Reading manager Steve Clarke insists the FA Cup needs protecting after some dubious scheduling decisions . Earlier in the competition the Third Round ties were split over five days due to New Years Day Premier League matches and to accommodate televised games . Reading had to play their FA Cup replay against Bradford in the last round on a Monday when they had played a Championship match two days previously . Steve Clarke wants scheduling of matches in England to improve so the FA Cup can be preserved . Should they progress to the final , that will be contested on May 30 leaving Clarke ’ s side almost a month without games when the Championship season ends on May 2 . The massive Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United is also scheduled to be televised at the same time as their semi-final against Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday . Clarke claimed he ‘ couldn ’ t care less ’ about the conflicting match , but added : ‘ I thought it was a shame in the last round when we had to play on a Monday night after playing on a Saturday . Reading beat Bradford in the last round but face a much tougher task when they face Arsenal at Wembley . 'There are things that we should do to protect this great competition . It should be special . ‘ When we beat Arsenal , we have to wait four weeks after our last league game to play the cup final , this is also not correct . ' I probably need to go on holiday for two of them and then bring the team back in . It 's a long break . ‘ If we get to the final , what are we going to do from May 2 to May 30 ? What do we do ? Everyone else has played , so we wo n't be playing games . 'It 'd be a great puzzle to have though . Let ’ s talk about it on Saturday night. ’ Reading defender Alex Pearce revealed the players are waiting until after the match on Saturday before booking any time off in May in case they beat Arsenal . ‘ Holidays are off until now , you can ’ t book anything , you ’ ve got to just see where you are and it would be great , ’ he said . ‘ We ’ re all committed and dedicated to getting to this final. ’ Arsene Wenger 's side are in formidable form and beating them will be a tough ask for the Royals .
Steve Clarke thinks that scheduling needs to better for the FA Cup . The FA cup is a great competition and it has been in place since its inception, but I think there are some things we can do to improve on it. Clarke admits that without improvements , the FA Cup will lose its appeal .