FA Cup expectations are unrealistic for Yorkshire's clubs – but don't kill our dreams

Without romance, what is the point of football? Yet it feels like too often pragmatism is winning.

Yorkshire has 11 out of 92 league clubs, yet it is 54 years since the FA Cup last resided here. Only three made Monday’s fourth-round draw and Barnsley’s tie at Liverpool had not yet kicked off.

There was a time when winning the FA Cup was of almost equal importance to winning the league, when finishing fifth in the top division was not seen as a “trophy”, when avoiding relegation was not so all-encompassing you had to write off a cup run to make sure.

In fairness to Yorkshire's sides, only Championship Sheffield United lost a third-round tie they ought not to have – at home to League One Mansfield Town – but it was depressing all the same.

Hull City had not reached the fourth round since 2020, yet before their game, coach Sergej Jakirovic was getting pelters in some quarters for picking too strong a team at home to a Blackburn Rovers side who definitely could not be accused of that. The volume rose after Darko Gyabi’s serious-looking groin injury.

What are we coming to when playing one game of football a week is considered reckless for a professional footballer?

Gyabi's Hull had not played since New Year's Day and are not due to play again until Saturday. It backfired, but had Gyabi "rested" you could imagine complaints about him looking rusty at St Mary's.

"We had all of this week, seven days," explained an almost bemused Jakirovic afterwards. "We didn't play against Watford. "The next game is Saturday against Southampton.

"Those players who have come back from injuries – (Liam) Millar, (Oli) McBurnie – need minutes. (Akin) Famewo needs minutes, Cody (Drameh) didn't play for one month.

"The players, they like to play the games. They don't like to train so much. Their mindset is every three days, play, play, play."

Hull's reward for a slog of a game in front of just 6,627 fans – "It's much more beautiful to play in front of a full crowd but we're all professionals," reasoned Amir Hadziahmetovic – was the excitement of being in Monday night's draw.

"I'm 50-50 about this," said Hadziahmetovic, who like his fellow Bosnian Jakirovic is new to all this. "I'd like to play against a big team in England in an away stadium but also I'd like to go through to the next round."

Win, win, in other words.

As it turned out, Hull will host Chelsea on Valentine's weekend.

It was different for Leeds United, who saw three players go off with cramp in last Wednesday's 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United, but manager Daniel Farke was still able to put out a strong enough team to beat Derby County 3-1. "The kids" – with the exception of unused substitute Sam Chambers – stayed at home.

Will stretching their season season to 41 games – by playing at Birmingham City – condemn Leeds to relegation? Will it heckers, like. Crystal Palace have already played 33. With no replays these days, the most Leeds will be put through is 45.

Most of Hull owner Acun Ilicali's faults as a chairman come from being too much of a fan, surely the better way to fail in this cold era of faceless hedge-fund investors.

For them to be paired with Chelsea felt inevitable as soon as ex-Hull player and coach Liam Rosenior took over, but Ilicali insisted: "The only place we should meet Liam's team this season is in the FA Cup final at Wembley in May."

"This is a secret message to me," laughed Jakirovic before the draw.

The chances are slim, just like the chances of Macclesfield knocking Crystal Palace out were. Like the chances of Hull being 2-0 up against Arsenal in the first 10 minutes of the 2014 FA Cup final were.

Hull lost 3-2 but the memories outweigh the disappointment.

Recently Farke was asked about ending Leeds' 34-year drought for major silverware.

"We’ve had a few draws and now we’re talking about trophies?" he chuckled. "Bloody hell, the pressure’s always on the manager here at Leeds United!"

But why not dream? The watering-down of the Cup means just reaching the semi-final is an achievement. A night out at Anfield was a reward for League One Barnsley. A chance for revenge against Brighton and Hove Albion, who beat them 6-0 in the League Cup was on offer if they could win at Liverpool.

"We want to give it a go and you never know.,” said Farke. “We're not the favourite but competitions like the FA Cup are made for fairytales.”

Coventry City and Sheffield United have played in Wembley semi-finals since Covid. Palace are the holders, Leciester City the 2021 winners, Watford reached the 2019 final.

Is it unfair to expect Leeds or Hull to do the same? Yes. But is it wrong to dream about it? Certainly not. DRAW: Birmingham City v Leeds United; Macclesfield v Brentford; Manchester City v Salford City or SwindonTown; Aston Villa v Newcastle United; Grimsby Town v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Port Vale v Bristol City; Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion; Burnley v Mansfield Town; Burton Albion v West Ham United; Hull City v Chelsea; Arsenal v Wigan Athletic; Wrexham v Ipswich Town; Southampton v Leicester City; Oxford United v Sunderland; Stoke City v Fulham; Liverpool or Barnsley v Brighton & Hove Albion.