ANDREW Procter believes that tonight’s clash with Newcastle United in the Second Round of the Carling Cup, could be the making of some of Stanley’s youngsters’ careers.
Accrington have only once before hosted Premier League opposition in a competitive game, with last season’s FA Cup defeat to Fulham at the Crown Ground, a game which won the Reds many plaudits afterwards.
So fans can be forgiven for thinking that this game is the biggest in the club’s history, especially as the Sky cameras are going to be in attendance in East Lancashire.
And for many of Stanley’s youngsters it will be their first time playing a match in front of the live cameras, that will broadcast the clash all around the world – so make sure your hair is done, don’t want a mess moment if you get a close up!
But Stanley skipper Procter believes the game will boost the footballing careers of members of the side, and that it represents a real opportunity to get their selves in the shop window.
“For a lot of the lads it will be the first time they have played on television and they`ve got to use it as a shop window for themselves,” said Proc speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph.
“It could be the making of a lot of our players. We`ve got a really young team and for some it`s their first year in the Football League.
“I know a lot of people look down on Accrington Stanley but there is no pressure whatsoever on us. We`ve just got to go out and play with freedom.
“We know we`re going to be the underdogs but that suits us. Newcastle won`t enjoy coming here.
“Obviously the facilities aren`t the best and the pitch isn`t quite as good as we hoped it would be, although on Saturday it was certainly an improvement.
“I`m not expecting Newcastle to put out their first choice starting 11.
“We know they won`t treat us with any disrespect, but if they do take it easy you see throughout the Carling Cup and the FA Cup that shocks can happen.”
Tickets were taken off sale for the game on Tuesday evening, meaning no further tickets will be sold today, and the game is not a sell out, although the bumper 4,000 crowd inside the Crown Ground is never a bag thing at all.
The skipper continued: “There will be a big crowd and hopefully we can attract a few more fans and maybe keep them for the rest of the season,
“It`s a massive shop window for the players and also for the club.
“We showed we could do it against Fulham. We absolutely dominated it for a good 75 minutes.
‘Even with 10 men we looked a threat.”
The game kicks off at 7:45pm tonight and will be shown live on Sky Sports 3 from 7:30pm if you cannot make it down to the Crown Ground.
And if you can’t get down, then why not follow Vital Stanley’s live Twitter updates from the game. We will be starting our broadcast at around 7:45pm (basically as soon as I have got to my seat and eaten my pie!).
All you have to do is head to www.twitter.com/VitalStanley and click follow. Alternatively you can click the twitter logo below the article text on this page and head over to follow us.
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