TRY telling Tony Pulis that the FA Cup has lost its lustre. From childhood kickabouts in the back streets of Newport to leading out Stoke City in front of 90,000 supporters at Wembley, the oldest cup competition in the world has always been close to Pulis’ heart.

He remembers crowding around the television to watch black-and-white images from the national stadium just as well as he can recall his own appearances in the competition as a player and manager, so while there will be an inevitable temptation to make wholesale changes for Middlesbrough’s fourth-round tie with Brighton this afternoon, he will find it easy to resist.

There will be a handful of alterations from the side that won at QPR last weekend – Adam Clayton and Ashley Fletcher could find themselves promoted to the starting line-up – but unlike some of his fellow Championship managers, Pulis will not be ripping up the team sheet to prioritise the league programme.

“Being a person who was born in the 50s and grew up in the 60s, the big games you waited for were the World Cups and that Saturday in May where the FA Cup final came around,” said the Boro boss. “It will always be special for me because I can remember years and years ago as a young boy, running out and being one of the players who was playing in that final.

“We’d play outside until half past two, and then we’d come in and listen to Abide With Me. Then we’d sit down and watch the game, and then we’d be about again playing until ten o’clock at night until it was dark.

“It was special because those games were the only ones you saw. Today, you can see a game every day live, but they were special, special occasions. The European Cup final and the FA Cup. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to have some decent FA Cup runs, and to take Stoke City to a cup final and experience that was first class.”

It was May 2011 when Pulis strode out of the Wembley tunnel in his Stoke club suit, and while the day did not go to plan as his side were beaten by Yaya Toure’s second-half strike for Manchester City, he still remembers the occasion with great fondness.

He is equally as proud of Stoke’s performance in the semi-final one month earlier as they thrashed Bolton Wanderers 5-0 to book their place in the final. Two historic matches; two powerful reasons why Pulis continues to love the FA Cup.

“The whole cup run was something special,” he said. “Winning a semi-final 5-0, getting to Wembley, was an exceptional day. Just getting beat by Man City by the odd goal when Man City then were just coming to the fore, it was a special day, but we lost, and I’ve never watched that game again because we didn’t win.”

Does the competition still mean as much to some of Pulis’ fellow bosses though? The teams in the bottom half of the Premier League view the FA Cup as an unwanted distraction from the more important business of trying to stave off the threat of relegation. To the Premier League’s big boys, the FA Cup is a distant fourth on the list of priorities behind the Champions League, the Premier League title and securing a place in the top four.

The likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham will make wholesale changes for this weekend’s games, but the strength of their respective squads means it will be still be extremely difficult to describe their starting line-up as ‘weak’.

“I think the majority of people still think the FA Cup is special,” said Pulis. “You’ve got a watering down of all competitions in some respects from the top clubs. They’re in Europe and they’re desperate to get in that top four. Let’s not hide the fact, that’s where the money is.

“They tend to water down their sides at times, but even then, you just have to look at the teams they put out. Have a look at the team Man City put out at Bristol City in midweek, they’re fantastic players. These top clubs now have 24 or 25 fantastic players, and they can rotate.”

Pulis’ rotation will be rather less dramatic, but having completed his first month since taking over from Garry Monk, the Boro boss admits there are still some players he has not really been able to see in action.

“I’ll make a few changes, but they won’t be wholesale changes,” he said. “One or two players need to be given an opportunity and a chance to play, and they haven’t had that yet with me. So one or two will start that haven’t started so far.

“I want to keep the momentum going if we can. We’ve had a great result at QPR last Saturday, and I think it’s important to try to build on that. We’re playing against a Premier League team, so obviously they’ll be favourites to win the game. But it’s a good game for us to get out there and just enjoy it.”