This weekend's fifth round sees half of the 16 remaining teams made up from the second tier, with just six Barclays Premier League teams left in the competition.

They include Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, who have shared the trophy between them since Everton's Wembley triumph 13 years ago.

Nonetheless, at least two Championship sides are guaranteed to reach the quarter-finals with McCarthy's Wanderers taking on Cardiff at Ninian Park tomorrow and West Brom up against Coventry.

It may be 28 years since West Ham, then in the old Division Two, shocked Arsenal and became the most recent second tier side to go all the way.

But after seeing a number of top flight sides already make surprise exits this season, McCarthy sees no reason why it should end there.

He said: "The FA Cup is the blue riband event in my view. I don't think we play that many games that it should be getting in the way of anything.

"I think a Championship team could end up winning it again. Who thought Sunderland would beat Leeds in the past to win it? I didn't.

"I never thought Everton would be knocked out by Oldham this season. I never thought Birmingham would be knocked out by Huddersfield.

"If someone gets into the final you never know. A Championship side could get to the final and get into Europe which is a nice little carrot.

"The longer you are in the competition people start dreaming of being in the final and why not - that's what the competition is all about."

That dream was achieved by Millwall four seasons ago when they reached the final, at the expense of McCarthy's Sunderland, only to be defeated by Manchester United.

The two sides were fortunate enough to escape the big teams that year and a similar scenario could happen this time around.

"Millwall played Tranmere in the quarters - I think we were the toughest side they faced in the semis," he added.

"We didn't have a Liverpool or a Manchester United to play that year so there was an opportunity."

But while McCarthy has been getting wrapped up in the romance of the competition, opposite number Dave Jones has warned his side not to get caught up in nostalgia.

Victory for the Bluebirds would put them in the last eight for the first time since 1927, the year they became the only non-English side ever to win the competition.

But Jones insists he will be looking forwards, not backwards, ahead of the visit of his former club.

"I've said many times before - and I upset some people with it - that I don't look back in the past because it can't help me," he said.

"Nostalgia and everything else is for the fans and the press. It doesn't affect the players in any way.

"The pride should be there anyway that we are in this round of the FA Cup, it's not what's gone off in the past that's going to help me, it's what we'll try and do in the future."

Jones, who will be without the injured Joe Ledley for the clash, added: "It's a massive game for us because of the competition that we're in and what's there at the end of it."