The Emirates FA Cup is back this weekend as Bristol Rovers travel to Vale Park for their second-round fixture against Port Vale, with Josh McEachran excited for the challenge.
The Pirates have lost their last seven fixtures in Sky Bet League Two, but will be looking to build momentum after progressing in the Vertu Trophy in midweek. Kelland Watts and Sullay Kaikai cancelled out Ellis Harrison's brace, but Rovers bounced back from losing a two-goal lead with a 4-2 victory on penalties.
The positive result means Rovers started December brightly after a disappointing November, with the Gas set to find out their Vertu Trophy Round Of 16 opponents on Saturday.
McEachran was pleased that his side progressed in the competition and suggested it has given them some confidence heading into their fixture against Vale. Nevertheless, the midfielder knows the task will be difficult after playing against teams managed by Darren Moore before.
“Obviously, on the back of the result on Tuesday, it probably wasn’t our best performance, but we just needed a win, and that’s what we got," he said. "So, there is a little bit of confidence going into the game tomorrow against Port Vale, so we’re all excited for it."
He later added, "I’ve played against Darren Moore’s teams a few times, and they’ve always been a very good team. I know they are down at the bottom, but like us, they got a good result on Tuesday night as well. So, they’ll have a little bit more confidence going into the tie, and we’re really looking forward to it."
It has been somewhat of a challenging time for McEachran, who missed around a month through injury. The Pirates lost all three league fixtures the former Oxford United man missed, but he is back in the squad and has featured in the Gas' previous two fixtures.
Frustated to be absent, McEachran has played for 45 minutes against Notts County and Cambridge and wants to help the team as much as he can going forward.
“Obviously, the run of form we’re on isn’t great and watching from the sidelines is even more frustrating, knowing that you can’t play, help the team and help the gaffer out," said McEacheran. "It was really frustrating. I had a double hernia, so I was out for about a month.
"I had an operation, but I am back now. It will probably take me a game or two to get into the swing of things, but I’m looking forward to being back out there and helping the team as much as possible."
McEachran is one of the most experienced players at Rovers. Gracing the pitch in the Premier League and Champions League, the 32-year-old has almost 400 professional appearances to his name and knows the importance of having older players in the squad through tough times.
"I think a bit of experience in the team is massive," said the midfielder. "Teams now are generally quite young, and once things aren't going too great, you need that experience in the changing room just to reassure the lads and just let them know we need to stick together and it will be alright.
"That’s the main thing, the fans, the players, the staff, us all sticking together, and we will get through it. It's not a great run of form, but before this, we went eight games unbeaten. So, it can change really quickly, and that’s what we’re looking to do."
McEachran has played 23 times in the Emirates FA Cup and reached the semi-final of the competition back in the 2013/14 season with Wigan Athletic. On the Latics' way to Wembley, they beat Manchester City in the quarter-finals, with Jordi Gómez and James Perch netting in a 2-1 triumph at the Etihad Stadium.
The midfielder reminisced about his history in the Emirates FA Cup, reflecting on the highs and lows of a competition he holds in high regard.
“I’ve had my ups and my downs," he said. "I think the furthest I got is the semi-final, so that was quite a special day for and the family going to Wembley. We lost to Arsenal in that round, but I think we beat Manchester City in the quarter-finals, which was obviously a good achievement.
"Then, I’ve also been knocked out in the third round before, so I’ve had my ups and downs, but it’s a special cup, and you go to special places. It just has that different feel to it, playing in the FA Cup.”
