For so long, the FA Cup has felt like a hindrance for Sunderland; a chance to play a weakened team at a half-empty Stadium of Light or to get knocked out at the first attempt.
However, we now find ourselves in the last sixteen of the world’s oldest cup competition for the first time in over a decade, and ‘cup fever’ is spreading fast — helped by Sunderland enjoying a good league season and a shift in mentality from the club.
In every round so far, Régis Le Bris has said we’d play a strong team — and
he hasn’t disappointed.
The trip to Port Vale will see us play the lowest-ranked team left in the cup but despite this, it appears he won’t be taking any chances, saying that we’ll play “the strongest team possible”.
Taking the cup seriously is something we’ve perhaps wanted but not needed for years, and it feels like because we rarely have a mid-table kind of league season, always having something to play for, we’ve not been able to enjoy the luxury of giving a cup a go.
This season, we’ve either used the cup as a way of taking a break from a poor run in the league or to build some positive momentum.
We head to Port Vale for a third straight away game, albeit having picked up four points from trips to Bournemouth and then Leeds. Back-to-back away wins would get us rocking and rolling into a three-game unbeaten run nicely before the final two games of the month.
Cup runs can be a distraction — either welcome or unwelcome — and Sunderland’s decision to give the FA Cup a go has been brilliant. Including Port Vale, we’ll have played one team from each of the top three divisions of English football and whilst this could have been tougher, when it comes to the cup, it’s all about the luck of the draw.
A trip to a League One team for a Premier League club isn’t as cut and dry as many might think, and along with Arsenal’s visit to Mansfield, we’re up there as prime candidates for a cup upset. Yet this is great, and it’s nice to feel that even in the last sixteen of the cup, there are still some proper ties — and not just all-Premier League games.
If Sunderland finished in the top half and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, it would constitute a fantastic return to the Premier League. If we were to go any further in the cup, the excitement could really start to crank up.
Before we can dream any further, we’ve got to put in a professional performance in Staffordshire, making sure we don’t become a giant-killing statistic. If you do find yourself with a case of ‘cup fever’, today will serve you up the remedy, and let’s hope we’re all eagerly awaiting the quarter-final draw come Monday night.
