IT'S unlike Wanderers to fail to provide many memorable moments in the cup.

But that has been the case during a season in which the league campaign has been very much the focus of attention and concentration.

Wanderers have a proud tradition in the knockout competitions with a host of stirring memories of exploits in both major competitions in recent seasons.

Only last term they reached the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and Worthington Cup which gave an added dimension to the excitement for fans and players alike.

However, as thrilling as those cup campaigns were they were also held partly responsible for Wanderers' failure to win promotion to the Premiership.

All those cup games took their toll in the end with Wanderers so close to achieving the ultimate aim before crashing out in the play-offs at the hands of Ipswich Town...and we all know how the East Anglians have progressed since that fateful night at Portman Road!

While the knockout competitions provide edge-of-the-seat thrills, it's the bread and butter of the league that shapes a club's status and, just as they paid for their over exertions in the cups last season, Wanderers have arguably benefited from a modest presence in them this time around.

Bat of an eyelid

The Worthington Cup is scarcely worth a mention as Wanderers were in and out of it in the bat of an eyelid before summer was finished.

A 1-0 home win in their first outing against Third Division Macclesfield - a Dean Holdsworth goal in front of a 5,000 crowd - was followed by a 3-1 away defeat and an unceremonious dumping out of the competition at the first hurdle.

While it was disappointing at the time, Wanderers used it to their advantage and focused all their attention on the league.

Their brilliant run of form in November, December and January was put down in part to the lack of a Worthington Cup distraction.

Sam Allardyce said at the time that the fact his side had had no midweek matches for several weeks had benefited his players no end.

They had been able to undergo a programme of training aimed at getting them to peak fitness and form for the Saturday league games - and results showed as they won nine, drew one and lost two league games as autumn went into winter.

When the FA Cup came round the results become something of a mixed bag.

Wanderers overcame Yeovil in their first outing in the competition and the distraction of the cup had no immediate effect on Sam's men as they went on to continue their excellent league results by defeating Tranmere at home 2-0 and hammering Sheffield Wednesday away 3-0.

The next FA Cup tie was a 5-1 drubbing of Scunthorpe United but the league results began to change after that game, draws at QPR and at home to Huddersfield being followed by a fine victory at Portsmouth.

Whether the cup was proving to be a distraction or not is difficult to say but results were definitely beginning to take a turn for the worse.

Next up was a knockout clash with Blackburn at home which finished in a draw and the three league games that followed saw Wanderers slip up with two draws and a defeat.

Defeat in the replay at Blackburn was followed by one win and four draws in the league.

What might have happened had Wanderers crashed out of the FA Cup in that first game against Yeovil is a matter for conjecture, but results tell the story that fortunes certainly dipped during the FA Cup campaign and for a few games after Bolton's exit from the competition.