Planet Swans ArchivesSwansea City travel into the unknown (almost) this evening when they make the trip to the Glass World stadium to take on Histon.
It is a second attempt for the Swans after the controversy over the first game being called off ten days ago – a postponement that led to mud slinging from both sides over the reasons for the postponement
But the pitch has been passed as playable this time around and Roberto insists that there is no extra edge because of the words spoken last time.
“No I don’t think so,” he told the Western Mail.
“From our point of view it is just a third round FA Cup tie.
“We have enjoyed a good result against Burnley and now we are looking forward to the cup. Nothing else matters in my eyes.
“We just need to focus on being ourselves for the 90 minutes. I know we will do that.” As for whether he had any fears Histon’s players would be looking to leave a mark in the first few minutes, he added: “Well if they do that it will just make things easy for the referee, to be honest.
“That’s good because it’s normally tough for a ref when non-league and league teams meet.
“We saw last season that you need an experienced referee who will stamp his authority on the game early on.
“It’s quite clear that, in certain positions, it’s impossible for one player to cover the demands of three games in a week,” he said.
“But that’s why it’s so important to have a big squad and we’ve got that.
“There are players that need a game. And I think playing the same team that beat Burnley would be a weaker side than one refreshed by players who are desperate to be on the pitch.
“Everyone in the squad should be ready. It’s the sort of tie that will have different faces throughout the 90 minutes.
“In certain positions we are very strong and there are players who have been working very hard but not had many minutes on the pitch.
“So when you have three games in the week it’s an ideal time to share the effort and see where we are as a squad.
“Getting the result in Burnley gives us that little extra bit of confidence,” he said.
“It was the reward the players deserved for their efforts on the pitch in recent games.
“Now we want to carry on that level of performance. Just because we won a game doesn’t mean we can relax and switch off a bit, that would be a huge mistake.
“The challenge is to maintain our standards from the last five games in the cup. Then we can carry that into the league.
“It’s a compliment to our football club that we don’t rely on the FA Cup to save our season.
“We are excited about playing week in, week out at Championship level and our aim is to stay in this division, build on it and one day achieve our dream of Premiership football.
“Yes, the cup is important and we play to win every game. But it’s not the priority it was maybe three or four years ago.
“The league campaign is huge for us. We haven’t been at his level for 24 years so every game is like a cup final.”
