"... The FA Cup giveth, and the FA Cup taketh away".  Its gifts are showered on us at the moment, but the price we pay for them is quietly being exacted from us by way of diverted focus from the League and in the shape of fixture congestion appearing even in the darker months. All  Non-League Chairmen would give their right arms for the quandary we face, but it's a real one and  when push comes to shove our League position and what League we play in are always going to be the more important.... our bread-and-butter.  That said, it was a pretty strong line-up put out yesterday... but probably drained a bit from the week-end and Monday evening's excitement.  That along with Ken Charles,  Cheshunt hat-trick artist, back from  a spell at King's Lynn, were probably our undoing. December until mid January looks a challenging period  as regards fixtures: Ebbsfleet, Bath x2; Ox City away.  We will still have Minturn, Tizzard and Parsons ( bar sudden re-calls)  to call on, though. February & March look far more promising.  Being an optimist I console myself with the belief that:- our squad has plenty enough quality for survival; everything else is in correct alignment, from the Chairman, through the Board to the Management; we're not fighting off creditors ( I hope!!)  morale is high and we're a scrappy team. We fight it out, sometimes unprettily, right to the end. As Ronnie P points out.. it's still only November. If I remember correctly the habit of going 2 goals up and then  conceding/drawing/losing has beset us in spells over the last few years. It certainly happened to both Collier, latterly, and Cook, too. I'm sure yesterday had Gary H scratching his head for obvious answers.  BTW How important is the FA Trophy going to be, especially if we get a result at Hastings???  £3k for winning first round £3.75K for winning 2nd round... plus attendant fixture congestion and player tiredness. There are prizes and there are prices to be paid, too......