Sunderland's ambitions as they face Burnley in the FA Cup on Saturday focus more on preparations for the bigger Premier League battles ahead than on the boost to morale a win would bring.
Only Sunderland supporters born in or before the 1960s know the exhilaration of seeing their team win a major trophy. The 1-0 victory in 1973 over Leeds United, then a mighty force in football, provided not just another footnote in the history of FA Cup finals but the stuff of fairytales.
Unfancied scruffs from the second tier had overcome England's finest. Footage of Ian Porterfield's winning goal and Jimmy Montgomery's amazing double save are still shown repeatedly when the FA Cup's past glories are discussed.