FA CUP AND TROPHY NEW WELSH PARTICIPANTS

NEWLY-crowned Welsh Premier champions The New Saints have sprung a shock by entering next season's FA Cup and FA Trophy competitions.
The surprise news is revealed on the Football Association website where TNS are among the 940 clubs who have entered FA competitions for the 2012/13 season, while continuing to keep their Welsh football commitments.
The Saints join exiled Welsh clubs Merthyr Town and Newport County in wanting to play in the world’s oldest cup competition as well as the Welsh Cup.
Merthyr and Newport took their places in the Welsh Cup this season after being invited back by the FAW after an absence of nearly 20 years, although Cardiff, Colwyn Bay, Swansea and Wrexham declined the offer.
The New Saints' managing director Mike Harris says the entries into the English competitions are a matter of fair trade.
"With the exiles being invited back into the Welsh Cup this season, we think it is only fair that we are allowed to enter the English cups as well," Harris told welsh-premier.com.
"We are a business, we need to play as many games as possible and we want to play football.
"We also feel that it will enrich those competitions to have the Welsh champions taking part as well."
TNS have not yet been informed whether their applications to play in the two competitions have been accepted and will also face the difficulty of fixture clashes with their Welsh league and cup commitments.
This was a problem that plagued Newport and Wrexham in this season's Welsh Cup but Harris added: "We will build a squad to deal with the problem if it arises."
Uefa ruled last month that the six exiled Welsh clubs would not be allowed represent Wales in Europe if they won the Welsh Cup and Harris quipped: "We will not be seeking to represent England in Europe if we win the FA Cup!"