CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe would like to see the FA Cup restored to its former glory and thinks a Champions League spot for the winners would do the trick.

Howe is a big fan of the competition, his liking fuelled by the exploits of his boyhood heroes Everton in the 1980s – winners in 1984 and runners-up in 1985, 1986 and 1989.

However, while winning the FA Cup used to be second only to lifting the league title on the domestic front, a shift in priorities has seen its prominence diminish in recent years.

Securing a place in the Champions League has become of paramount importance to the big guns, while survival in the Premier League is the main aim of most of the top-flight’s other clubs.

And while FA Cup final day would grip the nation when Howe was growing up, a series of tweaks – including a change in kick-off time – have seen it lose some of its appeal.

Only last week, Southampton boss Ronald Koeman called for replays to be scrapped, claiming they were adding to an already-congested fixture schedule in England.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo ahead of Cherries’ trip to Aston Villa in the fourth round on Sunday, Howe said: “There have been several changes to the FA Cup format in recent years and I think there will probably be more in the future.

“The replay is not something I would want to see scrapped at this stage. When you have been in our position as a League Two and League One club and you pull a Premier League team at home, you try to battle for a draw to get the chance to go to Old Trafford, the Emirates or wherever.

“Those are the experiences the players take and that is the carrot for them. Added to that, there are the financial benefits of getting the share of the gate from a tie with a Premier League club.

“The days when you had five or six replays, and I remember those in the 1980s, were a good thing to leave behind with the fixture congestion we have now but I wouldn’t want to see one replay scrapped because that is the beauty of the FA Cup for me.

“But I would never criticise another manager for having a different view on the competition. That’s their right and everyone has to protect their club’s interests.”

Asked what changes he would like to see, Howe replied: “I would love to see it return to the prominence and importance it had in the 1980s and early 90s and, hopefully, we can all see it come back.

“It wouldn’t be for me to punt ideas around but I love the FA Cup and would love to see it restored somehow. I think it may take a bit of time. I certainly think a Champions League place for the winners but that would be the only one I could think of.”