Jake Bidwell says him and his teammates have to ‘match the desire’ of Maidstone when they face off in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The National League South side overcame Championship side Ipswich Town in the previous round, to book a place at this stage against the Sky Blues.
Bidwell is wary of the threat Maidstone will possess, but he is looking to progress into the quarter-finals for the first time in his career.
Coming up against Maidstone…
“They’ve already beaten, not only a team in this league, but a team going very well in this league.
We saw how good Ipswich were when we played them and Maidstone have already beaten them, so we’re going to have to be at the top of our game and we will have to be as up for it as they are going to be and a desperate to win the game as they will be.”
Losing to Wrexham last season…
“It hasn’t been spoken about, we have a new group so there are a lot of lads that weren’t involved in that game, but for the lads that were it is something we can draw on.
It was a disappointing day to lose to a Non-League side, so it’s an experience we can draw on, not particularly a nice one, but one that can fuel us.”
The run of games coming up…
“We have enough in the squad to deal with the run that’s coming and we’re looking to attack head on.
It’s not every year you get a chance to make it to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup so it’s something the lads are relishing and hopefully we will be able to do that.”
Heading into the game as favourites…
“There’s no two ways about it, we will be the favourites going into the game and if we perform to our levels, we give ourselves a massive chance to win the game.
Like I said, they will be desperate to win the game and it’s important we understand that and the psychology of the team we’re coming up against.”
The chance to progress into the next round…
“It would be a massive achievement and it’s something I’ve never done in 13 years of playing in the FA Cup so to make it that far would be massive.
We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, but you would then have a chance to make it to Wembley, but we won’t take Maidstone for granted, they’ve already knocked a Championship side out of this competition.”
Love of the competition…
“I love the FA Cup and I love the chance to play against different sides, higher in the pyramid and lower in the pyramid, just to experience something different.
If you can go on a run, it’s great for the fans and Monday is a big game and a great occasion.”
Upsetting the neutral…
“Everyone is looking for the fairy-tale story and they come into it as the underdogs but is up to us to match their desire and I’m sure if we do that our quality will shine through.”