Ange Postecoglou defended the abolition of FA Cup replays after his Tottenham side defied non-league Tamworth 3-0 in extra time of their third-round tie. Under the previous regulations, Tamworth would have earned a lucrative replay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the whistle blew at 90 minutes with the game still goalless.

Related: Tottenham break Tamworth hearts in extra time after nervy FA Cup tie

But from this season, matches are being played to a finish on the day, and a tiring Tamworth were swept aside in the extra period to earn Tottenham a fourth-round tie at Aston Villa. Postecoglou said that scheduling concerns for top clubs justified the change. As well as league and European commitments, Tottenham are currently engaged in a two-legged League Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

“I get the sentiment, but at the same time I’ve been banging on about less [fewer] games so it is a balancing act,” he said. “The way the calendar is at the moment, it would be almost impossible for us to fit another game in. We are already struggling to fit it all in. I certainly believe in the competition and what it does offer every part of the football pyramid, and I think it should be protected.”

The Tamworth coach, Andy Peaks, paid tribute to his semi-professional players for their performance against a team ranked 96 places above them in the league pyramid. “To take a team to extra time, it is unbelievable,” he said. “I am immensely proud. I just said: ‘Don’t be disappointed, because we almost created history there.’

“Even this week it didn’t really sink in what we were actually going to do. It will probably take a few days. I’m getting Archie Gray’s top. He has promised me one. He won’t let me down. He knows I’m a Leeds fan.”