As much as every Cardiff City fan needs an FA Cup run right now, most would agree that Championship survival is the ultimate priority.
The Bluebirds need some positivity amid a rut which sees them under a transfer embargo, in 20th in the Championship and without a win in seven matches. It is exactly two months to the day since Cardiff won a match, a 1-0 away win at Sunderland.
With that in mind, Premier League outfit Leeds United come to town this weekend in the third round of the FA Cup. They will bring a big following with them and the nostalgia of that momentous game at Ninian Park 21 years ago will hopefully serve to prop up the numbers of Cardiff fans in comparison to cup attendances in years gone by.
Just like at Anfield against Liverpool a year ago, Cardiff ripped up their starting XI, with focus once again squarely on bettering their league form. Steve Morison handed opportunities to youngsters and players who had been out of the fold following his appointment.
Expect there to be changes this time around, too, with under-fire Mark Hudson of course now the man making the decisions.
This weekend can prove a useful tool for Hudson and his staff. While he is in desperate need of a win, and there will be a temptation to field his strongest side in order to do that, there is more to be gained from delving into his resources and offering some players the chance to prove they have something to offer in the final few months of the season.
It's clear the formula over the last few months, for one reason or another, has not been working. So who else can add something to this squad and inject some impetus as City look to scrap away from the bottom three? Only by playing them will Hudson find out.
One of the biggest transfer disappointments this season has been Romaine Sawyers. He looked to be a good signing at this level, proven both in the Championship and with Premier League experience under his belt, he brought a calm head and an ability to unlock defences.
He started so brightly, scoring good goals against Norwich City and Luton Town, but faded quickly. He slowed play down and opposition midfielders began to ghost past him too easily.
It's a big shame because he was thought to be an important signing by Morison and someone who would help to fill the painfully obvious dearth of creativity in this City squad. But it's just not worked out and he has been bombed out of the starting XI and, in four of the last six matches, the matchday squad all together.
The playmaker has far too much quality for Cardiff to simply banish him from the squad and why he has not shown it in a Bluebirds shirt yet is anyone's guess. But the Leeds FA Cup tie is the perfect opportunity for him to find his mojo once again and prove that he can aid City's ailing attack over the next few months.
Niels Nkounkou is another, like Sawyers, who began brightly before his defensive frailties began to be exposed. Brought in to assuage the loss of Jamilu Collins, he put in an assured performance on debut against Preston North End, while he was man of the match against Wigan Athletic in the win up there.
But Hudson has recently decided that Cardiff cannot continue playing roulette with him defensively and has opted to pull Callum O'Dowda back into the left-back position for the last three matches. The Everton loanee has also been out of the squad the last two matches, too.
Taking O'Dowda, who has deputised brilliantly in that left-back spot, out of the attacking third has weakened Cardiff's attack further in recent weeks, though. He was Cardiff's most consistent forward player and now he is being used to plug a hole elsewhere which is, again, not conducive to solving the Bluebirds' biggest problem: scoring goals.
Nkounkou is clearly a talented footballer and, if he stays, surely has something to offer the team moving forward. Might this weekend be another opportunity to run the rule over him? You'd rather him make a defensive slip-up against Leeds than against Wigan Athletic the following week. And if he has a stormer against the Elland Road side, then it's a big plus for Hudson and his stuff.
Another option is Sheyi Ojo. He, too, has fallen out of favour since the managerial reins changed hands. He has made just three substitute appearances in the last six matches.
At the beginning of the season, Ojo would produce brief moments which were encouraging - embarking on runs down the wing or moving past two or three players with the ball at his feet - but his end product grew increasingly frustrating. His final balls or shots were often errant and he became the fall guy or lightning rod for anger from City fans who were infuriated by Cardiff's lack of cutting edge in the final third.
But Ojo's race isn't run this season and he will be desperate to improve his numbers in the back half of the season. He has the talent but just needs the composure and poise in that final moment. He will want the opportunity to prove that against Leeds.
We have not seen an awful lot of Rubin Colwill or Isaak Davies, either. A lot of supporters are pinning hopes on them having barnstorming second halves of the season, given the promise they have shown over the last 12 to 18 months, but they are still very green behind the gills at this level.
Davies' electric speed is exciting, but injuries have blighted his relatively short career and he will want to better his goals and assists in the coming months and years. Colwill is similar, however his exploits with Wales and his seven goal involvements for the Bluebirds puts him a little bit ahead in the pecking order.
We saw them both combine for a stunning goal against Liverpool at Anfield 12 months ago and many hoped that would be the start of a young, exciting, academy-reared partnership at the top end of the pitch. But we have seen precious little of them together for sustained periods of time.
Might another cup outing, which will help to bump up their match fitness, too, help harness this burgeoning relationship on the pitch? There's only one way to find out.
All of the players mentioned, for one reason or another, have not contributed as much as any of them would have liked so far this season. As tempting as it might be for Hudson to go for the tried and tested, given the predicament he finds himself in, if Cardiff are to improve their goal record in the league in the back end of the campaign, he will have to see if these players and partnerships can indeed spark much-needed new life into their attack.
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