– Danny sounded as if the pressure was very slightly off, and he was very jovial and really looking forward to Saturday’s game v Wimbledon. A fantastic competition, a tough game to start but at least we have not had to qualify this year.
– Regarding availability, Sam Habergham took a heavy knock on Saturday and has been looked after, but should be ok. Harry Anderson continues to progress and has trained all week. DC still in talks with Norwich regarding Sean Raggett but will only be able to say if he is cup-tied at about 1.30 on Saturday.
– It is a very important game if you look at what the FA Cup did for us last year, for the Club, the players, fans and The City. He recalled the Ipswich, Brighton, Burnley games and said we want to do it again. Everyone says we are going to lose in the first round, but I want to get to the semi-finals.
– Staying over on Friday, training at Bisham Abbey then opposition work at the hotel. They have done their homework on Wimbledon and know Lyle Taylor well having signed him for Concord when he was 18. He recalled that Lyle was late for his first training session on the long grass at their rugby ground training pitch, but Nicky saw him running across and said, “sign him up” just because of the way he moved.
– Wimbledon are a well organised side who have evolved their style and now bring the ball into the final third. They have good ball handlers, brave midfielders and have pace at the flanks.
– DC said they had had a good week in training and were pleased with the defence and restarts in games but acknowledged there could be improvements in the attacking and possession elements of the play. He impressed that they were not too far away, and the aim was to keep being competitive while we are improving.
– He commented on stripping things down to the basics and said they were striving to get clarity, “Everyone needs clarity”. You cannot progress constructively without having clarity.
– These days there are a lot of opinions, teams are regarded as direct or possession in both cases they are still called “one dimensional”. We know the pathway we are going along and are clear where we want to go. He wished he could click his fingers and it would happen, but everyone has to accept this is reality. We have the second best defensive record in the League. Offensively we can move the ball quicker, be more inventive, take more risks and be more clinical in front of goal. If we do improve in these areas, we will be well on our way.
– When asked about getting a replay, he said he did not want a replay v Ipswich but got one, which went ok. He did want a replay v Burnley but didn’t get one, which was also ok. Any cup run is not a distraction, it can give the players a feel good factor and a tangible boost in confidence.
– He knew 1,000 tickets had been sold for the Wimbledon game but hoped 1,200-1,300 would travel. The great thing is that we know the supporters are with us. We know their frustrations, they want to see free flowing attacking football. We have the same intentions but first we want what is the very best for Lincoln City Football Club.
Video: Press Conference Summary: @AFCWimbledon (a):https://t.co/zjDhOc1OfZ#AFCW #AFCWimbledon #TeamLincoln #EmiratesFACup
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) November 3, 2017
