Tonbridge Angels manager Jay Saunders believes the Kent Senior Cup should be relaunched as a pre-season competition.

The tournament has lost some of its appeal in recent years, with clubs often fielding weakened or young sides as league matches take priority.

Angels are through to this season’s semi-finals but that doesn’t change Saunders’ view that a rethink is needed at the Kent FA.

“It should be a pre-season tournament,” he said.

“They’d get more interest and they’d get managers taking it a bit more seriously because the games would be more realistic, so you’d get more out of it pre-season. That’s what it should be.”

Running it as a pre-season cup would also ease the pressure on fixture scheduling mid-season.

Indeed, there was a possibility of Tonbridge having to play their semi-final at Ebbsfleet on Wednesday, the day after facing Welling in the league, before the Kent FA agreed it could be held on March 18 instead.

Fleet themselves faced Maidstone in last season’s final having arrived back in the early hours that morning from a midweek league game at Halifax, ruling out any chance of fielding their strongest XI.

Tonbridge would have fielded youngsters had the Fleet tie been played this week but the switch to next month gives them a chance to name first-teamers.

Saunders said: “I normally use it to get the boys who haven’t been playing some minutes but we’ll go strong against Ebbsfleet and try and get through to the final.

“Why not? I’m sure they will go strong as well.”

The winners of the Fleet v Tonbridge tie will face Welling in the final, which is due to be held at Priestfield Stadium on April 2.

The Wings booked their place after beating Dover 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.