I’VE GOT THE EX FACTOR ..AND HEX FACTOR
Sutton’s superstitious Cup hero warns his former club: We’re planning a shock to top the lot
SUTTON hero Roarie Deacon spent 10 years at Arsenal – but that will not stop him trying to pull off the biggest FA Cup upset of all time.
Deacon joined Arsenal as a nine-year-old, grew up with the likes of Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere but is now plottinghis old club’s downfall in the fifth round. Non-league Sutton have already put out Leeds but Deacon, who prays before every game, said: “Beating Arsenal would be the biggest upset of all time. It would be spoken about for many, many, many years to come.
“I would love my name and my teammates’ names to be written in the history books for beating Arsenal and all their world-class players.
“We believe we can do it, 100 per cent. Leeds brought a young team but there was still a few players who play in the Championship, so beating them gives us great confidence that we can beat Arsenal.
“I hope they will bring their big players – just not (Alexis) Sanchez! You want to play (Mesut) Ozil and Sanchez but we also know how good they are. No matter what team they put out, it will be full of internationals.”
Despite struggling in the National League, Sutton got past Wimbledon in round three with the help of a Deacon wonder-goal. He is one of four ex-Arsenal players at the club with Craig Eastmond, Jeffrey Monakana and now Jack Jebb, who is ineligible for this tie. Deacon names Gunners assistant boss Steve Bould as one of his biggest influences and holds Arsene Wenger in the highest regard, despite the fact he did not make it at the club.
“Steve Bould was great for me, he turned me into a man really, said Deacon, now 25.
“I signed scholarship at 16, he was my coach with the Under-18s and really moaned at me, drove it into me that football is not just all pretty, there’s a dirty side, you have to put your foot in, work hard.
“I trained with the first team a bit, just on the training ground, I just saw Arsene Wenger around the place, I didn’t ever go into his office, but he says hello to everyone and is such a nice guy. “He gives young players a chance. He’s always playing youth team players, putting them on the bench in the League Cup, they’ve often got a player in the starting XI who has come through the ranks. He is a manager who definitely gives youth a chance.
“It takes only one injury to get a youth team or reserve team player to go over and train