Five League pointers from the FA Cup encounters

Granted, it could have been even better with Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers fully deserving of replays against Manchester United and Stoke City, respectively.

But encouragement should be easy to detect at the start of the week across the Broad Acres, with Yorkshire’s Championship contingent - alongside the Blades - having a quick turnaround before switching their attentions back to league business in midweek.

Here’s five things we have learned from the weekend action:

1: Beaten, but unbowed. Sheffield United can take positivity from pushing Manchester United all the way into their league campaign.

A soul-destroying denouement for the Blades at Old Trafford as defender Neill Collins acknowledged. But his observations that the season starts now were astute.

Fans and players were together as one at Old Trafford and that needs to be harnessed in the weeks and months ahead - with Nigel Adkins ultra-keen on fostering that togetherness through a club.

Defensively, the Blades looked sound and at League One level, they have the resources to create and score goals. Next stop, Wigan on Tuesday and Colchester on Saturday. A four-point haul and Adkins’ men are onto something.

2: Close, but no cigar for Doncaster Rovers. But a strong performance against Stoke is another sign of their progression and momentum building under Darren Ferguson.

In the final analysis, Rovers were only a couple of misses away from securing a replay against Stoke - one of the top-flight success stories this term - back to the Potteries for a replay. It also took a Premier class goal from Jon Walters to finish them off, so there is no time for brooding at the Keepmoat.

Rovers are progressing at apace under Ferguson, who has infused youthful promise and energy into their ranks, which was badly needed.

Put simply, Rovers have their mojo back. The question is can they prove ‘bolters’ for the play-offs in League One?

3: Mustapha Carayol can prove a useful acquisition for Leeds. Excellent start, more please.

The on-loan Middlesbrough winger has talent, that is patently clear with his fine weekend goal being a case in point. But harnessing it on a daily basis has proved a bit of a conundrum for several managers in the past - ask Aitor Karanka for one.

Steve Evans knows Carayol well from the early days of his career - having taken him on loan at Crawley, while also trying to sign him at Rotherham last term. Let’s hope the personal touch can cajole the best out of him. Chris Wood will certainly hope so, with the big striker needing another supply line or two.

4: Referee frustrations aplenty, but another positive showing from David Wagner’s Huddersfield Town.

Many Town supporters were blowing a gasket at the performance of referee Jeremy Simpson on Saturday tea-time, with Wagner particularly irate after claiming the 2-2 draw with Reading was ‘unfair’. Welcome to England, David..

But overriding that is the fact that vibrant Town have undoubtedly turned the corner under the German. Proactive, adventurous, high-energy football is on the menu and with back-to-back home games against Charlton and Fulham coming up, opportunity knocks for Town, who are in a good place at the moment.

5: Will Middlesbrough’s cup exit prove a blessing in disguise?

Not the result Boro wanted, with Aitor Karanka firing a shot across the bows of his players after the 2-1 loss at Burnley after declaring himself unhappy with his side’s performance. A timely reminder from the Basque, maybe and no bad thing.

But in the round, not too much damage has been done to Boro. Yet it was a reality check nevertheless and a mini-test of character ahead of successive away dates at Brentford and Bristol City.

Boro have had much of their own way for the past six weeks but now for a bit of a test.