The Fa Cup competition is opening out even after the third round and Saints could have a great chance of a good run in it.

After the weekend's flurry of 3rd round matches six Premier League clubs including Manchester united and Tottenham Hotspur have already exited the competition, they will be joined by at least one more fellow top flight club with Norwich & Fulham needing a replay and possibly another if Blackburn can overturn the odds in their replay at Manchester City.

Add to that the fact that all of the top four Championship Clubs have departed including Burnley beaten by Saints, indeed of the top 10 in the Championship only Brighton & Nottingham Forest are definately through to the next round

Saints have a great chance to get in the 5th round draw if they beat Yeovil at St Mary's and although with only one all Premier tie in the 5th round there will only be one guaranteed departure, that of either Chelsea or Stoke, if Saints can get another home draw in the 5th round they could find themselves in the quarter finals.

Of course the nature of the cup means that if we dispose of Yeovil we have as much chance of another premier club as an easy draw means there might not be an easy passage, but we have started this competition well and the vibe amongst Saints fans is similar to back in 2003 when there was a feeling that it might just be our year, it wasn't quite, but everyone who was around back then has fond memories.

Funnily enough with Saints league hopes dropping quickly, suddenly the FA Cup has taken on a lot more importance with Saints supporters, back when we drew Sunderland in the league Cup a tie that gave us a great opportunity to progress in that competition, many Saints fans were blaise about it, talking about concentrating on challenging for the Champions league etc and that being a priority over cup competitions, what a difference a month or so has made, now most would except that the FA Cup now represents our only real chance of glory this season, lets hope that the Club see that the same way and that in the coming weeks we take it seriously.

Personally as long as we dont get relegated given that the top six is a pipe dream, I wouldnt care where we finished between 7th and 17th if we won the FA Cup, not only would it be a taste of glory and there are some with short memories who have forgotten how enjoyable the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final win was, but it would be a way into Europe, if Saints won the cup then not only would we have made a big statement of intent in English football but we would have the chance to do the same on the European Stage and that would be a great help in attracting players in the summer if the offer of Europa League football was on the table.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Recent Stories