How far should AFCB be looking to go in the FA Cup?

The FA Cup has not been that favourable a competition for the Cherries in recent years. The best we have done of late was a fourth round tie in 2005 against Burnley when we had all hoped that Liverpool would have won through their replay to play the Merseyside giants. We lost that game 2:0 and Eddie Howe was an unused substitute - what were we thinking?

The fortunes of our club are very different today. AFCB starts its FA Cup journey in the third round and we have a home tie against Burton Albion. That is perhaps a little more winnable than last year's third round tie against Wigan Athletic. The fact that Wigan went on to lift the silverware last season just got me wondering how far should the Cherries be looking to go in this year's competition?

Eddie Howe has rightly stated that the league has to be the priority, but that he would like AFCB to progress. While the financial merits of getting to the fourth or fifth rounds with a big tie would be good for the club's bank balance it is probably not as essential as in the past. But there are lots of benefits to having a good cup run. The fans like to have a dream tie, while if the team is drawn against lower opposition they can reach the final stages of the competition. Let's face it we have not seen Wembley in many a year, but favourable draws have seen Championship teams gracing the stadium in the semi-finals and final.

The added boost to player confidence of winning games can also not be underestimated and it takes a bit of pressure off the constant battle of playing in the Championship. A bit of light relief would see the Cherries progress to the fourth round but Burton Albion will be all out to inflict a result that we would not like. The FA Cup is special and while AFCB have not had a great history in the competition perhaps we can start making some more now for a generation who never saw Man Utd stunned at Dean Court in 1984. We did not get to Wembley in the play-offs last season, but I wouldn't mind a visit in the cup. UTCIAD!

Breaking News: The pitch has passed the 12.00pm inspection today but will be further monitored every 30 minutes! Managers being consulted.

Expect a further update at 1:30pm when Burton Albion coach arrives at Dean Court.
Eddie Howe has told BBC Radio Solent that he wants the game on but player safety is a concern.