Steve Evans is feeling the magic of the Emirates FA Cup and is excited about the challenge his Bristol Rovers team will face against Cambridge United on Friday night.
The Pirates have won their previous seven Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper fixtures and will look to kick-start their season against the U's after losing five of their previous six in Sky Bet League Two.
There is no better place to start an Emirates FA Cup campaign than The Memorial Stadium, with the Gas also boosted by the return of Tommy Leigh and Kofi Balmer from suspension.
Evans knows what the magic of the Emirates FA Cup is all about after big days out with Stevenage and Crawley Town and wants another memorable run to start on Friday night...
FRESH START WITH THE FA CUP
"There is no getting away from the fact that it was a poor spell for us. It was four or five weeks of poor performances, poor quality, poor everything. It resembled nothing about what our teams are good at.
"On the other side of the coin, we went into that period and have gone through that period without some big, big A-list players for us. Some of them are on their way back, and some are still to come, but we are looking at this weekend as an opportunity to take on a manager that I have got the greatest respect for and a team that I have got the greatest respect for.
"I think they were probably the best team we played in League Two last season, with the way they played against us and the way Neil Harris gets them organised and efficient. So, it will be a big test for us, but it's the FA Cup, and what comes with the magic of the FA Cup is that everyone should wake up and be excited by the challenge."
WINNING BUILDS CONFIDENCE
"I think a win when you're on our run, a win at any time, does [bring confidence back]. The fact that it's a higher-ranked team adds a greater challenge, but at the same time, it's something we must embrace.
"When we play anyone at The Mem, we must embrace that challenge, and it's an opportunity to produce a good performance."
"Results are always the most important thing. It's why we manage a team; it's why a player plays to win. For me, winning football is the best football, but you normally, over a period, get there by producing the right types of performance."
TEAM NEWS
"We're hopeful that the two boys who have been missing through suspension, Kofi Balmer and Tommy Leigh, are back in the group. We're probably at the stage where there will be a late decision on Bobby Kamwa and Ellis Harrison. If they can become available, then it adds four players that, on any given day, could be in anyone's starting lineup.
"If you add on top of that the boys that are missing through injury for slightly longer term, probably a few weeks more with the likes of Jack Aitchison and Riley Harbottle, then we have been severely depleted.
"Injuries come, and over a period of time, they will come at different times in a season. Some people who are above us in the table are completely injury-free, but it's unlikely to be that way at the end of the season."
CUP MAGIC
"I think you just need to look at the magic it brought Fleetwood by beating Arsenal. They rode their luck, and Arsenal had something like 57 or 58 shots at goal, and they rode their luck. But certainly, in the cup, if we're talking about winning football versus performance football, when it comes to cup football, it doesn't matter how you progress. It's to be in the hat the next time the draw is made.
"We have an opportunity to do that. First and foremost, because we shouldn't fear anyone at The Mem, not anyone. We should respect them, and we'll certainly have a lot of respect for Cambridge, but it's a change of tournament, and it's a change of emphasis.
"Our supporters get the chance to come, and we know about the pressure of having to get points to be in that play-off group, but for the bad run we have been on, and we have been on a bad run for four or five weeks, I take total accountability. I still wake up and see us four points off the play-offs. If anybody knows my teams, we have been a lot further away from the play-offs at this stage of the season and still been promoted to the league above."
TOMMY LEIGH'S RETURN
"Tommy is an outstanding talent. He has done some things in training over the last two or three weeks that, as a coaching staff, could make you cry when you walk into the office because you realise the magic he can bring.
"Our supporters love Tommy. He's creative, he scores goals, and I am not building him up to be something he's not because if selected on Friday night, he'll have a big ask because he's playing against who I think is a mid to top half table Cambridge United team under Neil.
"I know they will be disappointed with their result last night in the EFL Trophy; they will be disappointed with their own current form, but they have still been in every game. So, it's a big challenge."
