West Ham had a successful festive period which concluded with a 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday. Most notably, a tough trip to title-chasing Arsenal resulted in a 2-0 victory while three points were also secured in another 2-0 win over struggling Manchester United.
The January transfer window has linked the Hammers with a number of players but they have also seen one go out the exit door this week. Thilo Kehrer, a key figure in their UEFA Europa Conference League win last term, has joined Ligue 1 side Monaco on loan with a view to making the transfer permanent in the summer.
For Premier League sides, attentions turn toward the Emirates FA Cup third round, with West Ham last winning the competition in 1980. They were knocked out of last season's competition in the fifth round.
A tricky test awaits for David Moyes' men against a Bristol City side rejuvenated under new boss Liam Manning.
Revitalised Robins gunning for play-off spot
Following a disappointing opening few months of the campaign, the Robins opted for a change in the dugout to replace Nigel Pearson after sitting in 15th place.
Manning was pinpointed as the man to take over at Ashton Gate after guiding League One outfit Oxford United to a promotion place.
After the 38-year-old took the reigns in south-west England in November, he has overseen an improved run of results including a handful of eye-catching wins.
Bristol City had a run of three consecutive wins over Sunderland, Hull City and Watford as they ran out as resounding 4-1 winners against the Hornets.
In just over a month in charge, Manning has also changed their style of play and is implementing his attacking philosophy.
McKinlay is expecting a tough test from the Championship side.
"I think it will be a really difficult game - we don't underestimate anyone here," he said.
"We've had difficult games against Championship teams in the past couple of seasons in various cup competitions so we know it's going to be a really difficult game.
"They are on a nice run of form over the past four, five, six games so I know it is going to be a really difficult game, a big game, and we're looking forward to it."
A return to East London for Manning
The key figure in Bristol City's change of fortunes is new manager Manning, who will be very familiar with Sunday's surroundings.
His first dip into management was with the Hammers where he spent four years as manager of the Under-23s side.
Belgian First Division B side Lommel SK was his first senior job and he had success there, taking them from the bottom to third place in the 2020/21 campaign.
A return to England came with MK Dons where he reached the League One play-offs with a young squad including Harry Darling and Scott Twine.
After a disappointing start to the 22/23 season, Manning departed but joined Oxford in March 2023 and made an immediate impact. By the time he left, they were sitting in second place.
54-year-old McKinlay respects Manning's managerial rise and knows he will be eager to impress on his return.
"I think he was here the first time we were here and he did a good job with the U23s," he explained.
"He's moved on and he has had a couple of managerial jobs where he has done well, and he is finding his way into it and the last half a dozen games or so they have hit a bit of form.
"He will obviously be looking forward to coming back here after spending a fair bit of time here as a coach and it will be a big day for him as well."
Busy festive schedule and injury concerns
As is the case for all Premier League sides, the festive period was a very busy one as several games were crammed into a few days.
However, the Hammers have a long wait until their next clash as they head to Sheffield United on the 21st of January.
McKinlay was full of praise for the squad during a congested period.
"I think we are having a busy schedule - it has been really demanding," he said.
"The players have been terrific for the last period of time so we have been aware of that.
"We have got a break coming up after the game at the weekend and we have got a pretty full squad available.
"The gaffer [David Moyes] will decide over the next couple of days what team he wants to go with and how he wants it to look."
He additionally addressed the injury concerns and said Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio could be in contention to return.
"Vladimír [Coufal] [has got a] cut and Lucas [Paquetá] and Michail [Antonio] trained today so we have obviously got an extra day tomorrow [Saturday] so we will just assess them tomorrow after training and make a decision based on that."
The importance of the FA Cup
West Ham last won this competition 44 years ago where they ran out as 1-0 winners over Arsenal in the final thanks to Trevor Brooking's first-half goal.
Most recently, they reached the final in 2006 and were it not for a famous Steven Gerrard thunderbolt in the closing stages, West Ham could have lifted their fourth FA Cup.
McKinlay understands the importance of this competition and is hoping to reach the latter stages.
"Right now it is the most important thing," he said.
"It is always the next game and I think we take it really seriously, why wouldn't we?
"Traditionally, it is a huge competition in English football and it is a big competition that we haven't won since 1980.
"So it is a really significant competition and everybody here takes it really seriously and hopefully we can have a good run and go far in this competition."