Joe Ramage: The FA Cup remains special but for Hartlepool United it should take a back seat

Unlike 12-months ago when Hartlepool were gearing up for a third round tie with Championship side Blackpool, the priorities this time mean the visit of Stoke City is one that is likely to fall by the wayside.

It’s sad to have to suggest that. But with Keith Curle’s side ensconced in a relegation battle in League Two, the focus in January simply must be on their recruitment and a trio of monumental fixtures against Gillingham, Rochdale and Colchester United in their next four league games.

An FA Cup run, of course, would be nice. We all saw, and got to share, just how special last year's trip to Crystal Palace was - it really brought back the old adage of ‘magic of the cup.’

But while a potential glamour tie against another Premier League side would be nice, and the added bonus of an additional £105,000 in the club’s bank account will always be welcome, this year just feels slightly less significant.

I suppose there can be an argument made as to when is the right time to focus on the cup? You’re either trying to stave off relegation or you are fighting for promotion - both sets of circumstances to don’t lend themselves to focusing on progressing in a competition you are unlikely to win in the first place.

And yet there remains that romanticism about the FA Cup and this fixture, in particular, will pull on a few heartstrings.

Remember that David Foley strike? Of course you do.

Foley’s wonder goal added to Michael Nelson’s towering header to send the Town End into raptures as then League One Hartlepool knocked off then Premier League side Stoke.

Those moments don’t come around too often for teams in the lower reaches of the EFL so, when they do, you have to cherish them. It’s why the run in both cup competitions was so enjoyable last season. There’s something endearing about being the side who spoils the party for the so-called bigger clubs.

And yet, while the opportunity to replicate that 2009 win over the Potters presents itself again as the FA Cup takes centre stage, the thirst for that success is somewhat diluted given the struggles facing the club.

With injuries continuing to plague Curle’s squad, and work still to be done in the transfer market, the bigger focus has to be on next weekend’s visit to League Two basement boys Gillingham.

Of course, if the opportunity presents itself for Hartlepool to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup then you grasp it. But to what extent should Curle be risking things against Stoke?

Should he rush Jamie Sterry back for example? Should Josh Umerah lead the line?

Curle has been an advocate of starting his strongest XI in the previous two rounds of the competition which is noble - likewise Mark Shelton’s suggestion of Pools being in a place where they can’t turn down opportunities to win games of football, but the FA Cup, for this year at least, should take a back seat for Hartlepool.