BARRIGAN AIMS TO DUMP JOSE’S SUPERSTARS
MARINE’S James Barrigan missed out on his Christmas tips as a local council binman but now he’s hoping to deliver a footballing miracle against Spurs. Watching Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Brentford in midweek on TV, after another hard day’s graft helping clear up the rubbish on Merseyside, the 22-year-old had to pinch himself.
“I could hardly believe it that a few days later that would be us, Marine, up against Tottenham with everyone watching the telly,” said the forward.
“It’s ridiculous, sheer lunacy, when you start to compare Marine with Tottenham.
“It’s just surreal when you look at the gap in status – it’s supposedly the biggest in the history of the FA Cup.
“I know this will sound crazy but we’ll be going out there to win. There’s no other way to approach a match, no matter who you are playing.
It’s that mindset that has seen us create big upsets already.
“We’re not going to just turn up, sit back and let them have a nice easy comfortable night. It’s not what we’re about.”
Barrigan has seen at first hand the upsets that can occur in the FA Cup. He was at Wigan as a promising schoolboy when Roberto Martinez’s side beat odds-on favourites Manchester City in the 2013 final.
He said: “I didn’t go to Wembley but a couple of the other lads I played with did. It was a fantastic day for the club and just shows what can happen.”
Barrigan also faced Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho before he was released. “I played against Manchester United in a friendly at the DW Stadium when Jose Mourinho was the manager,” he said. “I was also in the squad for the FA Cup game at Old Trafford. I didn’t get on but it was a great experience.”
And yet in a preliminary round, 10-man Marine trailed Barnoldswick 1-0 with three minutes to go before two late goals secured their progression.
“Now we’ve ended up with Spurs,” said hitman Barrigan.
“It’s madness.”