The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Sports are on the road to Wembley
Football -It’s another big day for a top city side
Peterborough Sports manager Jimmy Dean reckons his side have a 30 per cent chance of upsetting Oxford City and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy on Saturday.
Remarkably, the city side are within three wins from a major non-league final at Wembley, just a decade after winning promotion from Division One of the Peterborough League.
“It’s mad to think we’re that close to Wembley,” Dean said. “It’s like Posh reaching the later stages of the FA Cup.
“We’re obviously not thinking that far ahead as we know we are massive underdogs on Saturday.
“I’d say it’s a 70/30 chance they will beat us, but that’s not to say it’s mission impossible.
“The odds are stacked against us because when Saturday comes it will just be our second game in seven weeks whereas they only stopped playing competitively last weekend.
“Our last game was the last round of the Trophy at Bath (January 16) and we have the same motivation on Saturday. If we lose we probably won’t play another match all season and no-one wants that. This game is not like when we played Chorley of Fylde in the FA Cup. This is more winnable and we’ve prepared as well as we can. “My chairman Grant Biddle has given us everything we need.
“We are going to Oxford to give them a game. If things go our way we could cause another upset. We want to enjoy the day but we want to win.
“My player Dan Lawlor was coached by Oxford manager David Oldfield at Posh and rates him very highly so we know they will be a wellorganised side as well as one full of talent.
“I’ve seen a few bits of video from Oxford’s win over Northampton in the FA Cup, but they’re not a lot of use as they sat back a lot in that game which I presume they won’t do against us!”
There’s plenty at stake on Saturday. Sports had never previously travelled beyond the first round of the FA Trophy, while City have never reached the quarter-finals.
Sports defender Matty Miles faces a fitness test, but is expected to be available.
Jimmy Dean: “We want to enjoy the day, but we want to win.”