After Tranmere Rovers knocked Sunderland out of the FA Cup last Saturday the Sky reporter was beside himself, as Sky reporters often are. "The champagne corks will be popping in Birkenhead tonight," he yelled.

Well naturally. Birkenhead always did like a bit of bubbly. And no doubt the odd drop of Moet will find its way into the pot as the winners celebrate after this season's final. That, after all, is part of FA Cup tradition.

Yet there are signs of the game's oldest competition losing its appeal. Not for everybody - last Sunday's marvellous occasion at Stevenage was proof of that - but for a growing number of clubs who feel the need to maintain a sterner set of priorities.

Wembley will witness its usual sell-out on May 16th and the following day the winners will parade the trophy on an open-top bus through cheering crowds. But compared to winning the Premiership, staying in the Premiership, or reaching the Premiership the FA Cup is now more light ale than champagne.

Middlesbrough, for example, barely pretended to be interested in this season's competition, fielding two raw teenagers in their fourthround tie at home to Arsenal and resting several regular players. Three days later, however, a full-strength Middlesbrough side gave a much better account of themselves at Liverpool in the opening leg of their League Cup semi-final.

This suggested that Middlesbrough, in their anxiety to avoid a repetition of the fixture congestion which last season clogged their efforts to escape relegation, had weighed the prospect of playing at least four more FA Cup games, with possible replays, against the certain knowledge that the League Cup would involve no more than three additional fixtures. With the League Cup final taking place on March 29th, moreover, Middlesbrough would still be left with five clear weeks in which to concentrate on promotion.

From the club's point of view this made good sense. Teesside wants Premiership football back as quickly as possible and the financial consequences of a prolonged stay in the English League Division One might be disastrous.

Then again, Middlesbrough's supporters paid good money a week ago to see their side take on Arsenal. Did the promise of jam tomorrow make up for an afternoon of anti-climax only partly redeemed by Paul Merson scoring against his old club?

All right, Manchester United did not field their strongest team against Walsall the same afternoon but Alex Ferguson has shown no sign of losing his enthusiasm for the FA Cup, only for replays. Chelsea have already been made painfully aware of the strength of United's Cup commitment.

Winning the Champions' League remains Ferguson's principal aim with a fifth Premiership title in six seasons not far behind. A unique treble, however, has its attractions and the strength of United's squad will allow them to consider it.

Other clubs cannot afford such luxuries. Perhaps it is not so much a matter of the Cup losing appeal as being dwarfed by the huge rewards the Premiership can now bring - or the enormous cost of going down. Crystal Palace would rather have had points for beating Leicester City 3-0 in a rare home win than a place in the fifth round. Tottenham's visit to Barnsley in the league on April 18th promises to be a more angstridden affair than Wednesday's replay at Oakwell, when all the winners will earn is a trip to Old Trafford.

Maybe Monday's low attendance at Hillsborough, when just under 16,000 saw Sheffield Wednesday easily knocked out by Blackburn Rovers, did not reflect a diminished interest in the FA Cup so much as the fact that it was a cold evening and the match was on Sky. Nevertheless, twice as many people turned up on St Stephen's Day to watch Wednesday play Blackburn in the Premiership.

Thankfully a bitter north-east wind, live television coverage and the bovine decision to make the fifth-round draw shortly before the kick-off at Broadhall Way did nothing to take the edge off Stevenage Borough's tie with Newcastle, a match which said everything about the FA Cup's place in the game.

Stevenage will be further enriched by the replay, and whatever happens at St James' Park on Wednesday the Cup itself has regained some kudos. But this will only be short term; a full-scale European League is imminent and the champagne may yet run dry.

Even in Birkenhead.