Oxford United get set for the FA Cup
Oxford United head for Merstham in the FA Cup on Saturday with Head Coach Michael Appleton well aware that the eyes of the world will be on his side, and most will be hoping to witness an upset.
“It’s funny because the impression I get from everyone is that we’re the underdogs!” Michael told Yellow Player HD. “Everyone seems to be expecting us to lose the game from what I’m hearing!
“I understand that, because with the TV cameras there and four or five divisions between the teams everyone outside Oxford is hoping for an upset. I’m going to flip that on its head and make the players aware that it’s out there and those expectations are on the game. We just have to make sure we put that right and make sure it doesn’t happen. It’s part and parcel of the job and part of the magic of the FA Cup.
“We have a report and we watched Merstham a couple of weeks ago. We know they are a young side and they have a lot of pace in the team, but more importantly the reports we are getting say that they want to play, and that will suit us.
“The FA Cup catches everyone’s imagination. Last season it was really good to the football club and we went on a fantastic run. If we can recreate that this year then I think everyone will be delighted.
“There will be a few changes. I think it’s important that some of the players on the sidelines, chomping at the bit, get a chance to stake a claim. If you look at our line-up at Braintree last year we made changes, we did the same in the JPT. We respected each competition and will do the same again on Saturday.”
See the full interview plus videos with Ryan Ledson and Phil Edwards in Yellow Player HD right now