The FA Cup v The Football League

Surely that depends on the ability of the management and players to forget about the FA Cup until the tie comes around? I don't believe that it has to and although you could point to clubs (Shrewsbury?) who arguably have gone off the boil with a cup run there will also be teams that have made success on the back of a good FA Cup run as well?

Let's face it our league form has been nothing better than patchy since September. We have scraped the odd win and the odd draw here and there to keep us in contention until, as we have seen over the past few weeks, others have caught and overtaken us. The next two league games against Mansfield and Torquay are huge games for us now and both should be treated as a mini cup final. Four points is a must from that otherwise I feel that we will be casting ourselves too far adrift. And if that happens then the FA Cup is a must to keep some interest in the season. Of course we won't be mathematically away from the play offs but nothing from the next two games will make it very difficult to put anything like a good enough run together.

I also believe that although we have the disappointment of the 5th round draw it can help us as the players, if they were anyway, are much less likely to get distracted by the thought of playing at Prenton Park as they would if it were Old Trafford? We also have to look at the games that we are having to re-arrange because of the FA Cup. Make no bones about it Boston away and Leyton Orient at home are games that we would expect to win if we want promotion and I don't see those as bad games if we have to have some in hand. Would prefer those then say Hull and Doncaster at home or something similar.

Let's be fair at what this team could achieve. We are a third division club who have a chance of being the first team from the basement division to reach the quarter finals in over a decade (Cambridge 1990) from there on in it only takes one special performance and you are in a position that usually only the top clubs can dream of. Nationwide coverage, big income to the club and a raised profile in the process. Much the same in that last summer we were seen as the team that just avoided relegation to the Conference by the skin of our teeth, we could be remembered as FA Cup Quarter Finalists or better this summer. Makes the whole club more attractive from the outside to players and business alike?

I accept that the league is more important and if I had a straight choice now between promotion and beating Tranmere then the former wins hand down. But with three months of the season to go that choice isn't on the table so I want us to win - same as I do every game. I was 8 when we last reached this stage, I don't want to wait until I am 56 to do it again so I'll enjoy it while it is happening. At the same time I also want to see us win promotion but I honestly don't have to see why we can't have both.

I know that come February 14th I will be at Prenton Park getting behind the Swans and just hoping and praying that we get the result we want. When I was growing up I never thought I would see us at Wembley - that happened twice - I never thought I would see us in a FA Cup Quarter Final - we may not get a chance as good as this so why should we throw it away on something that we can never prove?

Lets get that quarter final place and promotion - I don't see why it can't be done - do you?

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