There have been disappointments for Sunderland this season but, for me, the biggest wasn't losing at Wigan, or Burnley, or Birmingham – it was losing to Aston Villa in the Carling Cup.

It was bad enough going out of the competition after a penalty shootout, but even worse to know that we'd had a penalty five minutes from the end of the game and missed the chance to go into the last eight.

Sunderland fans are desperate to see their club in the big finals and it's been a long time now since we experienced that.

Take the 1998 Play-off Final out of the equation and you now have to go back 17 years to Sunderland's last cup final – against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

It may or may not be Oxford who we play in the third round, but those looking for good omens might point out that the last time we played them in the cup was in 1992 on the road to Wembley.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.