That great English tradition, the FA Cup 3rd round arrives in early January. A weekend when supporters of the smaller clubs dream of a big scalp. The Whites this season will be in the sights of Peterborough United

In recent years the FA Cup draw has paired us with inferior sides in the early rounds. That's not to say we haven't missed a trick to do our Fulhamish best to lose to opponents from the lower leagues - Accrington, Kettering, Swansea, Sheffield Wednesday, Leyton Orient, Cheltenham all spring to mind over the past decade.

Always seen as a chance to forget league form for a week and fully embrace the 'romance of the Cup' as TV chiefs and the games administrators never fail to remind us. In reality the FA Challenge Cup has lost much of its lustre in recent years. Post Christmas the competition increasingly draws an anomolous comparison between the big guns and the minnows.

©footballzone

Expect discounted ticket prices and swathes of empty seats at Premiership sides (the Old Trafford tie excepted), while the small town clubs who've made it this far will host a carnival atmosphere at tight little grounds, tradesmen hang club bunting in the High Street and grandchildren perch on shoulders and vie with grannies to catch a glimpse of the game.

So we welcome followers of Peterborough United to the Cottage next January. For them it will be a big day out. Regardless of the result they'll travel in numbers the 70 miles south to make a noise and hopefully cheer their side - two leagues below us - to a famous win.

We Fulham fans will just be hoping to avoid the banana skin, any serious injuries, and perhaps a little light relief from this season of struggle to date. It's a draw I watched with a smile. But just to keep your feet on the ground, the result from our programme above, with Fulham playing their Cup Final team from the previous May, shows up in the record books as Football League Cup 3rd round October 1975, Fulham 0 Peterborough United 1.

You have been warned!
Twitter@fulhamphil