It's really hard to look at the FA Cup quarter-final schedule and not wonder what might have been had we managed to beat Reading in round three.

Of course we had a great win at our place last Tuesday to complete a welcome Championship double over the Royals.

But they beat us 1-0 at the John Smith’s in January, and then got past Cardiff City and Derby County.

Now they are through to the last eight, and it just goes to show that with a bit of confidence and a reasonable draw, teams outside the Premier League can go on a really good cup run.

That’s also shown by the exploits of Bradford City, who host Reading on Saturday.

Local rivalry aside, it would be great to see them book another trip to Wembley in the semi-finals.

They went there for both the Capital One Cup final and the League II play-off-final a couple of seasons ago, when Nahki Wells was among their star men.

The FA Cup has provided an amazing stage for our own Jon Stead, who has scored in every round to help beat Halifax, Dartford, Millwall, Chelsea and Sunderland.

The victory at Stamford Bridge was just sensational.

And adding the scalp of Sunderland will have boosted confidence still further.

As well as their lack of exposure on the BBC, much has been made of the state of Bradford’s pitch.

But it is what it is, Reading will have to adapt, and it makes for a proper old-fashioned cup tussle!

Saturday’s other tie is a Midlands battle between Aston Villa and West Brom.

New manager Tim Sherwood has a big job on to keep top-flight football at Villa Park.

But watching him during the fifth-round tie against Leicester, when he had just been appointed, showed how much that match meant to him.

I’m sure he will be just as eager to get the better of the Baggies, especially with local pride at stake.

There aren’t that many miles between Liverpool and Blackburn, another of our Championship rivals.

And Sunday’s Anfield showdown promises to be interesting.

Then we have the small matter of a Manchester United versus Arsenal contest a week tonight.

Both Louis van Gaal and Arsene Wenger could do with some glory.

Who said the FA Cup had lost its sparkle?