Driving to the Amex on Saturday, I listened to a fascinating interview with Paul Doswell.

Paul who? He is not a big name, probably not even in his own very big household (he has seven kids), but his story is what the third round of the FA Cup is all about. Or should be.

Doswell, in-between his family duties and running his own property development business, manages Sutton for nothing.

In fact, he pays to manage them, since he sponsors the club.

You know who they are? Because in 1989 they famously knocked 1987 winners Coventry out in the third round, with a midfield which included former Albion captain turned commercial manager Paul Rogers.

Third round day back then was one of the biggest on the calendar. Not any more.

Premier League and Championship clubs and their supporters no longer care about it, at least not until Wembley is somwhere in sight.

Chris Hughton made 11 changes and only two sides of the Amex were open for Albion's routine passage against MK Dons.

 

I do not blame Hughton or the club. Why would the manager risk players key to the promotion push when he has others on the fringes or returning, like Beram Kayal, from injury and in need of game time?

From the club's perspective, it would not have made economic sense to have the Amex open as normal for business for a match that attracted a crowd of just over a third of the capacity.

The blame for third round day losing its romance lies partly with the TV companies and partly with the draw.

The choices made by the BBC and BT Sport for live coverage were boring. West Ham v Manchester City on Friday evening, Manchester United v Reading Saturday lunchtime, Tottenham v Aston Villa Sunday afternoon. I could not be bothered to watch any of them.

The closest the live TV cameras came to the essence of third round day was Albion's hosts this Saturday, Preston, running Arsenal close at Deepdale Saturday tea-time (below).

The Argus: Even then, Preston, halfway up the Championship, are not exactly minnow material.

Producers would argue it is the top clubs that pull in the viewers. So Sutton's home tie against AFC Wimbledon - a nice story considering the giantkilling FA Cup memories associated with the name of the visitors - never stood a live chance.

Likewise the other third round ties involving non-league teams: Barrow v Rochdale, Brentford v Eastleigh, Ipswich v Lincoln, Wycombe v Stourbridge.

Sutton and Lincoln both lived to fight another day by forcing replays. Lincoln took nearly 5,000 fans to Portman Road, almost a third of the total attendance.

The third round really matters to clubs like them. A big pay day can make a big difference for several seasons.

So here is a solution which would go some way to reviving interest in third round day. Manoeuvre the draw so that any non-League side reaching the last 64 is guaranteed what they always wish for, a tie against a Premier League club.

That way they get the reward they deserve and the TV companies would be duty bound to select them for live coverage.

No producer is going to take the risk, how ever minimal, of missing out on another Sutton or Hereford, a mouse swallowing a fat cat.

Even if Premier League v Non-League went true to form, there would be plenty of Paul Doswell-type stories to intrigue the public.

The butchers, bakers and candlestick makers up against the multi-rich, with a different car to drive into training for every day of the week.

Everyone would be an FA Cup third round winner.