Fearless Paul Simpson is determined to ensure his Shrewsbury Town side do not make headlines for all the wrong reasons as he prepares for Saturday’s intriguing FA Cup trip to underdogs Blyth Spartans (2pm).
Already without injured skipper Ben Davies for up to a month, Town’s squad for the long trek to the Northumberland coast will also not include goalkeeper Luke Daniels whose thigh injury is becoming more of a concern.
Reading have also refused Town permission to play on-loan midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson in the first round clash, but boss Simpson insists he has every faith in his players ahead of an eagerly-awaited clash against renowned cup fighters Blyth, currently fifth bottom in the Blue Square North.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Simpson. “I know it’s a tricky place to go and I’ve been there before so I know what it’s like, but you’ve got to look forward to the FA Cup. It’s a great opportunity for us and we shouldn’t be going into any game with any fear.
“It’s a game we have to be totally concentrated on to make sure we don’t make headlines for the wrong reasons on Sunday morning.
“I went to watch a game at Blyth when I was at Carlisle. It’s not the worst non-League ground in the world. It’s not like the Prostar Stadium, but that’s something we’ve got to deal with. It’s not something that worries me or frightens me and I’m hoping the players are totally professional about it.
“I know what sort of professional attitude the players have here and I think they’ve shown that with the type of performances we’ve put in over 99 per cent of the season, and Saturday’s no different.
“We have to respect the opposition, we’ve had them watched twice and have match reports on them. Our preparation will be exactly the same.
“We’ve got to go out there and forget about the surroundings, deal with the 11 players on the pitch, and hopefully come out on top.”
Glyn Garner will continue in goal with on-loan West Brom shot-stopper Daniels taking longer than first expected to recover.
“It is causing more concern,” admitted Simpson. “He went for a scan on Tuesday and it looks like he’s going to be out for quite a few more weeks.
“He’s going to go back to West Brom and they’re going to try and get to the bottom of what the problem is. Hopefully we’ll find out a bit more in the next few days. It seems to be a lot more serious than we first thought.”
Mike Jackson, available to play on Saturday after checks revealed he had only been booked four times this season, is likely to return to the side at Blyth alongside midfielder Paul Murray, both players having been rested for the 5-0 demolition of Dagenham in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday.
Local lad Steven Leslie will also be hoping to feature after marking his first senior start of the season with a goal against the Daggers.
“He was excellent, gave us great balance on the left side, and maybe this is his chance now with Ben Davies out,” said Simpson. “Maybe Steve Leslie can come up to the plate and show everybody what he’s all about.”
Simpson added he would love to rekindle Town’s glorious FA Cup history with the club overdue a good run in the competition, stressing the financial boost it can provide.
“The FA Cup brings money,” he said. “I want money coming back into the club for the chairman so we can go and strengthen again and make everything is as good as we can possibly get here.”
• See page 71 for more Town news as we turn the spotlight on Blyth, Chronicle, November 6, 2008.