Cardiff City manager Neil Harris believes that the Championship fixture schedule should be looked at to stop crowds from dwindling across the festive period.

For the club's FA Cup third round clash against Carlisle at The Cardiff City Stadium, there was just 5,828 in attendance as the Bluebirds fought back from 2-0 down to draw the game 2-2 and force a replay at Carlisle's ground.

Speaking to WalesOnline after the game, Harris was less than pleased with the amount of supporters that was inside the ground and put the attendance down to the amount of games that was played across the festive period.

Harris said: "I think the amount of fixtures in the schedule over this period makes it very difficult for supporters to support every single game.

"It's crazy, I know, I'm a father of three myself, it's expensive taking your kids places.

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"Taking your family to football four times in 12 days is not easy.

"Scrap one of the league games. The FA Cup is here to stay and is a wonderful competition, everybody in football appreciates the FA Cup.

"British-based players, managers, supporters and foreign owners, managers and players love the FA Cup.

"To have this many league games is crazy, every manager has said the same thing. It causes nothing but cost for people and injuries."

The Bluebirds manager has only been in charge since November and in his first FA Cup game, he saw his side draw 2-2 thanks to goals from Gavin Whyte and Callum Paterson.

Jack Bridge nodded in the rebound after his penalty was saved for Carlisle, and Harry McKirdy nodded in on the stroke of half-time from Hallam Hope's cross.

Paterson then reduced the deficit just after the interval when he slid in from close range after Sol Bamba's header hit the bar, and Whyte then headed in from Paterson's cross to bring the scores level.

The Verdict

The festive period puts a massive strain on players and their bodies, with the amount of games and training they need to consume over a 14-day period.

The dwindling attendances in the FA Cup this weekend is a sign that sometimes the festive period can be too full on for supporters, and that the EFL could revise their schedule for future years.