Francomb is Spurred on
REDS SKIPPER EYES WIN-DOUBLE OVER LEEDS
GEORGE FRANCOMB watched his beloved Tottenham pick off Leeds with another classy counterattacking display last weekend.
And today the Crawley captain fancies making it a double when he and his pals take on Marcelo Bielsa’s Premier League stars in the FA Cup.
The former Spurs youngster said: “It would be lovely to beat them a week after Tottenham (right).
“We watched the first half of that game in a conference room at our hotel before we set off to play Bolton and, gladly for me as a Spurs fan, they got back to winning ways and up the table.
“We’re fully aware that our game against them is one where we’d be silly to think we’ll have loads of possession of the ball.
“So we’ll look to frustrate them and keep the game at 0-0 for as long as we can and look to hurt them on the counter. To be fair, we have quick players and we have scored plenty of goals on the counter-attack this season.
“That’s something teams from the lower leagues look to exploit when they play against Premier League opposition and it’s going to be no different.”
Crawley are unbeaten in League Two since the end of November and have the third best goals-for record in the fourth tier, something Leeds fans will be wary of, given the number of goals they have been conceding this season.
But Francomb knows they will have their work cut out and that, no matter how good they have been in the league, Bielsa’s boys will be a very different proposition to anything they have come up against of late.
He added: “It’s a cup game so it’s a completely different sort of mentality from what we’ve got going in the league.
“It’s one we can enjoy, but, at the same time, we have to make sure we give a good account of ourselves, especially with it being on the TV and against top opposition.”
The fact the game is at Crawley is another factor in their favour, as they have lost just two home fixtures since John Yems took over 13 months ago.
Francomb said: “No, we haven’t chipped in to buy John a bucket like Bielsa’s – he’ll be standing on the side shouting as he usually does.
“The gaffer has done such a good job since he came in. He has created a really good squad and really good atmosphere for us to get on with our work and enjoy it.”
Francomb knows what third-round weekend is like against top-flight opposition after taking on Tottenham three years ago at Wembley at this stage.
He said: “This game is a different emotion as I’m a Spurs fan, but, as a player in the lower leagues, it’s a nice little bonus to play these kinds of games.
“They break up the league fixtures that come thick and fast and it gives you a week to enjoy and have a go at one of the big teams.
“We’ve got really good home form and we’ll just see how the magic of the FA Cup treats us.”