Defender Sam Stubbs spoke to the media at Poolfoot Farm ahead of Fleetwood Town’s third round tie against Everton at Highbury Stadium on Wednesday night.
Stubbs – who has featured in every minute of the two wins so far in the competition – is looking forward to testing himself against Premier League opposition, in Everton.
Ahead of the clash, here is what he had to say:
On the opposition…
“It’s brilliant when you get that type of competition coming to town, and you can test yourselves against players who are playing at the highest level you can in England.
“It’s a big game for us, but we’ve got a plan and a way we think we can affect Everton. Hopefully, if we stick to that plan, we will give ourselves a chance to get something from the game and hopefully progress in the competition.
“I think it’s important we don’t concentrate on them too much. Whether they play the side that played on the weekend or the side that faced Salford, there’s quality in that team, which makes them a team that could punish you at any time.
On his time at Fleetwood…
“It’s been good, and I’ve loved every minute of it so far. I was in the side straight away, so I was happy with that being the case and we’ve gotten through three games. From a fitness point of view, I feel good and ready to go for tomorrow night.
“Getting a goal against Everton isn’t something I’ve really thought about, it sounds a bit cliché, but I’d rather have a clean sheet.
“My mentality going into the game is that is a Premier League comes to your patch and doesn’t score, I think that speaks volumes of what who I am on the pitch. Obviously, it would be nice to score in general but, first and foremost, the clean sheet is the main priority for myself.”
On his Everton link…
“I can remember going to watch my dad when I was younger. One of the first things I remember is going into training with my dad and seeing all the players.
“I don’t think I appreciated what was going on, I just thought that I was just going into work with my dad but when I look back at it now, and see the quality of the players that were there, it was pretty cool what I got to do to be fair.”
Watch Sam’s pre-match interview on our iFollow HERE.