In a weekend full of cup shocks possibly the biggest surprise of them all was West Ham United's victory in the fourth round of FA Cup against Bristol City!

I am old enough to remember defeats in cup competitions to the likes of Wrexham, Northampton Town, Huddersfield Town and Tranmere Rovers, so it is never a given when lower-league opposition stand between the Hammers and progression to the latter stages of the cup.

But whilst the performance against Bristol City was admittedly poor, the result was positive with striker Diafra Sakho returning from injury to head home the winner.

The fifth round draw was made on Monday night with the BBC deciding to broadcast a sacred event for football fans on the 'One Show' - a mess of a show at the best of times.

Having already played West Brom twice this season we have seen the Baggies transformed from being a poor side to an organised unit within the space of a month under the guidance of Tony Pulis, who has already made them much harder to beat.

Although you have to play the best teams at some point, I believe every West Ham fan would have been pleased to have avoided Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

That said, neither United or Liverpool are guaranteed their place in round five, with both facing replays against Football League sides Cambridge United and Bolton Wanderers respectively.

Manager Sam Allardyce has made it clear West Ham will be going all out to try and win the FA Cup this season and that is music to my ears given how much I personally love the competition.

This time last year we had already been eliminated after a 5-0 loss away at Nottingham Forest, so this just marks yet another phenomenal improvement to the club's fortunes.

I have been asked before what I would prefer if I had the choice: a Champions League place from finishing fourth, or an FA Cup victory.

My answer is always the same: a FA Cup win. Although some have tried to dilute the importance of the FA Cup and pedal the myth the Champions League is the be all and end all of football, I would much rather win a trophy.

Most Premier League teams can only realistically win two trophies in any given season - the FA Cup or the League Cup - so to show those two trophies a lack of respect puzzles me. It is almost as if you are not in football to try and win things, in which case, what is the point?

And that is coming from a West Ham fan who is of an age which means I have never seen the club win a single piece of silverware.

West Ham turn their attentions back to the league on Saturday with a tough trip to Liverpool. The Hammers have not won at Anfield since 1963 but in a season which has been a whirlwind of surprise, I remain confident that a positive result can be taken back to east London.