Michael Appleton looks forward to facing Newcastle United on Saturday
There is nothing quite like a full house for an FA Cup tie. Oxford United welcome Newcastle United in the fourth round on Saturday with every seat sold a week ago and Michael Appleton’s side in great form as they take on the Magpies.
“Everyone wants to be involved in the FA Cup” Michael told Yellow Player HD today. “It has something special about it and over the last two years we have seen that, beating Swansea in the third round last year and then Rotherham to get us to this stage this year.
“Last season we came up against Blackburn and strangely, for some reason we found ourselves favourites going into that one. It will be very different this time around. We are playing a side flying at the top of the league, high on confidence and with a winning mentality and a fantastic manager in place. It’s going to be one hell of a tough game but certainly one we are relishing.
“Over the cup ties in the last year or so we have beaten numerous Championship sides but I am not stupid. I know on Saturday Simon Eastwood is going to have to be man of the match and some of my players are going to have to have fantastic games. We are going to have to have a bit of luck too if we are to win the game. But the reality is that there will be one or two surprises somewhere in the cup and we want one of them to be us. We have a good mentality about us and have only had a couple of defeats in very tight games in the last 15 or 16 matches.
“I want the players to know it is a massive game, but one where we have nothing to lose. My message to the players is to make sure we are still in the game after 70 minutes, because if we are, with a full house at Grenoble Road and the place rocking like we know it can, then anything can still happen.”
See the whole interview plus Michael’s initial thoughts on new signing Toni Martinez in Yellow Player HD right now where Chris Maguire also helps us get set for Saturday.