Marsch slams his stars for not taking tie seriously

JESSE MARSCH blasted his Leeds players for not respecting Cardiff or taking the FA Cup seriously enough in the first half.

The Premier League side needed a last-minute equaliser from 18-year-old Sonny Perkins to force a replay after the Championship club had led by two goals.

‘I’ve never as a manager lost to a lower-division team in the cup,’ said Marsch. ‘Part of that is that I demand my players take it seriously. We did not do that in the first half and we put ourselves in jeopardy. Our young group now have to learn to be bigger winners, to manage moments and understand what real games are all about. We can use this as a stepping stone.’

The American said the introduction of Perkins was more than just giving a young player minutes after he joined from West Ham. ‘With Sonny, we were really excited to bring him to the club,’ added Marsch. ‘We’ve tried to include him a lot in the first team and push his development. ‘Since the World Cup break, I have been adamant with him on what to improve. He’s developed incredibly well over the last two or three weeks. We were saying on the bench, “He’s one of the guys who could get the goal”.

‘I have to thank the fans. Without them behind the goal, so many of them, I don’t think we would have got back into the game.’ Cardiff boss Mark Hudson kicked water bottles in frustration at the equaliser but was happy with his players. ‘The overriding feeling is that I am proud of the performance we put in against a top Leeds side,’ he said. Defender Joel Bagan was sent off for handball on the line. ‘That shows what all the boys showed today: a willingness to put their body on the line,’ added Hudson. The replay will take place at Elland Road either a week tomorrow or on Wednesday week, with the date to be confirmed when the BBC and ITV make their selections.