Up for the cup

It did feel as if, in recent years, the romance of the competition had been lost a little.

Fewer non-league clubs were progressing to latter rounds and when they did, the big guns weren't even that bothered if they lost to them, with the financial rewards of league success being a priority.

However, this year - and last year to an extent - there is no denying the world's oldest cup contest is back to its best.

Last year, we had Barnsley's exploits and I doubt I need to remind anyone of goings on at Croft Park, Blyth, this time around.

So, the cup is indeed romantic once more and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday's game with Bolton.

But that is where the contradiction lies. The very reason I enjoyed it was because I simply wasn't that bothered.

I have become so used to an early exit from the cup that I almost expect to lose in the third round.

Similarly, the agony of losing an early-stages cup game is nowhere near as bad as losing a Premiership match.

Lose in the league and there is the infuriating drive home, listening to the full classified results, then there are the seven days of hurt, glaring at the league table at every opportunity, wondering where the next three points will come from and predicting the results for the next 10 games.

But lose in the cup and that is it, over and done with - brief disappointment but time to move on.

So, without the pressure of knowing how dismal I will feel for the next week if we don't triumph, I was able to sit back, relax and fully enjoy the spectacle before my eyes on Saturday.

Clearly, I want us to win every game we play but when the down side is just another season without winning the cup, third round afternoon is more of a day out than a nail-biting, nerve-jangling white knuckle ride, as is the case on most Saturdays.

In actual fact, I probably get more nervous for pre-season games, fearing that our performance will signal how we will perform for the rest of the campaign and if we don't thump our opposition convincingly, we are dead-cerpts for relegation.

And, to cap things off, we won and avenged the humiliating 4-1 reverse that was Roy Keane's last game.

Having said all that, the further in the cup we progress, the higher the stakes get and the more we have to lose, so, with any luck, there could be some nail-biting to come.