Wary of Welling

ARGYLE manager John Sheridan is calling on his players to carry their recent form into Saturday’s FA Cup with Budweiser tie with Welling United on Saturday.

Despite losing 1-0 in last weekend’s Sky Bet League 2 clash with Burton Albion at Home Park, the boss was pleased with his side’s performance in defeat.

“I thought we were excellent against Burton,” said Sheridan, “No matter what anyone says. Everyone just looks at the result, but I’ve watched the DVD and I thought we were excellent.

“We’ll try and take that form into the game and if we do that, we’ll have a good chance of winning it. We’ve had them watched and they’ve got some decent players, so we’ll take them very seriously.”

Welling are currently eighth in the Skrill Conference Premier table, but despite being in the division below his side, John has no thoughts of underestimating the opposition.

He said: “I expect a very tough game even though they’re in the Conference. Welling will look at coming to a big ground, a big club, and it can sometimes give that so-called ‘inferior’ opposition that buzz that makes them raise their game 20 or 30%.

“That’s what I expect on Saturday. Welling will come and I think they’ll have a really good go, so we’ve got to be ready and wary of that.”

Sheridan has been impressed with what he has seen from the Wings in their recent league matches, and knows a good start in the match could be vital to progression in the competition.

John said: “We watched them at Luton and have seen the DVDs of them at Luton. They’ve beaten Luton this season and were unfortunate to lose there in the league a couple of weeks ago.

“It helps in any game if you can get the opposition on the back foot early and get that break. So if we can do that and hit the ground running, do what we did against Lincoln, then I’ll be well pleased.

“But you have to earn the right no matter who you’re playing. So we’ll hopefully start on the front foot and try and get an advantage early on in the game.”

Having been taken to a replay by fellow Conference side Lincoln City in the previous round before winning 5-0 at home, the gaffer is pleased to be in familiar surroundings again for this one.

Although he would like to see a good performance put on for the home faithful, his main priority is making sure Argyle are one of the names in the hat for a potential moneymaking third round draw.

“No matter who we played I wanted a home game, and we don’t want to be going back to Welling,” said John.

“I’d love a great performance, but the most important thing is getting through the tie. It’s very important that we get through to the next round, both financially and for the chance to play against some really good opposition.

“It’s always nice to be in the FA Cup with the buzz and excitement it brings with it. Hopefully we carry on what we’ve been doing of late, playing a lot better and causing them problems, but we need to get through the game first and foremost.

“It’s a massive game for us.”