Mark Robins is looking forward to playing in a “special competition” when the Sky Blues face Norwich City in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup at lunchtime this Saturday.
City held the Canaries to a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road in the league earlier this season and are hoping to go one better this weekend.
The manager won the competition as a player with Manchester United 30 years ago and insists City are approaching the game the same as they would any other.
Robins said: “That was my breakthrough season, I thought that was the norm, that was the last time I got to the FA Cup final, fortunately we won it, I was on the bench and I came on in the first game, it went to a replay, I didn’t come on in the second game, but I got a winners medal and it was a good start to my career.
“The FA Cup, in isolation, is always a special competition, it just feels slightly different this year from my perspective, the competition itself isn’t any less special, it’s always good to try and get through and pit your wits against teams from different levels.
“We were two leagues apart last year, we’re competing on the pitch against them tomorrow and we’re going to try and get through to the fourth round.
“Every game is important, we’re going into this game with the same anticipation and the same hopes, the players have done so well, I think everybody deserves an enormous amount of credit for the way they’re going about their jobs.”
Robins admitted his players are fighting for their places in the squad which has given him plenty to think about in terms of his team selection for Saturday’s clash.
“All the players that are in the team or out of the team at the moment are a big part of what we do, players that aren’t in the team are fighting for their spot, they’re in a good place both mentally and physically and it gives me some thoughts going into this game.
“Norwich will be exactly the same, they’ll make wholesale changes, they’ve got a really good squad and lots of depth, they’ve had injury problems, they’re back now, and we’ll both be trying to get through to the next round.
“We prepare for ourselves, we look at Norwich and they’ve got a DNA and a way they do things regardless of personnel, we have to concentrate on ourselves and deal with their quality, they’re a strong team in this division, it’s another team aspiring to be back in the Premier League.
“It was a really good draw, the way they move the ball around, it’ll be an interesting day, it’s a 12 o’clock kick-off which is a different time and it’s a game to look forward to.”