MUCH maligned, rarely respected and often seen as a pain in the backside. The League Cup has its fair share of detractors.

But as Cherries fans approach a testing week on the road with trepidation following Saturday’s 5-1 hammering at Huddersfield, the second best cup competition in English football could provide a first rate way for Eddie Howe’s men to collect a much-needed confidence boost on their travels.

Cherries may have been taught a harsh lesson by the merciless Hornets 16 days ago, but Wednesday’s trip to Vicarage Road will doubtlessly be a different proposition.

Just two of Gianfranco Zola’s players started both Watford’s resounding 6-1 success over AFC Bournemouth and the first round victory at Bristol Rovers four days before.

Howe will, of course, be considering his own changes, not only to rest his key men, but to hand fringe players the opportunity to stake a claim after shipping 11 goals in two league matches on the road.

And while most may not see this latest trip to Hertfordshire as the club’s number one priority, an odds-defying victory could be just what the doctor ordered for Cherries’ away-day ailments.

Doncaster Rovers – denied victory by a deluge at Charlton – will be a wounded animal when Cherries return to Yorkshire next weekend and how a solid showing in the Hornets’ nest could breed confidence ahead of a Championship challenge that Howe will realistically want some sort of return from.

A win at Watford would also be a nice way to banish some below-par performances in this competition too as Cherries seek a third round berth for the first time in nine years.

Two League Cup wins in eight seasons hardly evokes dreams of a trip to Wembley Way, but this match won’t be about that. This is an opportunity to put smiles back on the faces of those hardy souls who travel to midweek matches, and, of course, the players.

So next time we collectively roll our eyes at the cup that time forgot, just have a think of what Cherries could capture from it. Every cloud and all that...

  • Four hundred and 99 games and counting. In the boom and bust culture of non-league football it would be hard for the fiercest of Poole Town’s rivals not to congratulate the club and their enigmatic boss Tom Killick on his 500th match against Weymouth this afternoon.

Some may argue his four league titles and three promotions across nine fruitful years at Tatnam are as much about Poole’s ability to back Killick as his managerial abilities.

But how many big spenders at every level of the game chop and change before getting it right? Killick’s commitment to the cause has been reciprocated by a hard-working club that has seen some dark days over the past 20 years.

Whenever Dolphins have succeeded or failed under Killick, one thing has never changed – the boss’s burning desire to go one better the following season.

That is why he has stood the test of time and why he is likely to continue the club’s upward trend.

I would tell Tom, pictured, to enjoy his day, but I know he won’t unless he wins tomorrow, so I’ll stick with a simple ‘Congratulations’ for now.

Here’s to the next 500...