Craig Disley has spelt out the threat of Southampton’s prolific striker Rickie Lambert as Shrewsbury Town go in search of a big FA Cup first round shock at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Midfielder Disley, who captained Town for the first time in Tuesday’s fine 2-1 win at Crewe, knows all about Lambert – who has hit 42 goals for fallen giants Saints since joining them for £1 million early last season – having played alongside him at Bristol Rovers.
And he is aware the Liverpudlian hot shot will be the main danger to Town’s hopes of pulling off a surprise assuming Southampton boss Nigel Adkins includes him on his team sheet.
“I saw him score some unbelievable goals when we were at Bristol and he’s definitely a danger man and one we will have to look at very closely,” said Disley.
“He’s a good mate of mine and I spoke to him a few times in the summer. He was supposed to be at a wedding I went to but being Lambo he didn’t turn up which was not a shock as he’s not the most punctual of men and is very laid back. It will be nice to see him again and he’s been awesome since he went to Southampton.”
Disley watched the first round draw live on TV and, while he accepts Town could hardly have asked for a tougher tie, he is happy to be pitting his wits against a big League One club.
He also believes being underdogs could work in Town’s favour given their shock exits at the hands of non-League minnows Blyth Spartans and Staines in the last two seasons.
“I know a lot of people say it’s a hard draw but I’m quite pleased with it,” said Disley.
“I would have liked Mansfield or Bristol Rovers, my former clubs, but it’s nice to be going away to a nice stadium I’ve never been to before.
“There are going to be a lot of fans in there, it will be a fantastic occasion and it’s going to be a good test for us.
“But we’ve got nothing to lose and we’ve just got to go there and play our stuff.
“Being underdogs probably works in our favour. We’ve seen already this year that we’ve done well against teams from higher divisions so hopefully we’ll go there relaxed, play our football and maybe spring an upset.”
Disley insists gaining promotion from League Two remains Town’s top priority but he knows the positives an FA Cup run can bring.
“When I was at Bristol Rovers we managed to get to the quarter-finals,” he added.
“We eventually lost to West Brom but it was fantastic.
“There’s a feelgood factor that goes around a club when you have a good cup run and if you manage to scrape into the third round anything can happen, you can go anywhere, so we’ll be looking to do that.
“It can bring in good revenue for the club.”
Town have received a boost with loan players Mat Sadler, Tuesday’s two-goal hero Mark Wright, Tope Obadeyi and strapping six-foot-seven Peterborough defender Exodus Geohaghon all given permission to play in the cup tie by their parent clubs.
“I think it’s a lovely game to have at Southampton,” said manager Graham Turner, who twice led Town to the quarter-finals in his first spell in charge.
“We’re disappointed obviously not to get a home tie but it’s a big challenge for the players. It’s one to look forward to.”
Town’s only victory in the FA Cup since famously beating Everton in 2003 came against Essex minnows Braintree in 2005 with current Premier League stars Joe Hart and Dave Edwards in the side.
They have been knocked out in the first round in each of the last four seasons.
Southampton, Cup winners in 1976, climbed to sixth spot in League One after beating Dagenham 4-0 in front of more than 20,000 fans at St Mary’s on Tuesday night.
By Stuart Dunn