One problem with Southampton beating Fulham in FA Cup

Southampton are the final Championship representative in the FA Cup this season, after they beat Premier League side Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Ross Stewart’s late penalty proved the difference, as the Saints continued their impressive league form into the most famous cup competition in the world to secure a berth in the last eight.

Tonda Eckert’s side must feel like they are on top of the world, having extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 games, securing a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2022, and their first as a second-tier side since 1976.

However, this may come at a slight cost, given the scheduling of the next round.

The FA Cup quarter-finals are set to take place over the Easter weekend this season. With just four games on show, you’d expect there to be two on the Saturday and two on the Sunday, and if this proves to be the case, Southampton could find themselves with a hefty fixture backlog towards the end of the campaign.

Usually, EFL sides would miss one scheduled league game if they progressed this far in the competition, but this season, the Saints may have to postpone both their Good Friday and Easter Monday fixtures for later in April.

Southampton’s schedule could reflect that of Coventry City from two years ago

Southampton’s current situation resembles that of Coventry City’s two years ago. In the 2023/24 campaign, fresh off a top-six finish the year prior, the Sky Blues had their typical slow start and were in the bottom half throughout the majority of the first half of the season.

However, a run of just one defeat in 14 games to end 2023 and begin the following calendar year saw them knocking on the door of a play-off place. They continued that vein of form in the league, and used the momentum to go on a FA Cup run which saw them reach the semi-finals and almost beat Manchester United at Wembley to make the final.

It was an incredible run, and many Coventry fans still remember that late turnaround at Wolves like it was yesterday, but it did come at a cost to their play-off hopes.

After beating Leeds United on April 6, Mark Robins’ side were seventh, four points off the top six and with a game in hand. From then on, though, their focus was on the Wembley semi-final a fortnight later, and they lost their two games leading up to it.

Following that heartbreaking defeat to the Red Devils, the Sky Blues had to then play Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday to end the campaign, while the majority of the rest of the Championship only had the two weekend games remaining. The hangover from the cup exit was there to be seen, and Coventry picked up just one point out of those four games.

That led them to finish ninth, nine points off the play-offs, and many critics felt that they’d have secured back-to-back top-six finishes if they had just the one league focus towards the end of the season.

Southampton will want to avoid suffering a similar burnout to Coventry City two years ago to continue play-off push

If both the Good Friday and Easter Monday games are postponed, Tonda Eckert’s side will have three weeks between April 11 and May 2 to play seven league games. That would mean playing midweek games every week in the run-in.

So, in a way, Southampton’s schedule may end up looking even worse than Coventry’s did, and that’s even without them possibly making the semi-finals like Mark Robins’ side did two years ago. If the Saints do make it to Wembley, it’d be much more difficult.

For a side with little to play for in the league campaign, it’d be easy to just write off those games and focus on the slim chance of winning silverware. However, Southampton are just four points removed from Wrexham in sixth, and have the momentum to perhaps see themselves into the play-offs.

Having the cup distraction, plus the fixture backlog it creates, may disadvantage Tonda Eckert’s side in their bid for a Premier League return.

So, while it was impressive to see them knock out a top-flight side on Sunday, perhaps it will come at a cost in Southampton’s attempts to play sides like Fulham more regularly next season.