WHEN Martin Atkinson sounds the full-time whistle at Hull’s KCOM Stadium tomorrow afternoon, the referee will simultaneously be calling time on the great Cherries FA Cup debate.

This trip to Hull, after all, was instrumental in Eddie Howe’s decision to give a whole host of his first-team mainstays a breather at Millwall last weekend.

In truth, the frenzied festive schedule forced Howe’s hand rather, particularly in light of the high-octane meeting with Arsenal that wrapped up Cherries’ holiday programme.

Nevertheless, Howe will be aware that if his team is beaten at Hull his decision to change his entire starting X1 for the clash in south London will be revisited.

The manager’s approach to the third round tie divided the club’s supporters.

Those who were dismayed by Howe’s selection will be further exercised if the rested stars return with a bump at the Premier League’s bottom club.

The critics will surely have noted, too, that Hull played an EFL Cup semi-final at Manchester United on Tuesday night.

The Tigers’ new boss Marco Silva also fielded his strongest team in the FA Cup – and was rewarded with a victory over Swansea.

This paper called for Howe to elevate his club's standing further by going all out for Cup success. But it is important to acknowledge the fine margins within which the manager operates.

If Cherries win at Hull they will have recorded successive top-flight away victories for only the second time in their history.

Lose and they'll have suffered back-to-back defeats by a League One team and, on the evidence of the table, the worst side in the Premier League.

Managing an elite football club really is an exhausting, high-wire act.

Furthermore, it is easily overlooked that there was no break for Howe last week. Far from it, in fact.

Losing 3-0 to a team that plays two divisions below you leaves a manager with plenty of explaining to do.

Howe didn’t try to disguise his anger at The Den. Nor did he make any secret of the fact that the Premier League must take priority, to the exclusion of all else.

No matter that Cherries ostensibly appear secure for another season.

If Howe was prepared to bank on that fact he wouldn’t be trying to recruit John Terry for the remainder of the campaign.

It is worth remembering, here, that Hull supporters would willingly trade places with their Cherries counterparts right now.

For starters, their side had twice been promoted to the Premier League prior to this latest visit. And they twice lasted only two seasons in the division.

The Yorkshire club’s ownership is in a state of flux, with fans’ chants for the removal of deeply unpopular chairman Assem Allam a consistent backdrop to the team’s matches.

Plenty of other supporters, meanwhile, are boycotting games altogether, while Hull have won only one of their past 18 Premier League fixtures.

For good measure, there is a suspicion Jorge Mendes client Silva has been recruited merely to curry favour with the super-agent, in the hope he will engineer the sale of the club to a rich buyer.

Cherries were utterly ruthless when they last encountered opponents in such strife. Their 3-0 win at Swansea on New Year’s Eve didn’t make many headlines.

But for its comprehensive nature, for the way in which Howe’s men utterly outplayed another Premier League side, it spoke of how quickly they’ve settled in at this level.

Their meeting with Hull at Vitality Stadium in October was a similarly one-sided affair, reflected in the 6-1 scoreline.

Howe's side, then, go into this match holding all the aces – even though they are certain to be confronted by a Tigers team thirsting for revenge.

It is the perfect opportunity to wash away the nasty taste of that Cup defeat.

"I have to do what is right for AFC Bournemouth," said Howe following the final whistle at Millwall.

He'll hope Atkinson's final shrill blast tomorrow brings confirmation he did just that.