naming his strongest available line-up.

And Swansea boss Paulo Sousa revealed he had made changes only because five of his players had been sidelined by flu.

Perhaps the biggest relief for Pearson was not that City made it through to the fourth round, but that they avoided a replay.

With two postponed league games still to be re-arranged, an extra trip to Swansea was certainly not on Pearson's New Year wish list.

But, as he did on the opening day of the season, Dany N'Guessan stepped up off the substitutes' bench to score a late winner for City, and again suggest that he has the potential to make it at this level.

So too does fellow Frenchman Yann Kermorgant, who also joined the action in the 75th minute and made a telling contribution with a fine header that set up N'Guessan for the 88th-minute goal.

City were well below their best in a lacklustre first half and fell behind to a spectacular long-range strike from David Cotterill in the ninth minute.

But, once Andy King had equalised shortly before half-time, the Foxes gradually began to take control.

In the end they just about deserved their place in the fourth round for the first time in four years.