FA CUP DIARY

JAMILLE MATT was Newport’s goalscoring hero in their third-round win over Leicester. Here, the 29-year-old striker spills the beans on their preparations for this evening’s huge clash with Manchester City... The gaffer, Michael Flynn, hasn’t banned the words ‘Manchester City’ but all our attention at the start of this week is on Tuesday night’s match against MK Dons. I did watch City’s game against Chelsea Chelsea, though. though To win 6-0 against a team who won the Premier League a couple of years ago is unbelievable. I put a tweet out afterwards saying: ‘But can they do it on a cold windy night in Newport?’ p This can only go one of two ways... I NEVER need to set an alarm in t the mornings. I’m woken up at 7am no matter what by my little boy Luca, who turns three in May. He came into the bedroom this morning and said: ‘Up you get get, Daddy!’ I’ll get him his breakfast and watch a bit of TV with him before he goes to nursery — Something Special with Mr Tumble is his favourite — and then it’s off to football. It only takes 10 minutes to get to the training ground. I’m not a massive fan of travelling so I like to live close by. Today is only a light session as we are playing tomorrow. A MIDweeK match means a rare lie-in... though Luca will still try t to wake me up! I’ll have a little stretch and try to relax as much as possible. The gaffer wants us to spend time with our families so we eat at home before meeting up. up My pre-match meal is scrambled eggs with beans on toast. It’s what I’ve had before each Cup game this season and that won’t change for City. Tonight is our third home game in a week so our pitch hasn’t had much time to recover... and since moving to Newport I’ve noticed that it always rains! we’ll be more used to it than City but if we can handle the ball on it, they will certainly be able to. MK Dons beat us 1-0. I thought we were the better side but we didn’t take our chances. The gaffer was tough on us. The league is our bread and butter. THOSE who played last night have a light session before heading home to rest. I chased the little one around the garden and cooked dinner. I’m an OK cook — my speciality is a Jamaican curry. I normally relax by watching football, reading or a bit of TV. I must admit, this week I have given Manchester City’s Amazon documentary All or Nothing a watch. I love all the antics that Benjamin j Mendy gets up to! The gaffer gave us a day off so I went for a haircut. I’m getting a bit too old for the extravagant hairdos so it’s just a skin fade on the side, leave the top with a small Afro and have a little shave of the beard. Most of the lads have had the customary TV trim! It’s Valentine’s Day but I’m not one for all that lovey-dovey stuff. Plans for tonight involve watching Arsenal — I’m a long-suffering fan — and they y end up losing 1-0 to BATe Borisov. WE analysed City. A few lads fancied themselves as Kevin De Bruyne, B popping the ball around in training, but that will be nothing like the real thing. I have 20 family and friends coming to the game g including my nephew who is a City fan. I cannot wait to test myself against the world’s best footballing team. Getting to sleep won’t be a problem... but staying asleep will be tricky. I’ll be too excited! Jamille Matt was talking to James Restall