THE FOOTBALL Association will be urged to relax the "unworkable" substitution rule that scarred the Joma 2010 South West Challenge Cup.

All 13 clubs — from Blackpool of the Barclays Premier League to North Devon's Toolstation Western League sides — were furious that they were only allowed to make three substitutions in each match.

Some managers are even thought to have sent on replacements wearing the shirts of players in the first XI to disguise the changes.

The tournament organisers insist it was a rule forced upon them by the FA and say they have a paper trail to prove it.

Mike Bradshaw, the tournament director, said: "The FA have got it wrong.

"The event has to be approved and confirmed by the FA and we tried to get them to change their minds because we knew how important it was to the teams.

"The FA instruct their officials accordingly and it's for the officials to apply the rules.

"Teams bent those rules in such a way that they proved the rules are unworkable.

"It would concern me that if we can't get the rule changed teams won't come (next year).

"The managers and League Managers Association are now going to lobby (the FA) very hard."

The organisers may have to drop their view of the cup as a fully competitive tournament rather than pre-season preparation.

"It's for the FA to determine how it's achieved," said Bradshaw. "If the FA don't move, we have to move.

"They may say we can't call it a cup and we (have to) call it pre-season, but it's not pre-season friendlies.

"We may call it something like a festival of football and we are looking at this with Joma."

Blackpool were spotted sending on replacements in disguise and the Journal received reports of Doncaster Rovers doing the same in their 10-1 victory over Barnstaple Town. That was denied by their manager, Sean O'Driscoll.

However, a report on the club's official website after their second match — an eyebrow-raising 5-0 defeat to Havant and Waterlooville — described "Brian Stock and James Coppinger wearing the shirts of Simon Gillett and Dean Shiels".

Doncaster had already decided to withdraw from the tournament before the defeat to Havant, blaming injuries, the substitution rules and the tight schedule of matches.

Bradshaw described O'Driscoll as "troublesome" and insisted that clubs had been informed that only three substitutes would be allowed.

"I know of at least four of the senior managers who didn't like it but they made do with it.Those who stuck with the rules, I applaud completely," said Bradshaw.

"There was a workshop on June 14, every club was represented, where we said our application to the FA was for five subs.

"It took the FA the best part of four weeks to say that was not acceptable but that three subs would be approved.

"Any team that had our information pack saw it was a three substitutes rule.

"All the teams came with big enough squads (to cope).

"O'Driscoll was constantly trying to pressurise us into changing the rule from three subs to five. But it was not of our making, it was imposed by the FA."

There was a further twist to the tournament after Saturday's semi-finals. Shrewsbury Town conceded their place in the final to Havant because of a lengthening injury list. As a result, Blackpool, who beat Leyton Orient in the other semi-final, were named cup winners.

The Premier League side fought back from 2-0 down to beat Havant 3-2 in an 80-minute final, sparing the embarrassment of the losing team picking up the trophy.