SATURDAY, 12.15pm. PAUL JEWELL, the Wigan Athletic manager, delivers the first two-fingered salute of the weekend to the traditions of the FA Cup by selecting what was essentially a reserve team. Wigan Athletic — yes, Wigan Athletic — have become big-time Charlies, capable of looking down their noses at the tournament some will have us believe is still the world’s biggest cup competition.

Besides, Jewell has got his eye on Cardiff, not Wembley — a Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal tomorrow. Kevin Blackwell, the Leeds United manager, takes the slight in good heart, largely because he does not care either. He has got promotion from the Coca- Cola Championship on his mind, not a Cup run. The crowd has smelt the overwhelming indifference and fewer than 11,000 show up, with the Leeds end the only part of the ground anywhere near full. A football town, this is not.

In the circumstances, both managers got the result they deserved — a draw, meaning that they will have to do it all again. “It was the result neither of us wanted,” Blackwell said. “I think both of us would have settled for penalties at the end. With full respect to the FA Cup, both of us have got bigger fish to fry this year. I’m a massive ambassador for the FA Cup but at this period in our history it ’s something we could have done without. Maybe I will look back in eight to ten weeks and see it as a distraction.”

Few who watched the match will have found themselves too distracted by a mainly dire affair. David Connolly prodded in Lee McCulloch’s driven cross three minutes after the break and thereafter Wigan had plenty of chances to wrap up victory. Instead, after Ryan Taylor’s foot injury had reduced Wigan to ten men, Leeds threw caution to the wind and gained reward two minutes from time when Rob Hulse hammered home. Wedge another match into that crowded fixture list. “If you ask which was the more important match, that or Tuesday, the answer will have to be Tuesday, because we are at the semi-final stage,” Jewell said.

“We have always said that anything that happens in the Cup this season is a bonus, but it will not detract from our main target, which is staying in the Premiership.”

Wigan Athletic (4-4-2): J Filan — R Taylor, M Jackson, S Henchoz, S McMillan — A Johansson (sub: G Kavanagh, 72min), J Skoko (sub: J Roberts, 72), D Francis, A Mahon (sub: G Teale, 57) — D Connolly, L McCulloch. Substitutes not used: M Pollitt, P Chimbonda. Booked: Taylor, McCulloch

Leeds United (4-4-2): N Sullivan — G Kelly, P Butler, M Kilgallon, S Crainey — L Miller, S Derry, J Douglas (sub: R Cresswell, 79), E Lewis — R Hulse, R Blake (sub: D Healy, 68). Substitutes not used: I Bennett, S Walton, D Pugh

Referee: G Poll