O’Neill insists that he owes it to Wearside supporters to send out a powerful side in Tuesday’s third round replay against Bolton as the club try to emulate the deeds of Wembley heroes such as Jim Montgomery and Ian Porterfield.
The Black Cats boss chose not to ring the changes for the 2-2 draw at the Reebok and named his strongest side as Sunderland’s 2013 FA Cup quest began.
Martin O’Neill: “When I heard that we were taking 5,000 fans down to Bolton, I don’t think it would have gone down well if I had fielded a weakened side or included a couple of very young lads.
“The competition is so important to us and we want to try and stay in it.
“Also, while it’s not the main reason by any stretch of the imagination, it is 40 years since the club had that magnificent cup run and lifted the trophy, so we have to pay that some respect.
“The busy Christmas period has taken its toll even on those clubs that carry big squads.
“But even if I had had more players, I wouldn’t have done it because this is the FA Cup and it is an important competition.”
Bolton/Sunderland v Cheltenham/Everton
QPR/West Brom v Sheffield Wed/MK Dons
Huddersfield Town v Leicester City
Reading v Sheffield United
Southend/Brentford v Chelsea
West Ham/Manchester United v Fulham/Blackpool
Crystal Palace/Stoke v Manchester City
Brighton v Swansea/Arsenal
Leeds/Birmingham v Tottenham
Millwall v Aston Villa
Middlesbrough v Aldershot
Hull/Leyton Orient v Barnsley
Derby v Blackburn
Macclesfield v Wigan/Bournemouth
Oldham v Mansfield/Liverpool
Norwich v Luton