CUP wins can be great for the morale of fans and players – we saw that last season when we got to the FA Cup quarter-final and had a full house against Liverpool.

But losing to lower-league opposition can have the opposite effect. It can demoralise you.

That’s why it’s important we improve on our recent record in the Capital One Cup when we take on Shrewsbury in the first round.

There is always a danger in these type of games that if six or seven of the boys are not quite at it that it becomes a very difficult battle.

Sometimes you just scrape through but other times, like what happened against Scunthorpe last season, you can get knocked out.

That’s why I am of the opinion that in these type of games you should always select your strongest side possible.

Yes you have to freshen your team up at some stages of the season but you can’t tell me that after two games, and after a full pre-season to get fit, the players are tired and are in need of a rest.

Teams at the top of the game have two sets of eleven and will say, play one goalkeeper in the cups and one in the league.

And more managers in the Championship are getting that mindset, too, but I still believe that you should have your best XI out there.

If you do that, and the lads are prepared properly and are wound up for the match, you can always take two or three of them off if the game is won.

And there’s no problem, either, with putting a few youngsters on the bench to get them involved for the experience.

If you put out a supposedly weakened side, and you lose, it can put fans on a downer and can lead people to question the strength of your squad.

Let’s hope that is not what happens after Shrewsbury and we can look forward to a cup run.