Football Sports

Michael Duff: FA Cup dreams and looking ahead to the Robins FA Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon


Cheltenham Town manager Michael Duff has reflected on last season’s terrific run in the FA Cup and what his players must to do advance to the next round.

Cheltenham Town face AFC Wimbledon on Saturday in the second round of the competition following their victory against Gillingham in round one.


The Robins head into their first game since last Saturday, where they drew 2-2 with Bolton in League One.

“It’s always nice to recharge the batteries and do a little bit of actual work rather than just being a recovery session. We’ve not had many of them – it’s nice to have a bit more structure to the week.”

Duff highlights that a week without a competitive match will benefit his players as they have been able to focus on a more tactical side of the game rather than just a recovery process, by saying, “they were working Monday afternoon, they worked hard on Tuesday, so it’s not a case of we’ve given them four days off to do what they want.”

Charlie Raglan has made a return following his setback, and the boss has specified that he may play a part in Saturdays match – “he might be involved in the squad. He’s still short in terms of match fitness but he will probably be involved in the squad.”

Raglan has not made an appearance since the Robins 3-2 loss to Fleetwood back in August.

Duff commented on the possibility of another top draw with a Premier League club later in the competition – “for lower league teams, that’s the dream. We’ve got one more to get through, and then there’s the possibility.”

Cheltenham’s previous FA Cup run ended with a disappointing but memorable defeat to current Premier League champions Manchester City in the fourth round of last season.

“It’s just another game,” Duff stated, “when we get to Friday and Saturday, we’re just preparing for a game where we know the level of the opposition, because we’re in the same league.”

Although Duff believes his side have been given a tough draw, it may play into their hands as they face a team in their current division, that know how they play – “we’ll know their strengths and weaknesses, we’ll have a game plan of how we try and pick the game apart.”

If Cheltenham beat Wimbledon on Saturday, it will be the first time they have qualified for consecutive FA Cup third round fixtures since 2013, where they were knocked out by Everton.

Cheltenham have won just one of their four away fixtures at Wimbledon, with the last coming in 2013 in League Two.

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