CARDIFF CITY skipper Graham Kavanagh has warned his players not to get distracted by the plum Worthington Cup draw against Premiership glamour club Tottenham Hotspur.
The Republic of Ireland international remembers what happened after that remarkable FA Cup win over Leeds last January - the Bluebirds lost 2-0 at home to lowly Peterborough in a league match.
Those lost three points ultimately proved fatal as City missed out on an automatic promotion spot by only two points.
And Kavanagh admits the City players "lived off" the Leeds result for too long, something they cannot afford to repeat if they do pull off the unexpected and win at White Hart Lane.
"We had a great win against Leeds and that day was a fantastic occasion for the club, but the week after it was a real anti-climax and we lost against Peterborough," said the former Middlesbrough and Stoke player.
"I remember playing Peterborough. It was a strange atmosphere, almost dead. We were losing and the fans didn't seem bothered by that.
"Yes, going to Tottenham is a nice distraction from the league games, but it's no good having days like the one we had against Leeds if we miss out on promotion.
"I remember sitting in the dressing room after we lost to Stoke in the play-offs. I felt as sick as a pig. At that moment the Leeds win wasn't worthwhile, I would have given it up for promotion.
"We need to be on song in the league and the first match after we play Tottenham (at Wigan) is crucial. We must perform to our best in that one. We can't have a repeat of Peterborough.
"As players, we lived off the Leeds result for far too long. We lost our focus after that game. We can't afford to do the same again.
"First and foremost we've got to perform in the league matches.
Promotion is our priority.
"At the same time, we're delighted to have the chance to experience the atmosphere at White Hart Lane and to give a good account of ourselves against a very good Premiership team.
"The manager has been using his squad in the cup games and looking at different players - it will be interesting to see if he drops first-team regulars for this game against Tottenham. We'll all be pleading with him not to drop us."
After watching his side beat Stockport, City manager Lennie Lawrence was keen to play down the cup draw.
"I'm delighted for the fans, but I'm not going to give the game a second's thought for the moment, nor will the players," he said.
"We've got far more important things to concern ourselves with, like the five league matches before the Tottenham game, and the rather important match with Wigan after we play Tottenham."
But he added, "It will be great for my players and, when I'm in the dugout on the night, I'll love it too. When I was manager at Charlton, I didn't have too bad a record at Tottenham.
"But the only thing in my thoughts now is our next match against Brentford on Tuesday. We've got to carry on the form we showed against Stockport into that game."