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Click here to watch the latest edition of the Boot Room looking forward Friday's FA Cup clash against Northampton Town.

McAllister was part of the Anfield squad which lifted the trophy at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium seven years ago and United's boss says the opposition he encountered en route to the final should encourage his Leeds players to aim for the later rounds.

Liverpool beat Tranmere Rovers in the quarter-finals – a club who finished bottom of Division One at the end of the 2000-01 season – before dispatching Division Two Wycombe Wanderers at Villa Park in the last-four.

United have home advantage for tonight's first-round tie and, after falling at the first hurdle in the last five seasons, McAllister has set a place in round three as the minimum target for the Elland Road club.

United's boss said: "Looking back to that fortunate year when I won the cup with Liverpool, we played Wycombe in the semis and Tranmere in the quarters.

"It wasn't that long ago that Millwall got to the cup final as well, so even though some clubs look at the competition and think they might not progress – or that there's not a lot of value in progressing – I don't see it like that.

"I love the FA Cup and although at Liverpool I won the UEFA Cup and the League Cup, the FA Cup final has always been a big event for me.
"I'm a traditionalist and I love the history of it."

"I feel that if you get a good cup run, get the momentum, the excitement in the city and on the terraces then it all breeds success.

United received an all-League One tie in the first round draw and they will encounter an injury-ravaged Northampton side at Elland Road this evening.

Tonight's clash is Leeds' first serious break from a league campaign which is already a third of the way towards completion and McAllister said: "For us, it's a little respite from league business.

"But we can see the importance of trying to get into the third round, which is the FA Cup proper, as people say – the point at which the big boys go into the draw.

"That's the target. We're not looking miles ahead, but we'd like to win a couple of games to get into that draw."

Rui Marques and Alan Sheehan are both expected to miss tonight's game as they recover from the hamstring strains, but Andrew Hughes (groin) is fit and otherwise McAllister has a full squad to choose from.

"The cup enables me to make some changes because players can't play every week," McAllister added.

"Plus, we just want to keep going and keep competing on all fronts."