Leicester defender Zak Whitbread disagrees with the popular notion that the festive fixtures define a club's season.
The Foxes, who are four points off the promotion places in the Championship, face four games in quick succession against Millwall, Hull City, Burnley and Cardiff before the turn of the new year, with three of those coming on the road.
But while Whitbread insists that maximum points is the target over the Christmas period he also believes a sense of perspective is required.
"There's a long way to go," he told the club's official website.
"The league won't be won after the next four games, but you can pick up points in a short space of time, which is great for your confidence going into the second half of the season.
"They're all big games and we want to win them all, but it won't decide our season. We just want to stay in there and look to kick on in the second half of it."
Lambert received a mixed welcome as he walked out at Carrow Road, with a few jeers heard among general applause for the man who masterminded the Norfolk club's meteoric rise up to the top flight from the depths of League One.
However, the former Canaries boss, who is in dispute with his old employers after an acrimonious departure during the summer, enjoyed the last laugh as substitute Andreas Weimann hit a second-half brace to turn the tie around after Brent Holman had cancelled out Steve Morison's opener.
Christian Benteke cracked in a fourth during stoppage time to move Villa within 180 minutes of Wembley.
"I thought we were excellent for the whole game," Lambert said.
"We have been playing like that since the Sunderland game, but I am delighted, I really am."
Lambert, who is been represented by the League Managers' Association in his arbitration hearing with Norwich, which is set for early next year, maintained he will always look back on his time at Carrow Road with pride.
"I had three great years here. We gave anyone a really good run for their money. I love the club. I've got nothing but praise for the football club," he said.
"You like to think they [fans] appreciate what you have done and I appreciate the support they gave us.
"It is great club with great fans, but this is Chris' (Hughton) team now, he has done fantastically well with the position he has got them into and we will try and catch them."
Bentley, who came in for the injured Paul Smith, saved spot kicks from both David Worrall and Mark Hughes, to help the Shrimpers advance 3-2 on penalties to the next round after the game had ended 1-1 at Roots Hall on Tuesday night.
And Sturrock insists Bentley is now pushing to become the club's number one keeper.
"Daniel was terrific out there and made some fantastic saves both in the game and in the penalty shoot-out," said Sturrock.
"He's shown that he is really challenging Paul Smith to be my number one choice and he's done well whenever he's been called upon this season.
"At the start of the campaign if my first choice keeper had been injured then I would have been concerned but Daniel has gone up in my estimation now and we've seen how much he has improved.
"It's great to see and I'm very pleased to have won the tie.
"We did the ugly side of things very well and I thought we just about shaded it."
A foot injury ruled the Fulham striker out of Alex's impressive 3-1 win at Preston last time out.
But Davis is delighted to have him back in contention and on board until the new year after he netted four goals during his first month at Gresty Road,
Davis said: "He's done well, four goals in seven games. He was injured for the Preston game, he would have started.
"He's got a hole in his foot, like a puncture wound from a stud which he picked up. He's had three stitches from that.
"We worried about infection and all the rest of it and he's obviously not our player so we didn't want to risk that.
"He'll be okay. He'll be training on Thursday and will be fine for Saturday.
"I spoke to him a couple of days ago, sat him down and said 'We're keen to keep you, do you want to stay?'.
"He's keen to stay, delighted to stay and he's enjoyed himself."
