Cheltenham centre-back Scot Bennett spoke fondly of the cup competition, reminiscing on previous fixtures against massive Premier League sides such as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, with his game last season against the Red Devils sticking out as a personal highlight.
“I love the FA Cup, I’ve been lucky enough to play some big teams,
“Last year is one that stands out to me being Man U, I supported them all through my childhood so that was a big one.
“Going back to games like Man City and Tottenham, you always look back fondly on those memories.”
He spoke on the importance of those experiences, and how he hopes to pass them down to the younger players in the side, as they look to get their first taste of FA Cup action.
“One of the first days I came in, Brandon (Liggett) and Fred (Wilcox) were talking to me about the United game, and the experience you get from a game like that,
“Every footballer wants to play in those games, so if I can pass my experiences onto them and help them get there, that’d be great.”
Bennett played in the last, and only, time current Cheltenham Town boss Michael Flynn defeated Salford, with a 1-0 for Newport County in the FA Cup back in 2021.
The Robins most recent game against Salford came in the form of a 2-1 loss back in September of this year, though Bennett showed confidence heading into the tie, highlighting the improvements of the team since them.
“We were just starting to get to know each other when we played before… we probably deserved more than we got,
“We’ll be going there full of confidence, so hopefully we can go in and get the job done, and then concentrate back on the league,
“It’ll be a tough challenge, but we believe if we can go there and perform how we can then there’s no reason we can’t put our names in the hat for the next round.”
This year no longer sees replays, with games now going to extra time and then penalties, with the skipper identifying himself as someone who will step up and take a penalty, should he need to.
