BT Sport will this month screen the first FA Cup match to be played on a Saturday night and "will use the game as a test event before bidding for Premier League games starting at the same time," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Liverpool's fourth-round match against West Bromwich Albion will kick off at 7:45pm on Jan. 27 and mark "the first time that the FA has agreed to allow a match to be shown in a Saturday evening primetime slot." The Premier League match between Leicester City and ManU on Dec. 23, which was broadcast by Sky Sports, was the first top-flight game to kick off at 7:45pm on a Saturday. The FA said that the kickoff time "had been agreed with the clubs, the police and local authorities." The latest train from Liverpool to Birmingham leaves Lime Street Station at 9:34pm -- "around the time the game will finish" -- so West Brom is "planning to help away fans" by organizing extra buses. Football Supporters' Federation Chair Malcolm Clarke said that the FA "should have consulted fans' groups before making the decision" (LONDON TIMES, 1/12).
