Bauza And The Magic Of FA Cup

Whilst most members of the Swansea City squad will tell you that tomorrow could be used to bury the pain of defeat to Havant, Bauza is ready to look at it differently as last season it was the stepping stone to more regular appearances.

He scored in all three rounds as the Swans faced three non-league opponents before succumbing to Havant and Waterlooville in a replay but it was his stepping stone to more regular appearances in the first team that ended with him scoring the goals that returned the Swans into the second tier of English football.

And he appreciates just what part the FA Cup plays in English football – the 3rd Round is always one of the highlights of the calendar for many fans as the day when the minnows mix it with the big boys of the English game.

Speaking to the Evening Post, Bauza said “My memories from last season are good, and of course I have great memories of the FA Cup

“It was one of the small steps I needed to pass to get into the team.

“It was a competition that showed me how big British football is.

“In the Copa del Rey not as many teams are involved in the competition and the smaller teams don’t have the same chances as they do here.

“But the FA Cup is a great competition to be involved in. You just don’t know what to expect sometimes.

“I think about it as a new chance to show the gaffer and everyone that I can play good football and be part of the first eleven,” he said.

“It’s a different competition and maybe we will have different players in the team.

“The FA Cup is always a good thing for the team because we have a big squad here and sometimes players who are not in the starting XI regularly need to get some time on the pitch.

“You can strengthen your squad a little more because of that and it will help us in the league as well.

“The most important thing in these games is to put in huge effort and treat it as the most important game in your life.

“If you don’t approach the game in the right way you are going to struggle and it will be a difficult afternoon.

“You have to show everything because these types of teams want to win so much against the bigger clubs.

“You never forget about past defeats. The team learned a lot about the FA Cup in the games we played last season.

“A lot has happened since then, we won League One and the club has gone forward on and off the pitch.”