LEVEL-HEADED boss Graham Baker fears his Woking players might freeze in what is the first FA Cup tie at Kingfield against Football League opposition since fourth tier Kidderminster trounced the Cards 3-0 in 2003/04.
Next Tuesday’s hugely anticipated First Round replay against Brighton & Hove Albion – live on ESPN and set to pull in £33,750 in TV receipts alone – is already attracting massive interest.
And the carrot of a Second Round home clash against FC United of Manchester is coming tantalisingly into view.
Baker just hopes his men can cope. “It might be too big a game for us,” he admitted. “There is a chance we might freeze but we’ll be drumming into the players they have already matched them once and kept a clean sheet. They have to have self-belief.”
Baker conceded he is yet to decide how he will tackle the tie – with the onus on the home team to attack meaning gaps may well be left for the League One leaders to exploit.
“It’s impossible to take in at the moment how we’ll approach it as we have a big league game against Chelmsford on Saturday. A lot depends on the bodies we have available.
“It will be a whole different ball game at Kingfield. Do we employ the same tactics as we did away? Do we attack them? Can we come up with another surprise? One thing’s for sure, we won’t be able to dominate Brighton for long periods, it’s not going to happen.”
Baker has been vilified in some quarters for his tactics and team selection this term but he got it spot on at the Withdean.
“I know what I am, I know my ability and I don’t shout about it. I let my team do the talking,” he said. “I know my strengths and weaknesses. And football is about opinions.
“There’s a minority of people who don’t think Sir Alex Ferguson is a good manager so there will always be a few who don’t think Graham Baker is either. That’s football.”
The boss revealed Adam Doyle and Ricky Anane both had injections to play at the Withdean. And also that his decision to bring on Ola Sogbanmu, Josh Watkins and Charlie Turnbull was tactical – as well as the realisation of Woking’s future.
He added: “That’s where this club is. Because of our Cup run, those lads have been on the fringes and for them to get on the pitch in a big game was great for their development.”
