The first of three F.A. Cup 5th Round matches on Saturday takes us to the South Coast and The AMEX in particular as a Brighton side who are struggling for form as of late, play host to a Derby County outfit who are bidding for promotion from the Championship.
Brighton were viewed as a team that were comfortably in mid-table, unfortunately for them though results have now started to go against them and as a consequence they now find themselves in the battle to beat the drop.
The Seagulls have not won any of their last six league meetings and now find themselves just three points of clear of the relegation zone. While to make matters worse, they have also been leapfrogged by local rivals Crystal Palace.
Chris Hughton’s men now find themselves lying 14th in the Premier League at table at present and although there are teams in more immediate danger right now, it does seem as this is a squad that has lost anything in the way of momentum.
Thankfully this weekend offers the club a brief respite, as the focus shifts to cup action and the visit of a Derby County side who under the stewardship of former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard find themselves on the fringes of the Championship play-offs.
It’s just goal difference which sees the Rams on the outside looking in as they occupy 7th, while Bristol City who have hit a real purple patch in terms of form – winning their last six league games in a row has moved into the final play-off position.
But the Championship is certainly a war of attrition and with more than a quarter of the season to go, there will still be plenty of twists and turns before we know which three teams will make it to the promised land of the Premier League in May.
And it is here that the two respective managers Chris Hughton and Frank Lampard will need to ask themselves, just how much they need the additional fixtures that come with a prolonged run in the FA Cup.
For Brighton the focus now is finding those all-important league points to keep themselves above water, while for Derby it’s all about earning a top six finish in the Championship and a subsequent play-off place.
Therefore, does the F.A. Cup now become something an unwanted distraction? On one hand it can certainly be viewed as that, on the other it can also foster some much needed momentum which can then hopefully be transferred to a league schedule.
And because of those arduous league schedules there are no longer replays in the 5th Round of the FA Cup, therefore there has to be a winner on Saturday afternoon. Extra-time and Penalties are on standby should they be required.
Derby have already knocked out one Premier League outfit this season, as Southampton fell by the wayside in the 3rd Round. Do not be all that surprised if they managed to add another scalp on the way to the Quarter-finals.