Bournemouth failed to gain any real momentum in either domestic cup competition this season, a real blow for Andoni Iraola, who has previously loved an exciting cup run.
Having said that, it's worth pondering whether having fewer games than many of their league rivals might actually work in the Cherries' favour.
Andoni's men are ninth in the Premier League and only three points off seventh.
It's incredibly tight, but dreams of European football for the first time on the south coast are again being whispered.
Only 10 points separates fifth-placed Chelsea and 12th-placed Fulham, so the fine margins of having fewer games could end up being just what Bournemouth need.
Plus, in those eight spots, six of the teams are still in other competitions, whether that be domestically, in Europe or even both.
With injuries always inevitably around the corner with three months of the season to go, depth and management of your squad will always be paramount and the Cherries will have fewer games than most to manoeuvre around that.
Bournemouth have had their fair share of absentees this campaign but have recently restored Tyler Adams, Ryan Christie and David Brooks to their matchday squad.
There are also reports that both Marcus Tavernier and Ben Gannon-Doak are not far away from being back available for the team, so the options at his disposal are starting to look that bit more appetising for Andoni.
Therefore, a strong finish to the season is certainly a realistic expectation as it stands.
The club had a flirt with those European spots last season and many felt that an injury pile-up and lack of squad depth really hampered chances.
Could this time around be different?
Maybe, just maybe, its OK for the Cherries faithful to dream again!
Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net