YOU’LL BE THE DADDY AGAINST UNITED!
Get behind us and we can shock the Hammers, says ace Simeon
SIMEON Jackson hopes to see Ewood Park packed to the rafters this afternoon when Blackburn Rovers welcome Premier League West Ham United in the FA Cup fifth round.
The Hammers will be followed by 7,200 supporters travelling up from east London, hoping to roar their team to a place in the last eight against lower league opposition.
But Blackburn have left their mark on the FA Cup history books and will themselves harbour hopes of progressing.
Rovers were the last team to win the trophy in three successive seasons (1884-86) and recorded the biggest ever margin of victory in an FA Cup final – 6-1 against Sheffield Wednesday in 1890.
And if they are to make some more history in the modern era, Jackson believes they will need some help from the Rovers faithful.
“They are coming to our patch and hopefully we can make it difficult, and the fans will be out in their numbers supporting us,” said the 28year-old forward.
“It makes a massive difference, especially in the FA Cup. It’s a brilliant occasion to be in, so the more the merrier fans-wise.
“It’s going to be a great day for us at home and hopefully we can turn them over. It’s a little distraction from the league, but one that we are definitely going to enjoy.
“We’re delighted to be where we are in the FA Cup and we are going to enjoy the occasion.You never know what can happen, it’s a oneoff.”
Rovers warmed up for the tie with a 3-0 defeat of Fulham on Tuesday night, as goals from Ben Marshall, Shane Duffy and Danny Graham saw them bounce back from defeat to table-topping Hull.
And Jackson hopes his team can build on that momentum against the Hammers, who lie seventh in the Premier League.
“It’s good to have a performance like that with this sort of game coming up, so the boys will be in good spirits,” added Jackson.
“It was important for us to come out and do that at home. Last Saturday there were dribs and drabs of it but Hull (who won 2-0 at Ewood Park) are a great side, they are top of the league for a reason.
“But we got back on track against Fulham and it was good to do that at home.
“It’s what the fans want and it’s what we want to give them. If we can keep doing that between now and the end of the season, then we’ll be fine.”