DARLINGTON manager Steve Watson claims his team are showing signs of clicking ahead of today's FA Cup third qualifying round tie at Morecambe.
Quakers’ spirits have been lifted in the last fortnight courtesy of the last-round win at Redcar Town and a 1-1 league draw with Hebburn last Saturday, and they’ll need to maintain that improvement at Morecambe, who were in the Football League only two years ago but are now in the same division as Quakers.
“Morecambe are a massive club in this league,” said Watson. “It took them a while to get into their stride this season, but they’ve lost only once in their last seven now. They’ve got some very good players with good experience and they’ve got a good mixture.
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“For us, it’s the same as when we played and won at Fylde in the Cup last season, we’re playing against one of the best clubs in the league, but that’s what FA Cup football is all about.
“We went into a game at Redcar in the last round, and they gave us a right scare and a good performance. It was a great atmosphere on the day. This game isn’t David and Goliath, but we’re going there as underdogs. Hopefully, we’ll give a good account of ourselves.
“We’ve yet to get that consistent run that we need. There are still lots of things that we can do better, but in the last couple of games we’ve seen some promising signs that things are starting to sink in with our players. We could have been a little more clinical against Hebburn last week, but things are starting to click in certain areas. There’s still a long way to go.”
Quakers are hit by player absences, even more than they were in the last round. Several injured players are close to a comeback, but Carlisle won’t allow defender Nathan Atkinson and midfielder Jonah Lowes to play, while Jacob Hazel, who was signed on loan from Chester last week, is cup-tied having come on as a sub for Chester for just three minutes in the second qualifying round.
“We’ll be down to the bare bones, but it’s up to the players who come into the team to take their chance," said Watson. "We don’t leave players out if they are playing excellently. A player who performs well will keep his place.”
This will be the first time Quakers have played Morecambe since their Football League days, when they lost 2-0 at their old ground in February 2010. The last time they won there was in January 2008, by 3-0.
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