The FA have refused to alter aspects of its trademark cup competition as it would break tradition.

The FA Cup has been criticised in recent years after some teams appeared to take it less seriously than other competitions by fielding weaker sides.

Abolishing replays has been suggested as a means of reducing the amount of potential games teams have to play in a season, but FA general secretary Alex Horne believes that that, and a free draw, are essential components of the world's oldest cup competition.

"Our view is that there are absolute fundamentals in the cup and one of those fundamentals is the free draw," said Horne.

"The absolute tradition around the ability of a club to be picked at home, away - against a big club or against a small club, we think tinkering with that would be a mistake.

"I think replays are an absolute part of the magic of the cup - if you look at the replays that were earned yesterday some of the big clubs have got themselves into a spot of difficulty having to go and play away."

The FA, the oldest football association in the world, will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year.