Last week Dave Kitson, the Reading forward, said that he did not give a damn about the FA Cup because his side had no chance of winning it, and that Barclays Premier League survival was more important. The implication was clear: a Cup run would stretch the squad and hurt the club’s league position.

On paper, it makes sense. Given that, since Everton in 1995, no club outside the big four have won the FA Cup, it would appear that smaller teams stand no chance. And so, while a Cup run may sell a few more tickets, its benefits are outweighed because players get less rest and have to play more matches, thereby becoming more fatigued and therefore doing less well in league competition.

Except, in reality, Kitson’s theory does not hold water; at least not in the past five years. We looked at every FA Cup semi-finalist or finalist outside the big four in the past four seasons. We chose to exclude Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United because they tend to have bigger and deeper squads and, more importantly, they often go far in European competition, making it difficult to assess whether their league form suffers as a result of the FA Cup or the Champions League.

But, looking at the eight teams who advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup from 2003-04 onwards, it emerges that all but one – Blackburn Rovers – performed better in the league during the run than before or after. This seemed to hold true for Premier League teams and Coca-Cola Championship clubs.

2006/07 Watford (losing semi-finalists) 3 wins, 2 draws, 8 defeats: 0.85 points per match (during Cup run); 2 wins, 11 draws, 12 defeats: 0.68ppm (outside Cup run)

2006-07 Blackburn Rovers (losing semi-finalists) 4 wins, 0 draws, 7 defeats: 1.09ppm (during Cup run); 11 wins, 7 draws, 9 defeats: 1.48ppm (outside Cup run)

2005-06 West Ham (losing finalists) 9 wins, 2 draws, 6 defeats: 1.71ppm (during Cup run); 7 wins, 5 draws, 9 defeats: 1.24ppm (outside Cup run)

2005-06 Middlesbrough (losing semi-finalists) 7 wins, no draws, 7 defeats: 1.50ppm (during Cup run); 5 wins, 9 draws, 12 defeats: 0.92ppm (outside Cup run)

2004-05 Newcastle United (losing semi-finalists) 3 wins, 3 draws, 3 defeats: 1.33ppm (during Cup run); 7 wins, 11 draws, 11 defeats: 1.10ppm (outside Cup run)

2004-05 Blackburn (losing semi-finalists) 4 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats: 1.40ppm (during the Cup run); 5 wins, 13 draws, 10 losses, 1.00ppm (outside Cup run)

2003-04 Millwall (losing finalists) 9 wins, 7 draws, 5 defeats: 1.62ppm (during Cup run); 9 wins, 8 draws, 8 defeats: 1.40ppm (outside Cup run)

2003-04 Sunderland (losing semi-finalists) 6 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats: 1.91ppm (during Cup run); 16 wins, 10 draws, 9 defeats, 1.66ppm (outside Cup run)